Manual Operations Costing Printing Businesses Growth, Profitability – Expert

Printing businesses across Nigeria are losing significant revenue and productivity to inefficient manual processes that often go unnoticed, business operations expert Tobi Olabajo has said.

According to Olabajo, while many printing business owners identify paper, ink, machine maintenance, electricity and staff salaries as their biggest expenses, the hidden cost of manual operations is quietly eroding profitability and limiting business growth.

He noted that unlike rising operating costs, the impact of manual processes occurs gradually through delayed approvals, misplaced job orders, poor communication and production errors that become embedded in daily business operations.

“Manual operations rarely appear on financial reports because they don’t happen all at once. The cost leaks out of the business through one delayed approval, one misplaced job jacket, one forgotten customer instruction, one unnecessary phone call and one production error at a time. Routine doesn’t make these inefficiencies any less expensive,” Olabajo said.

He explained that the printing industry is particularly vulnerable because every customer order comes with unique specifications, quantities and delivery timelines, requiring seamless coordination across multiple departments.

According to him, each project passes through several stages, including quotation, payment confirmation, artwork preparation, customer approval, production, finishing, quality assurance and delivery, making efficient workflow management essential.

Olabajo observed that even minor disruptions, such as staff searching for artwork, outdated production files, poor communication between departments or delayed customer updates, collectively create operational friction that slows production and reduces profitability.

“Each incident appears minor on its own, but together they create operational friction. It slows production without anyone noticing, increases labour costs without hiring more staff, reduces operational capacity and ultimately prevents businesses from scaling efficiently,” he stated.

The business operations expert further argued that increased business growth often exposes operational weaknesses rather than resolving them.

He said workflows that comfortably manage a few dozen jobs frequently become overwhelmed as customer demand rises, leaving managers occupied with coordination instead of strategic leadership while business owners become the primary source of operational information.

According to Olabajo, many business owners mistakenly conclude that hiring additional staff is the solution when, in reality, stronger operational systems are often what is required.

He noted that leading printing businesses increasingly rely on structured digital workflows that allow every department to access the same real-time information, improving accountability and operational efficiency.

Highlighting BizOPD as one of the platforms supporting this transition, Olabajo said the solution integrates customer enquiries, quotations, artwork approvals, production, inventory, finance, quality control and delivery into a single operational system.

He explained that the platform provides businesses with end-to-end visibility across their operations, enabling managers to identify bottlenecks early and improve decision-making.

“The businesses that will lead the next decade are unlikely to be those that simply print faster. They will be those that operate smarter. Operational excellence is becoming just as important as production excellence, and better operations are no longer a competitive advantage—they are becoming a business necessity,” Olabajo said.

He maintained that as customer expectations continue to rise, printing businesses must move beyond fragmented manual processes and embrace digital operational systems capable of supporting sustainable growth and improved service delivery.