Building a Market for Innovation

A guide to adapting digital glass printing

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Five useful tips for finding a digital glass printing partner

Adding an innovative technology like digital glass printing means more than making room on the production floor for a new machine, and more than delivering the same product or service, faster or better. It’s about taking strategic actions. Adding new expertise and capabilities. Building a market. Creating demand. Reaching new customers.

For this, a partner is needed. And while every company defines partnership differently, we at Ferro believe there are five key criteria that help differentiate genuine collaborators from mere suppliers.

1. Look for great innovation and proven technology: Start with the technology itself. You want a truly innovative solution that answers a clear need for your business. This could be to satisfy an immediate customer demand, or to position yourself for future growth. Consider if the solution is easy to use and simple to maintain, to empower your team to work productively. Next, explore crucial elements about the company itself. For example, does it have proven experience in your target markets? Does it continue to innovate with both new solutions and legacy upgrades to support new ink formulations, higher resolution, or other advanced capabilities?

2. Expect deep understanding and knowledge of your business and market: To help you succeed, your partner must understand your business, as well as your market. This starts with working with you to pinpoint the exact solution from within their portfolio that best suits your business needs. Once the solution is installed, it’s important that the company can help you market your new technology. If you’re making a first-time purchase of a digital glass printing machine, a true partner will help you position your new offering with existing clients and also work with you to better define communication with your wider market.

3. Talk with successful users: We strongly recommend that you request testimonials about working with the company and its technology, and challenge the resulting improvements to overall business and workflow. Ideally, ask for a live meeting or demonstration at a busy customer’s site. While some might be hesitant to invite a competitor, at Ferro we’ve found that many companies are happy to showcase their capabilities to others in their industry.

4. Demand long-term end-to-end support: Installation is only the beginning of a collaborative relationship. Your partner should continue to be easy to reach and deliver long-term 360° end-to-end support. For example, our Dip-Tech subsidiary provides customers with technical support, design and graphics support, marketing support, spare parts and ready-to-use sales tools such as brochures, videos and presentations. Likewise, your partner should ‘stand by you’ in joint marketing events, while helping you to raise your profile and expand your market reach within its wider network.

5. Look for local support: For a new technology installation, local presence of personnel who speak your language can make a significant difference. A local parent or subsidiary company, rather than third-party representation is preferable. That’s because a local in-house team is simply better trained and devoted to delivering the company’s values, with the global reach, market knowledge and expertise you will need along the way.

When our customers succeed, we succeed

Bottom line, at Ferro, we believe that success with a new technology depends on collaboration. Finding the right partner is as important as identifying the right equipment or product. When you choose Dip-Tech digital glass printing technology by Ferro, you know all your criteria will be met. And that, at the end of the day, is key to your success.