Expanding Printer Revenue In Manufacturing

By Brian Albright, Field Technologies

The manufacturing sector is growing, but VARs will need a keen understanding of their clients’ business and a focus on solutions.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the manufacturing sector is expected to have a year-over-year growth of 2.4 percent. While expansion has been slow, it is happening. The Institute for Supply Management said its index of national factory activity stood at 55.3 in June (any reading above 50 is related to expansion).

With that growth come opportunities for bar code printer resellers to boost business with existing clients or take advantage of new opportunities as companies expand facilities and add lines. “The manufacturing vertical represents the largest portion of the industrial printing market,” says Alex Babic, manager of Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. “Printing solutions provide basic help to automate tracking applications in manufacturing all the way down to the component level. The products that are mainly needed in this market are industrial printers that have a production life of around 10 years. Long printer life also means that VARs should be focused on selling a complete solution, including handheld, media, voice, software, and services.