Store signage on demand, and up to 60% less spent on outside printing
A national retail chain moved a large share of its signage and promotional graphics in-house and put one managed program around every wide format device it already owned.
Customer overview
This chain runs on printed communication. Store signage, point of purchase displays, promotional graphics, wayfinding materials and operational notices all support daily trading across hundreds of locations in multiple states, and much of that work was bought from commercial printers.
Teams in corporate offices, regional hubs and stores also ran a large fleet of wide format printers so they could produce locally. As the footprint grew, print production, device use, service support and supply cost all became harder to manage.
Business challenge
Four problems compounded each other.
- A decentralized print environment. Wide format devices operated independently across many locations, with limited visibility into device use, supply consumption and print volumes, and no consistent print standard between locations.
- Rising outsourced cost. Posters, signage, banners and marketing materials were bought from commercial vendors at significant annual spend, with long lead times and added shipping and fulfillment charges.
- Reactive equipment support. Service happened after something broke, consumable use was hard to track, and maintenance practice varied by location.
- Marketing that could not move fast enough. Seasonal campaigns, frequent price and message changes and aggressive retail timelines were difficult to meet through outside vendors.
FlexTG solution
FlexTG assessed the environment before recommending anything, then built the program in four phases: assessment and discovery, design and pilot, deployment, and continuing optimization. The pilot proved print quality and cost before the full rollout, and because FlexTG is brand neutral, the plan built on the wide format fleet the retailer already owned.
- In-house production. A central wide format production environment with production class printers, color management and print standards, workflow design, media selection and operator training.
- One managed program for the existing fleet. A full device inventory, utilization analysis, cost per print evaluation and deployment recommendations.
- Proactive support. Automated device monitoring, meter collection, consumables tracking and predictive service alerts, with automated ink and media replenishment and consolidated purchasing.
- Visibility that lasts. A central service desk, preventative maintenance, remote troubleshooting, and monthly reporting with utilization metrics, cost dashboards and optimization reviews.
Business results
- Outsourced wide format print spend fell by up to 60%, and many rush order surcharges, shipping and fulfillment charges went away with it.
- Many retail signage requests are now produced the same day, so campaigns deploy faster and depend less on outside vendors.
- Device utilization improved across the fleet, consumables waste fell, and proactive maintenance lowered service cost and unexpected downtime.
- Central reporting brought predictable monthly operating expense and clearer cost allocation, while standardized color holds brand appearance steady in every location on a platform that scales.
Why it matters
Retail marketing runs on short notice. Price changes, seasonal campaigns and new store messages arrive faster than commercial print lead times allow, and every store has to look the same on the day they land. A retailer that produces signage in-house controls both the calendar and the brand standard, while a managed fleet keeps hundreds of local devices from becoming invisible cost.
Request a production print assessment
FlexTG will review the applications you produce today, the equipment and workflow behind them, and what moving more of that work in-house would take.