In a recent WhatTheyThink LunchNLearn Webinar, Ryan McAbee from Keypoint Intelligence and I took a tour through the software buying process with a view from the ground up. The big question comes down to the current condition of the infrastructure software ecosystem, platforms, and bundles. You may have already built platforms that made remote working seamless for your team, or you may have an infrastructure that relied on people talking to people to move work through the shop. Since 2021 is setting up to look much like 2020, start the year with a new look at your product mix, production costs, and how you can optimize both with updates to currently installed solutions, or new solutions.

Ryan pointed out that new survey work from Keypoint Intelligence shows that automation solutions are becoming more widely installed in Europe. History tells us that North America will follow that path over the next 12 to 18 months. That automation was added with software and, sometimes, with new hardware options supported by software. The solution might be a well-designed web-to-print and digital storefront paired to automated preflighting and preliminary color management. Other companies added new materials handling options paired with software to automate and optimize inventory control.

The result is that more printing companies are engaging with workflow automation solutions, which tend to bring better margins and often increase available capacity with current equipment. This is a path open to all companies—but walk carefully. Carefully consider investments in terms of the work you have, the work you want, and the work you don’t want. Are you struggling to handle inbound work, or struggling to find enough work? Is your product mix correct for the current market conditions? And, if it is not the right mix, what direction do you need to move? Will your current software environment support changes in your product mix?