Supporting local businesses has never been more important. In this post, we'll share ten compelling reasons why choosing local packaging and print manufacturers benefits your business and community. From sustainability to personalized service, see why you should look closer to home for your packaging needs.
It’s more than local pride. Choosing local packaging and print manufacturers over those that outsource their manufacturing and printing give you more dividends than expected. Here are ten of those:
1) It Keeps Jobs in Your Community
The greater the number of homegrown businesses in your community the more prosperous it can become. It’s no secret that any town that embraces entrepreneurship helps to create more local jobs. A prosperous local business can also afford its employees a great quality of life with better wages and benefits any of the major chains are willing to provide. Choosing local also increases the possibilities for those within the community to enhance their skillsets and the prospects as a direct result.
2) Allows You to Build Relationships with Your Packaging Manufacturers
One of the key differences that you will find when opting for a local print and packaging company is that you get to engage with them directly. Businesses are built on relationships. As such, through establishing positive and mutually beneficial lines of communication and support, this allows your manufacturers to understand what you need, which ensures that you get a consistently great service.
3) Boost the Local Economy
While the arrival of a major brand name to any small town may be exciting, the truth of the matter is that these corporations rarely put very much of the revenue that they earn back into the local economy. Instead, local businesses who built their community from the ground up are in the practice of engaging other local entrepreneurs and thereby create a positive economic chain reaction.
4) Reduces the Carbon Footprint
Today, a great many customers look to the brands and name corporations that they favour to match their own green credentials and environmental ethics. However, even if you use a provider that boasts strong green policies if they outsource their work, this means that their carbon footprint is going to be cumulatively much higher than a local manufacturer when all aspects of the production and logistics are taken into consideration.
5) Tap into More Diverse Product Solutions
If your packaging and print manufacturer is limited in terms of their ability to deliver unique or customised solutions, then this is most likely a sign that they outsource and are tied to the production possibilities that are set elsewhere. On the flip side, a local manufacturer continually seeks to diversify its range of products and can respond with a greater degree of flexibility to customer needs. Ultimately, you get what you want when you choose local.
6) Got a Problem? The Solution is Never Far Away
Let’s say that you placed a large order or something time-sensitive. The order arrives, but once you look it over you realise that something is missing or hasn’t been done properly. Time is not on your side and your manufacturer will have to send everything away again to have the issue resolved. The only loser here is you. With a local manufacturer, if there’s a problem, you know where they are and can feel confident that they will do their utmost to put things right quickly.
7) Cut Your Delivery and Wait Times
Similarly, who really wants months for their order to deliver? You know that it only takes a week or two to actually put the package that you ordered together, but because your chosen supplier outsources their manufacturing processes, you have to wait another two or three weeks, or even a week before it will arrive. This can make things stressful, especially if you are facing a deadline. Choose local and once your order is ready you won’t have to wait forever to collect it.
8) Certainty About How Your Goods Were Produced
Any product that must be manufactured elsewhere leaves a degree of uncertainty with regards to the decisions made to realise the finished product. Local businesses consider the impact their processes have on their environment, so you can expect that they will take greater care.
9) A Greater Degree of Control
The fact that you can meet with local manufacturers or engage with them in business discussions a more personal way affords you a greater degree of control over the finished product. If you are a valued customer, they are more likely to work with you to achieve your goals.
10) Keeps Your Customers Happy
Customers love to support brands, products and creative solutions that are uniquely local. The Made in Australia logo speaks volumes about where the profits from any purchase will go. So, by engaging with local businesses, your customers will perceive your business more positively.
Choosing a manufacturer for your print and packaging needs that offers low rates may seem attractive, but it is always worth checking whether the finished goods are manufactured locally. As discussed above, your support for enterprises that seek to keep things local can prove incredibly rewarding for both you and the wider community.