You know your business operations better than anyone. In the past five years, you’ve probably made changes and investments for long-term health or to adapt to shifting client demand. Maybe some decisions were made for you, like rising postage costs or the realities of a changing workforce.
How often do you ask yourself: Is there more we could be doing? Is there something we’re doing that we shouldn’t?
This article isn’t here to outline what’s broken. It’s written to help you explore what’s possible. From cutting costs and unlocking hidden capacity to evaluating whether it’s time to modernize your equipment, we’ll walk through practical ways to make your operation more efficient and more profitable.
Let’s explore…
Do More With Less
Let’s start with where you can reduce expenses within your current setup.
Labor is often the biggest challenge. Hiring is costly, and with a shrinking labor pool, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified workers. In the past, you've probably tried to add headcount in order to keep up with demand, only to find that it hurt your bottom line more than it helped.
Both fixed and variable labor costs can put heavy pressure on margins. The good news is that by removing operational barriers and getting more out of your machines, you can handle a higher volume of jobs with fewer people.
In fact, many companies in the print and mail space that have taken steps towards increasing automation have reported 50–75% reductions in labor needs and as much as a 50% increase in output. And this is without adding any additional headcount.
But you’re probably thinking: how do I actually go about increasing the level of automation and efficiency on my production floor in order to scale back my labor?
Stay tuned because we’re going to cover that in the next two sections of this post.
Think You’re at Full Capacity? Think Again.
Beyond cutting costs, another way to boost profitability is by increasing capacity.
You may think your printers are running at full speed, but in reality, there’s often untapped output hidden in your operation.
Think of it like driving: your car’s top speed doesn’t matter when you’re stuck in traffic. The same applies on the production floor. A line rated for 20,000 letters-per-hour rarely delivers that once you account for loading, changeovers, jams, and last-minute client edits.
Real capacity is the average throughput that actually ships. And for many shops, that often ends up being only about half of the machine’s rated capacity.
The first step towards increasing capacity is to get an accurate baseline of where you’re currently at. Track shipped output per hour across an entire shift, or if your printers allow it, run a capacity report to see your true throughput. From there, the goal is simple: reduce the bottlenecks that are limiting your capacity.
Automation is one of the fastest ways to make progress here. Automated job changeovers and limitless presets shrink downtime, while inline error detection prevents small problems from spiraling into rework. Even incremental improvements like standardizing setups or speeding up jam recovery can create meaningful gains.
At its core, capacity isn’t about pushing machines to run faster. It’s about designing your operation so changes and interruptions don’t grind production to a halt. The more variation your systems can absorb without stopping, the more productive your floor becomes.
Your New Equipment Is Already Outdated
After evaluating your capacity, you might find that throughput is still lagging even though your equipment is relatively new.
The truth is, “new” doesn’t always mean “modern.” Many machines on the market today are built on decades-old patents, relying on technology that hasn’t kept pace with the needs of today’s operations.
As we’ve covered, labor costs and low capacity are two of the biggest hindrances to profitability. And your machines sit at the center of both.
Older systems demand more operators, require more maintenance, and offer fewer automation features. That translates directly to higher labor input, more downtime, and less efficiency.
Here’s an analogy. Imagine if car manufacturers released a new car model every year, but the only thing that changed was the exterior design. It might look sleeker on the outside but it’s missing the essential features you actually care about (ie. crash detection, fuel efficiency, or airbags).
Are your mailing and printing systems offering everything you need? These are just some of the standard features that today’s modern equipment offers:
- Plug-and-play modularity within 60 seconds or less
- Infinite pre-programmed jobs for quick, error-free setup
- Operator-friendly design with intuitive controls
- Mobile trolley loading for almost instant reloads
- Inline processing for address validation and quality checks
- Automated error detection to stop issues before they spread
- Streamlined jam recovery to reduce downtime
This is the kind of technology that cuts delays, reduces labor needs, and ensures consistent accuracy so you can get more done in less time, at a lower cost.
If you think it’s time to start exploring new systems, be sure to prioritize solutions that replace manual workflows with inline processes, use state-of-the-art feeding and handling (even for complex, variable-data jobs), and integrate seamlessly with hybrid mail and digital transformation initiatives.
Ready to Cut Costs and Boost Profitability?
Quadient’s solutions are purpose-built for print service providers ready to grow their business — not just today, but for the long haul. As a trusted partner, Quadient combines deep industry expertise with scalable technology to help print shops and production mail facilities reduce labor costs, increase throughput, and eliminate costly manual processes.
Learn more about how our intelligent solutions can drive efficiency, support compliance, and position your business for long-term success.