When there are unknowns for a supplier or tradesperson that needs to quote you for a job, their only responsible way to quote you is to find out all they can about your job and then quote you a price that will allow for what is known and add a “contingent factor” into the price. If all goes to plan in providing the service and very little unknowns affected the Job, the supplier ends up making more money from the Job. If there are too many unknowns that have affected the job, the supplier could lose money should they have not allowed enough of a contingent factor into the price. Undeniably true, there are suppliers that cut corners when they find out they stand to lose money on the job. Some only do the very least to meet their commitments or worse, abandon the job which cause losses to everyone.
The more experienced supplier or tradesman, with excellent reputation will approach a Job by taking the time to thoroughly understand the job and insure their client also thoroughly understands the job. Due to their expertise, such suppliers could identify some of the unknowns in the job and will be able to provide an accurate quote thereby lowering down the contingent factor built into the price. These suppliers know a problem properly identified is more than half solved.
The supply of self-adhesive labelling equipment is very much a problem that needs to be “half solved” through a process of identifying what is involved thoroughly before moving on to the quotation and eventual supply phase. Be wary of future suppliers that require very little information before quoting you on a job. It is possible that there is either a higher “contingent factor” built into the price or there will be parts that will be neglected on purpose.
An experienced machine supplier like LabelOn™ will take you through a thorough process of identifying what needs to be known before giving you a price for the machine they will supply.
Fast price range can be acquired from LabelOn™ which will be reduced down during formal quotation process.
Knowing the above mentioned facts, what will your self-adhesive labelling machine supplier need to know?
For self-adhesive labelling bottle, shapes are classified into Flat-Sided, Oval and Round. Within the Round classification there are sub classifications of cylindrical, tapered and those with an orientation feature. The most likely orientation features on a round product include handles or flat panels, markings or the need to orientate the body label with another label or marking already on the round bottle.
Height, length and thickness help identify the bottle sizes. In the case of a round bottle it is the height and diameter that will usually best describe their dimensions. The bottle labels will be supplied in rolls. The range of label roll diameters and heights are important information to include in any machine proposal.
The label panel on a product is the area on that bottle where the labels are expected to be placed. It is important to identify if the product labels need to be placed on a recessed surface on the bottle – especially for round bottles. Equally important is to know if the product label area has sufficient room for the common variations in bottle dimensions added to the common variations of label placement. For round bottle labels, there is a need to identify if the application calls for a single or more than one label. For single product label, there is a need to identify the percentage wrap of the bottle label. Soon after collecting all this information in writing, pictures showing the obtained data should be put together for machine proposal records to make sure that no pertinent considerations are missed.
It is a good practice to acquire a quick budget range for your labelling equipment prior to contacting a supplier. If your budget meets their price range, make sure that most, if not all, of the above mentioned considerations are extensively covered in any future formal quotation presented to you