At CLOC, we offer a range of services that provide larger organisations with options that will, over time, reduce spend, reduce stock levels and the need for dedicated warehousing, and provide printing services via a 'just-in-time' ordering process. To date, the main beneficiaries of this range of services have been large-scale publishers, however, included within our service provision will certainly be an option or two that could benefit your organisation. We separate our services into 2 main categories, described below:
FLAT PRICING
The 'Flat Pricing' method is an excellent solution for returning simplified predictable low-unit pricing, ideal for:
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topping up stocks
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trialling new products (or product lines)
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simplifying pricing to create uniformity across orders placed
‘Flat Pricing’ is suitable for low volume print runs, up to 750 units.
How it works:
An agreed cost is applied to 1 unit (book, poster, whatever is relevant). The unit cost is calculated against pricing bands that are defined between CLOC and the customer. For example, the lowest pricing band typically covers orders placed for 1-100 units.
For this example, let us assume that it will cost CLOC £10.00 to produce a single unit on its own, and that the price per unit will drop significantly to £0.80 if CLOC produces 50 units at the same time.
Through analysing annual ordering patterns, CLOC will agree to set a standard unit price that covers any order placed by the customer within a given pricing band. Using the above example, CLOC may set the unit price at £2.00. Providing the customer orders within the agreed 1-100 unit pricing band, they will receive a price per unit of £2.00. The customer can now order without waste, benefiting from a simplified unit price that affords them the ability to keep a close eye on their margins without the constrictions of batch-ordering. In layman’s terms, the customer will be able to order 1 unit for £2.00, or 99 units for £2.00 each.
This solution is viable for CLOC as over time, losses that are accrued against low volume orders are balanced by the higher margins available on larger volume orders within the same pricing band.
CLOC can provide your organisation with a similar unit price for each relevant product, and there is no limitation with regards to the number of pricing bands that can be set. For example, you may require the following bands for one or all of your products: 1-99 units, 100-199 units, 200-499 units, 500-999 units, etc. CLOC will provide a flexible structure that is tailored to your annual spend, volumes ordered, types of products required, suitable pricing bands, geographic location, etc.
This service is highly favoured by many large-scale publishers that work with CLOC. If you would like to discuss your requirements, please contact our team today.
ON-DEMAND LOW-VOLUME
On demand printing – often referred to as ‘print-on-demand’, or simply ‘POD’ – is a service that enables customers to place low-volume orders via either ‘just-in-time’ production processes, or call-off services, linked to stock produced in bulk and stored securely at CLOC.
Through print-on-demand, customers can order a single unit of their product (book, poster, etc.) and have it shipped anywhere in the world. Depending on the product being ordered and the arrangement in place with the customer, CLOC will either pick the item from stock held at our secure facility, or produce the item via semi-automated processes, as per the agreed specification, using our secure database of customer artwork files.
There are many variations of this service:
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Volume production with storage and ‘pick and pack’ services, inclusive of real-time stock management, stock replenishment against trigger points, online bespoke dedicated e-catalogue, and deep/shallow storage options and relevant pricing. Customers can therefore order in as low as a single unit and call-off stock that has already been produced by CLOC in response to real-time stock management events.
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Overseas production, printed and delivered by one of CLOC’s contracted partners whenever there is a benefit to do so. Benefits include proximity to the delivery site, the ability to reduce/avoid duty charges, fast turnaround, and where there are potential cost savings. CLOC’s overseas contracted partners work under stringent SLAs. Customers of CLOC only ever need to correspond with our customer service team in the UK.
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Targeted mailing - great for proposals, menus, promotional handouts, legal documents, etc. This service is managed via your very own dedicated ordering portal, built for you by CLOC’s Dev Team. Through the portal, we can setup payment methods, authorisation paths, user roles/rights, shipping addresses, ad-hoc products, as well as stationery and other overprinted items requiring set branding guidelines.
One further benefit of on demand printing is that typically, there is very little waste. We therefore, thoroughly encourage organisations that are focused on eco-responsible practices to consider this option for their future print spend. If you are interested in any of the services mentioned above and would like to know more, please contact our team.