How to Eliminate Waste in Label Printing with Lean Labeling

By following the lean labeling process, companies can trim their barcode labeling process down to use only the time, materials and energy that are truly required.

When it comes to your barcode labeling software solution, implementing lean labeling and continuous improvement principles to your labeling environment reduces waste in label printing and saves you money. Lean Labeling and sustainability go hand in hand by eliminating waste in your labeling processes. This helps create a more sustainable barcode labeling environment while reducing resource use. By following the lean labeling process, companies can trim their barcode labeling process down to use only the time, materials and energy that are truly required.

Lean Labeling can be defined as, “A method to minimize waste within a label printing system without sacrificing productivity.”

If your current labeling environment looks like a scattered mess, you’re not alone. 100% of respondents from a TEKLYNX poll said their labeling environment was not completely lean; while 43% of respondents said they needed to make significant improvements to have a lean labeling environment.

Here are five basic steps to apply lean labeling and continuous improvement principles to your labeling environment to eliminate label printing waste.

Step 1: Identify waste

Waste takes on many forms in label printing, such as misprinted label stock or workforce waste when staff must manage thousands of label files. Waste typically comes from three areas in a business' label printing environment:

Step 2: Analyze the root cause

Once waste in the label printing process has been identified, it’s time to take a closer look at why it’s occurring. You’ll want to ask yourself these seven questions:

Many companies start with a small directory of labels, but that quickly becomes unmanageable as the number of different labels grows.

Changes like a new company logo or change of address could take hours to implement on hundreds of label files.

Software maintenance costs balloon when licenses are not centrally managed via a network. Check out our licensing options to see what will fit with your lean labeling environment.

If the user is entering data that is available in another system, or if they’re entering a calculable value (i.e., an expiration date), this step can be automated.

Often, your business system already houses the data that is required on your labels.

Can the expiration date be determined by adding a set amount of time to the manufacture date? Should the quantity be determined by the order number? Can these decisions be made by the system instead of the user?

If the user must search through many folders every time, they want to open a label or they must manually enter data, those steps add time to the label printing processes. Remember, printing labels isn’t your user’s primary job. Every time they must print labels, it means they are stopping their primary responsibilities.

Step 3: Solve the root cause

Solving the root cause of labeling printing waste doesn't have to be difficult.

If the waste was due to maintenance, consider:

If the waste was due to process, consider:

If the waste was due to inaccurate labels, consider:

Step 4: Measure results

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are excellent tools to show the results of a lean labeling initiative. KPIs provide concrete numbers that you can use to determine if your project was successful or not. Simply calculate these KPIs and share them with your boss to prove the value and ROI of your project. Below are some example KPI targets:

Step 5: Repeat!

Move on to the next source of label printing waste and repeat the lean labeling process to save time and money.

The goal of lean labeling is to minimize waste within your labeling environment. Less waste means greater productivity and ultimately a more profitable business. Labeling experts and barcode labeling providers can help you identify waste, and the root cause and come up with a solution to streamline your labeling.

* KPIs and target values developed by Dave Klement, Principal at Efficient Business Integrators.