InfoTrends, a market research and consulting firm for the digital imaging and document industries, has begun a study of effective supply-chain strategies for the wide-format digital printing market.

As print service providers (PSPs) use ‘lean’ production principles to meet faster turnaround requirements and competitive price constraints, the firm reports supply chain management has become more important in ensuring profitability.

“The shift to digital has partly been fuelled by the desire to manage assets more effectively,” says Tim Greene, director of InfoTrends’ wide-format service. “Many PSPs don’t want to buy any equipment or supplies until they know they need them—and they often only know 24 to 48 hours before they have to deliver printed graphics. And manufacturers have to deal with different account sizes, geographic regions and distributors.”

Through surveys, interviews and research, the firm intends to quantify the industry’s profit-and-cost value chain, identify supply bottlenecks, outline ‘best practices’ to improve distribution and discuss opportunities for alternative strategies like e-commerce.