A Pharmaceutical Company Saved $80K Updating Their Print Strategy and Infrastructure

In pharmaceutical fulfillment, precision is critical. Every label, barcode, and instruction sheet must be accurate and delivered efficiently. When you are running multiple facilities on 24/7 shifts, even a minute of downtime can delay patient shipments and overload internal teams.

One national fulfillment company faced this issue in regard to their print infrastructure. Fragmented vendor support, aging hardware, and a chaotic print setup left their IT team scrambling. By partnering with Flex Technology Group, this pharmaceutical company not only streamlined their print operations- they also unlocked over $80,000 in projected savings across a 36-month lease.

Over time, small inefficiencies across the company’s facilities grew into big problems. More than $42,000 in unused toner sat idle- some of it incompatible with their existing fleet. Pharmacists were swapping toner cartridges mid-shift just to keep things moving, while worn Zebra print heads disrupted barcode accuracy and fulfillment timelines.

One overworked printer was cranking out 100,000+ pages a month- well beyond its intended limit. Other printers lacked basic firmware updates or were operating without support contracts. With no service-level agreements (SLAs) in place, even the simplest repairs dragged on for weeks, straining IT and threatening delivery commitments.

FlexTG started with a full audit of their print environment, uncovering performance gaps, usage patterns, and risk areas across every fulfillment facility. From those insights, a smart, scalable plan took shape: consolidate vendors, right-size the fleet, and automate the essentials.

The company replaced 34 outdated printers and installed 10 new devices at a newly opened location. All leases were synced under coterminous terms, simplifying management. The upgraded fleet featured higher toner yields and greater monthly capacity.

To keep supplies flowing, automated toner replenishment was enabled through FlexTG’s FASTAF platform- cutting back on toner overstock and downtime. Also, to ensure reliability, 4-hour SLAs were rolled out across the board, giving frontline teams the support they need.

The pharmaceutical company saw fast, measurable improvements. Within just two months, the program had already paid for itself:

• Increased printer uptime at critical workstations ensured smoother day-to-day operations
• IT support tickets dropped significantly, reducing the burden on internal teams
• 36% cost savings at the highest-volume facility
• Projected savings of over $80,000 across the 36-month term

With real-time monitoring and strategic quarterly reviews, the program continues to uncover new opportunities for cost reduction and workflow efficiency.

With core print operations stabilized, the company is now expanding its pharmaceutical print strategy to include more than 40 Zebra label printers. This next phase will introduce OEM label sourcing, print head protection, and consolidated support, ensuring barcode reliability and label consistency at scale.

This expansion represents more than just a hardware update; it signals a strategic shift toward a resilient, scalable print infrastructure built for high-speed operations and consistent output. Partnering with FlexTG has enabled this pharmaceutical company to transition from reactive scrambling to proactive control over their print environment, allowing for more efficient workflows and sustainable long-term growth.