Built for Speed

One customer places 330 orders each month, totaling more than one million labels a year. But because that company no longer maintains an inventory of finished labels, each of those orders comes with a two-day delivery window.

“With digital capability, our finished goods inventory has dropped by half,” explains Bob McJury, partner and vice president of sales at TLF Graphics in Rochester, NY. “We have a retail signage client with whom we use an e-commerce front end. So the orders come in, are printed, and shipped in 72 hours. There is nothing on the shelf.”

Another customer—a mid-size retail chain—has color-critical needs, wants to stop franchisees’ habit of buying print locally, and would like to customize many materials for its stores, from labels to POP signage.

“Our world revolves around turning inquiries into cash as fast as possible,” says McJury. To that end, the company produces a variety of product decoration, overlay panels for industrial equipment, and high durability labels and decals for products ranging from small hand tools to giant cranes. Meanwhile, other machines produce eye-catching signage for in-store graphics, exterior signage, banners, floor and wall coverings, and more. And closing the loop, TLF manages it all for customers with inventory controls, warehousing and distribution services.