At one time, tags simply were handwritten documents constructed of punch patches, eyelets and metal wires for fastening. Literally, they just hung around. Today, tags are high-tech, integral parts of end users' information systems--and the market for selling them is strong.
Distributors who sell tags successfully consider the products money-making, not mundane. They help printing pros gain footholds in accounts, and they're logical complements to forms and labels. Also, unlike advertising specialties and commercial printing, tag orders repeat frequently. But before they can enjoy repeat orders, distributors say, they must recognize new developments in the tag market.
Targeting Manufacturing Firms
One industry particularly hungry for innovative tags is manufacturing. As firms purchase more sophisticated equipment to track production, shipping and inventory, they demand increasingly sophisticated tags and more efficient methods of printing them on demand. Factories of all types order numerous tags, including ones that must comply with rules from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal watchdog that protects employees exposed to potentially harmful working environments. OSHA requires that facilities mark certain areas with "CAUTION," "DANGER," "WARNING" and other safety-related tags.
Manufacturing firms need variable data and bar coding for better product tracking, identification and shipping. That's a major reason thermal transfer tags are one of the fastest-growing--and most necessary--products to sell to those firms, distributors say. A thermal transfer product usually is imaged at a client location by a heated printhead that contacts a ribbon coated with thermal ink, causing the ink from the ribbon to transfer onto the label and create an image. For many applications, the technology has replaced single, fanfolded tags produced on dot matrix and pinfed equipment.
Selling thermal transfer tags to manufacturing firms is profitable for distributors, but it often requires patience and a keen understanding of applications. One distributorship responsible for providing shipping tags to a steel manufacturer had to find a tag material as tough as the metal tags the client had been attaching to its steel parts. But the material had to be thin enough to run through a dot matrix printer. Also, the distributor had to ensure that the bar code and other printing on the tag wouldn't rub off in rough shipping and handling conditions, rendering the tag unreadable. The solution was an 8 x 4-inch tag on Kimdura stock. Kimdura alone was too thin, so the stock was laminated to a piece of thick vinyl. The resulting product was strong enough to withstand handling conditions, yet thin enough to run through the customer's printer.
Providing Eye-Catching Tags
Possibilities in the thermal transfer tag market extend beyond manufacturing clients. Thermal technology can enhance the efficiency and appearance of products such as bar coded tags for point-of-sale products. Bar Code Label Systems Inc., a distributorship in Mountain Lakes, N.J., has sold thermal transfer items to a wide range of firms, from jewelry and clothing companies in Israel and Japan to Merck, an international pharmaceutical company. The distributorship sells 30,000 1 x 21Ž2-inch garment tags to Liz Claiborne. The tags, which are imprinted in black and navy, include UPC bar codes encoded with pricing information. "If the customer wants a product that needs to include a bar code, can be printed quickly and looks good, thermal products are good choices," says Doug Lewis, the distributorship's president. "As long as customers want them, we'll be there to provide them."
David Haedrich, president of Label Systems & Solutions Inc., a distributorship in Bohemia, N.Y., sells direct thermal ID tags to a large financial firm in Manhattan. Direct thermal printing is similar to thermal transfer, except no ribbon is involved. The 11Ž2 x 21Ž4-inch paper tags are imprinted with seven different colors--one for each day of the week--around the border. When visitors arrive at the firm attain security clearance, they receive ID tags printed on the firm's thermal printer. The tags slide into plastic badge holders. The firm buys 105,000 tags every few months. "No matter who the customer is," Haedrich says, "one of the best advantages of thermal products is that customers have the ability to print what they want quickly."
Darin Painter is managing editor of Print Solutions. Email him your comments at dpainter@PSDA.org.
Thanks to Allen-Bailey Tag & Label, Caledonia, N.Y., and Special Service Partners, Neenah, Wis., for assistance.
5 Tips for Selling Thermal Transfer Tags
Keeping up to date with bar code technology is important when offering thermal transfer tags, but you'll need to do more to achieve long-term success. Consider these tips:
1. Know printing equipment details. Manufacturers in the document industry rely on distributors to know the makes and models of end users' thermal transfer printers. Manufacturers need details about the equipment to make informed decisions about die cutting and other features.
2. Provide extra products and maintenance. If you're selling printheads or ribbons to complement your thermal transfer tag sales, consider providing maintenance of those items as a value-added service. Show clients proper cleaning procedures and make scheduled checks at their sites.
3. Understand the life cycle. To ensure a customer isn't leaving out important details about its tag application, visit its facility to see how the tag is used from start to finish. Know the answers to these questions: What's the tag's purpose? Will it be subjected to grease, oil, dirt or other substances? Does the tag require a reinforced hole? Will it be attached with wire or string or some other method? What's the tag's life cycle? Will it be used indoors or outdoors? Must it withstand extreme temperatures? How many locations will it be shipped to? Will it need a bar code or number?
4. Target the right people. Purchasing managers aren't always the best contacts for tag sales. Depending on the end user, your best contact could work in inventory control, shipping and receiving, or sales.
5. Get testy. Thorough testing is an essential ingredient of successful tag applications. Even if the customer doesn't complain about a tag problem, a competitor may notice one and take the account.
3 Interesting Tag Applications
End users need tags for a variety of applications. Here are three interesting ones:
1. Vehicle identity numbers. This 61Ž2 x 51Ž2-inch tag is red on one side and green on the other. It includes a 3Ž16-inch metal eyelet for a key tag and claim check. The tag is slotted to hang from a rear-view mirror.
2. Automotive tag. This 71Ž4 x 2-inch tag includes self-adhering permanent tape with two removable key tags. The removable tags include 3Ž16-inch metal eyelets and matching numbers.
3. Paper key tag. This simple, 23Ž4 x 13Ž8-inch tag includes a 9Ž16-inch colored patch with a 7Ž32-inch hole near the top and a 3Ž16-inch metal eyelet near the bottom.
Source: Special Service Partners, Neenah, Wis.
