How Labelling Machinery Can Help Tackle The Skills Shortage

Many industries have been affected by the current skills shortage, and it is a problem which has been getting increasingly worse over the last few years. Construction, engineering, manufacturing, hospitality, and transport are all sectors which have been significantly impacted, and these extend to the printing world too. Today, we are looking at how labelling machinery can help your business tackle the skills shortage and keep your production line running smoothly.

What Is The Skills Shortage And What Is Causing It?

Put simply, the skills shortage means there are not enough workers with the relevant skills to fill all the available vacancies. It can result in unskilled workers trying to do more advanced roles, or roles being left vacant for a long time. Businesses are experiencing low productivity, stunted business growth, high wages, and increased employee pressure, which are all serious issues to address.

There are many reasons for the current skills shortage including insufficient pay incentives, a lack of apprenticeships, pressure on students to stay in higher education, and new advancements in labelling machine technologies. All of these concerns have been escalated by Brexit and challenges in recruiting from abroad. In more recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused even more of a skills shortage as workers are forced to stay home.

How Labelling Machinery Can Help?

Traditionally, businesses had no choice but to use a contract labelling service and outsource their label printing requirements. The printing industry has been a solid choice for many workers over the years, and typically has low staff turnover offering extensive experience. The current skills shortage means fewer and fewer label printing companies have the skills and new employees joining the ranks, making it difficult for them to take on large workloads.

Businesses that require labels regularly can benefit greatly from investing in their own labelling machinery. Having your own equipment on site can eliminate the need for outsourcing and create more opportunities for staff within your business. Labelling machines have come a long way in recent years, making in-house labelling a real possibility for many companies. These are just a few of the reasons why labelling machinery could help your business tackle the skills shortage:

– Intuitive Labelling Machines: Older printing and labelling machines were notoriously complex and difficult to operate. Technicians used to need a lot of training and experience to use them properly. Today, labelling equipment has become much more intuitive and easier to operate. With ‘plug and play’ labelling machinery, anyone can learn how to operate them easily.

– Keep It In House: While creating more roles in your business might seem counterproductive in a skills shortage, moving your label operations in-house could help. You can hire and train your own team to handle your labelling machines and eliminate the need for other companies completely. Not only will you be creating jobs and training workers, but you could keep your costs down too.

– Automatic Labelling Machines: If your business has been manually applying labels for years, then you will know how heavy this can be on your resources. Manual labelling takes a lot of time and effort for your team, and when you are short staffed, it can become problematic. Investing in automatic labelling machinery can leave your team with more time to focus on other areas of your business.

For more information on labelling machines and how they can help your company, speak with our experts at Atwell Labellers.