To charge or not to charge for overages? That is the question that every replicator must address. Here is the reality. Whether your replicator “charges” you or not, you are paying for overages… either outright and upfront, or hidden in the price.
So why do there have to be overages anyway? Contrary to what some may say, it is not a ”scam-the-customer” tactic, but a common-sense and money-saving practice. Any given job requires numerous processes — the disc printing, the replication, the printing of the associated packaging materials (inserts, traycards, etc.), and then the assembly aspects. In an industry where every job is custom and unique, “setup” is a substantial portion of production downtime. Even with the most stringent quality standards and the best maintained equipment, there will still be that occasional problem — a silkscreening misprint, for instance — when the disc ends up in the trash. Running a few extra actually saves money, because it alleviates additional downtime for reruns and minimizes production schedule interruptions. Overruns are necessary to the efficient flow of any manufacturing plant.
But should you have to pay for overages, if they are merely a replicator’s “mistake insurance”? The reality is that they are a cost of production, and so whether you pay for and receive your overages, or you pay for the exact amount ordered, this cost is in there somewhere. Be assured though, that as explained above — it is an efficiency practice that ultimately saves money by saving downtime.
How do we at TW Media Services handle overages? We do charge our customers for overages; however, we strive to keep overruns to a maximum of 2 to 3%. (Industry standard is 10%).
If you have any questions about our overage policies, please feel free to talk to a sales representative.
