Delta Apparel, Greenville, S.C., announced the opening of its first ‘On Demand DC,’ fulfillment program, expanding its digital print business.
Through the program, Delta will open its ninth DTG2Go business, integrated with apparel retailer Hot Topic’s Nashville distribution center. This will reduce Hot Topic’s shipping costs and give it the opportunity to increase its use of digital printing for stock fulfillment.
“We believe the DTG2Go ‘On-Demand DC,’ utilizing our cutting-edge technology and service platform, will revolutionize the retail industry during a time when change is needed the most,” Deborah Merrill, president of the Delta Group, told Just Style.
DTG2Go uses printers from Kornit Digital, the Israeli printing equipment company that just inked a $400 million deal with Amazon for its Merch by Amazon business and other print on-demand applications. DTG2Go purchased five additional Kornit Atlas printers to keep up with increased demand for on-demand, digitally printed apparel. Added to its eight existing Atlas machines, DTG2Go has increased its daily printing capacity by more than 25 percent.
Not that Amazon is the be-all end-all litmus test of what will be successful, but it is a good indicator of what’s next in a lot of categories. That includes apparel. If Amazon is investing heavily in digital print for apparel, you can bet this decorating process is going to see wider adoption and shape customers’ expectations accordingly.
As Delta is showing, it allows for quick turnaround, on-demand printing and fast inventory fulfillment for things like company stores.
If you’re interested in learning more about digital printing in the apparel space and beyond, check out the Printing United Digital Experience from Oct. 26 to Nov. 12.
