As the decoration market shifts, relying on basic transfers isn’t enough. During a FESPA Insights webinar, experts unpacked how to move past standard transfers and start producing high-value finishes, faster turnaround, and more profitable on-demand work, without overcomplicating production.
The webinar illustrated how new tech like DTF, DTG and AI driven automation can help users produce premium-quality pieces faster, remove bottlenecks, and take on everything from one-off custom jobs to profitable bulk runs with ease.
Hosted by FESPA Textile Ambassador Debbie McKeegan, guests included Phil Oakley, Snuggle Ltd; Gerard Buch Filella, Inedit; João Sá, ROQ International and Dave Conner, STAHLS’ Fulfill Engine.
What’s powering the next generation of garment decoration?
Sá said the industry has room for improving on automation for the systems already in place, and to reduce manpower. ‘The industry is increasingly facing a manpower leak. The textile industry and especially apparel decoration is not as attractive as a job as was in the past. Like any other labour-intensive jobs, manufacturers should pursue more solutions in order to help their partners and those factories be more efficient and reduce manpower, and add value to the production chain at the same time.’
‘We should pursue more on data integration and data collection to measure efficiencies in the same production workflow, because in different regions we face competition. Everyone is looking to be more competitive, and to get some profit in the little details. So data collection is also a key that we should pursue in the future to help all our partners.’
‘Alot of it is truly the connectivity. Like the speed, the quality, the budget, even customisation. The things that customers want are the industry standard as we currently have it,’ said Conner.
‘So how can you provide value on top of that? What we’ve seen, especially in the United States, is when you shift that mindset from individual jobs to start thinking of merchandise fulfilment programmes, then you’re talking about repeatable revenue.’
‘People say bulk orders are eroding but they’re fragmenting. So how can the systems that we run as decorators empower that customer to still get the same solution, and not compromise on the speed or the quality, when we’re talking about smaller piece orders?’
‘When we look at that kind of connectivity, it’s about using smarter systems. We’ve heard labour becoming a challenge. And so how can we overcome the labour challenges or speed challenges or space challenges by using better systems?’
Those systems could help connect us to our partners, whether they be e-commerce websites, or blank suppliers, who we use for shipping, all the way to equipment manufacturers, where we don’t have to manually pull settings.
‘We’re using automation to say ‘this is a 100% ringspun cotton blank in a navy colourway’, ‘this is the right amount of pre-treat for direct-to-garment’, ‘this is the right white underbase’ and ‘this is the right colour recipe to ensure consistency’, whether it’s ordered today or whether it’s ordered two weeks from now. Because those are all things that the customers truly care about.’
‘But you need some kind of glue to hold all of this together to truly empower it to scale, because with smaller pieces we need to rely on this economy of scale to make those same amount of profits that the bulk orders do. I‘m not saying bulk’s dead in any way, but it’s empowering decorators to future-proof their business with the right tools.’
How do we connect?
Filella agreed that automation is key, and that it’s helping to skip a lot of processes, Today everything is in line, we have special inks like white fixations and colour enhancers, everything in one single machine that makes everything much faster. The software needs to keep up with this.’
In terms of connecting a DTG to DTF workflow, Oakley said it is possible but extremely challenging, especially at the pace of growth that Snuggle have gone over the last five years, which has been an average of 35 to 40 percent growth year-on-year for five years running.
‘Previously you could easily see and segment two types of business: a pure print-on-demand business and a trade-based business that’s using the same technology to fulfil customers needs. There’s now a blurring of those lines.
‘We’re not far off with automation,’ he added, ‘but we’re not quite there. For example on-demand embroidery isn’t as slick as DTG on-demand in terms of work. The real challenges is the handoff process.’
Moving From Screen Printing To Digital
‘With screen printing the biggest advantage is that we have high level standards of print quality, and ensure that the first piece is the same as the last one,’ said Sá. ‘With some jobs we cannot compete with screen printing yet, and need to consider how we can simulate that, bring it to DTG, and align with on-demand orders.’ In terms of DTF, Sá said it would be even more complicated.
Conner added that advancements in technology, particularly with embroidery, have enabled efficient data capture using QR codes (e.g info on stitching, hooping on the left chest of a garment etc), which improves speed and production. Heat press stations for DTG systems also serve as another example in this instance.
Print Quality, Waste And Consumables
Filella said there are many ways to optimise print and reduce consumption through software and added that it’s all about respecting the workflow from beginning to end. He also said the sampling process is where the biggest waste in media, ink, labour and time occur.
Oakley added that customers simply expect improvements, particularly when it comes to advancements in hardware and software.
Future Trends
In closing, Conner spoke of ‘Liquid 3D’, a patented process STAHLS’ developed that combines 3D printing and UV printing, which encompasses full colour digital capabilities to make emblems up to two and a half millimetres thick, with texture and detail so small it can’t be done in embroidery.
Oakley compared the ideal model to Uber: full transparency, normal price, knowing exactly where you are and what vehicle you’re in, the registration number and even a photo of the person driving.
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