During uncertain times, demand for print and promo products can be up and down. This makes healthcare labels one of the smartest opportunities for resellers right now. Clinical operations don’t pause for market swings, and neither does their need for compliant labels.
Hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, labs and device manufacturers use labels for positive patient identification, medication safety, specimen integrity, device compliance, inventory and sterilization workflows. These are mission-critical applications that produce recurring orders and long-term accounts.
Margins can be solid when you lead with risk reduction and compliance rather than commodity SKUs. Value-based purchasing and GPOs exist, but healthcare buyers will prioritize labels that scan every time and can survive the challenging environments in which they will be used.
Current Trends Driving Demand
Among the current trends driving demand for healthcare labels is regulatory and standards compliance. What is a headache for many market verticals is a boon for label resellers.
For example:
- Drugs and biologics: FDA Drug Bar Code Rules underpin barcode standards that must be met. Pharmacies and hospitals need high-contrast, scannable labels that hold up to handling and sanitizing.
- Medical devices: FDA UDI (Unique Device Identification) requires device and packaging labels to carry standardized identifiers, commonly in 2D DataMatrix. Many devices also need direct part marking. Packaging still needs labels as well.
- Labs and blood banks: Transfusion services demand accurate, durable barcodes for positive patient/specimen ID. Mislabels are reportable events. Durability and print quality matter.
- Hazard communication: OSHA HazCom (GHS-aligned) governs chemical container labeling within facilities. This is separate from patient or pharmacy labels but represents an in-facility label opportunity
What about the digitization of healthcare? Once again, a trend – digitization – that negatively affects some print markets benefits healthcare label resellers. As healthcare facilities adopt electronic health records and barcode medication administration systems, they need high-quality barcode labels that can withstand scanning, a wide variety of environmental conditions and sterilization processes.
The Bottom Line
When other print categories get choppy, healthcare labels keep the revenue steady. Regulatory pressure, automation, and specialized environments reward knowledgeable resellers who pair the right materials with the right workflows.
Ask your label manufacturing partners how to turn your current healthcare accounts into growth engines.
Will Prettyman is General Manager of Wise’s Labels Plant in Anderson, SC. Wise manufacturers industrial/prime labels and tags, traditional forms, and digitally printed products and services for resale only. For more information, visit www.wbf.com or email Will at [email protected].
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