Source Wurx’s turnkey design and prepress services will sharply reduce graphics costs, ensure run-to-run color consistency and improve lead times.
Oconomowoc, WI – Source Wurx, a food & beverage sector printed packaging facilitator whose services range from design and prepress to print production and ongoing oversight, has been selected by a major private label food manufacturer to enhance packaging graphics and oversee color management.
Source Wurx manages over 8,000 SKUs for this manufacturer across various printed packaging substrates and categories, and now has been tasked with reducing graphics costs and improving lead times despite the current challenging materials and supply chain landscape. In addition to tightening production protocols, the move is expected to save the private label food manufacturer up to 50% in design and prepress costs compared to internal execution.
Source Wurx’s turnkey approach will help streamline several mission-critical processes for the private label manufacturer, including file control, flexibility, and version control. File ownership is vital in printed packaging; without it there are constraints that can impact the printed packaging supply chain.
“With so much outside of our control, in the past few years clients have experienced fires, security hacks, acquisitions that have caused negative consequences,” said Leslie Williams, Vice President of Business Development for Source Wurx. ”Managing digital assets with a third party partner enables Source Wurx to effectively and efficiently move business from one printer to another for contingency planning purposes.” Ms. Williams explains that, through Source Wurx, the manufacturer can archive and access each of its 8,000+ files in a central location.
File versions management also is crucial in the private label space, where shifting nutrition transparency rules, ingredient formulations and overarching redesigns all demand nimbleness. Due to printed packaging’s fluid nature, overseeing versions for individual SKUs can be challenging and overly complex. To minimize confusion and hassle, Source Wurx manages version control through the coding of files in the file naming convention and on printed packaging. This protocol best ensures that printers use the correct, most updated version of each file, and that the manufacturer receives correct versions of each file for application.
For the private label food manufacturer, Source Wurx also is managing printed packaging color via a sampling process consisting of approved proofs and samples from the first production run. In coordination with printers, Source Wurx analyzes samples from each run and compares them against the established color standard. This supports run-to-run color consistency, and serves as a safeguard against printers producing out-of-tolerance product. This protocol is being performed across multiple packaging formats and materials substrates.
