Investing to Serve Better: Why Digital & Tech Chose to Bring a Label Printer In‑House

The decision to invest in a dedicated label printer for the D&T labelling team is one such example. At first glance, a printer may seem like a small operational detail. In reality, this decision directly strengthens how we support our business partners, accelerates delivery, and safeguards compliance across labelling solutions.

What does the D&T Labelling Squad do?

The Labelling Squad is part of Digital & Tech (D&T), the function in dsm-firmenich focused on supporting business processes and outcomes through technology. Our mission is centered around four key principles: challenging the status quo, collaborating across teams, innovating solutions, and delivering results.
Our purpose is to reimagine dsm-firmenich in a digital world and bring progress to life through technology, ensuring that digital capabilities continuously support the organization’s transformation and growth.

Within this broader context, the Labelling Squad establishes high standards for accuracy, efficiency, and consistency in labeling processes that support compliance, product quality, and customer experience across the business.
Our squad’s ways of working are guided by three core principles:

• Transparency: Prioritize concise, actionable information tailored for diverse audiences, leveraging digital and multi-platform innovation
• Agility: Adapt dynamically to evolving business landscapes and regulatory requirements
• Continuous Improvement: Continuously improve labeling processes and formats.

The Challenge We Faced

As the scope and speed of label changes increased, driven by enhancements, regulatory updates, and digital projects, the D&T labelling team faced a structural limitation.

There was no dedicated physical label printer available to the team. This meant:

• We depended on manufacturing plants to support test printing for label enhancements and projects
• Plant printers, designed for production, were often disrupted when hundreds of test labels were required
• Availability of plant business personnel was not always guaranteed
• In some cases, label changes were validated using PDF-only test outputs, which do not always reflect the behavior of real printers

This combination led to avoidable inefficiencies and, more importantly, a risk of post‑go‑live label defects, despite best efforts from both D&T and plant teams.

Why This Mattered for Our Services

Labeling is not just a technical artifact; it is a regulated, customer-facing, and audit-relevant output across our three business units: Perfumery & Beauty (P&B), Taste, Texture & Health (TTH), and Health, Nutrition & Care (HNC).

When testing depends on availability outside D&T control or on virtual printers alone:

• Feedback loops slow down
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) cycles increase
• Errors are sometimes detected only after implementation
• Business teams experience delays when solutions are otherwise ready

From a service perspective, this was not futureproof.

The Investment Decision

To address this, D&T decided to purchase a dedicated, high-resolution label printer, physically installed in the Hyderabad office, and fully owned by the D&T labelling team.

This enterprise-grade, high-resolution solution printer enables accurate and reliable label validation.