This is the second blog, in our series about finding the right tools for digital color management. In this post and the following ones, we’ll cover how to begin your search, making the business case for color management, the different types of color measurement instruments and more. Our goal is to help you make the best decision for your company’s needs while ensuring stakeholder buy-in on color solutions.

 Securing stakeholder approval for color solutions is often the biggest challenge after identifying the need for digital color management tools. In most companies, investing in these solutions requires sign-off from key decision-makers to secure capital expenditure. These stakeholders are the gatekeepers between the solutions that improve workflows and the actual purchase.

You’ve identified the need for digital color management solutions and narrowed down your list of vendors. Now the focus shifts to the next challenge: gaining stakeholders. In most companies, investing in digital color tools requires approval from key decision-makers to secure capital expenditure.  

These stakeholders stand between the solutions you know will improve workflows and the actual purchase of those solutions. Here, we’ll walk through the stakeholders involved in purchasing color solutions and how to frame the benefits, helping you make the case for investing in them. 

Who Are the Major Stakeholders? 

Before implementing digital color solutions, it’s essential to secure stakeholder approval for color solutions. Typically, this involves approvals from three or four key decision-makers: 

• The company’s owner or CEO  

• Finance leadership  

• Quality and production management (often the readers of this blog)  

• In some cases, technology leadership  

You understand the critical importance of efficiency in day-to-day color operations. Investing in these tools can streamline color control, reduce turnaround times and waste, and increase productivity. The next step is showing stakeholders how these tools can reduce customer returns caused by color variation.

The Biggest Hurdle to Getting Stakeholder Approval 

Many stakeholders only recognize the need for a color control solution after a major issue arises, such as a large customer return. In these situations, companies often rely on quick fixes rather than addressing fundamental color challenges. 

The good news: identifying the need is the first step. Once you’ve researched available solutions, you can present options with clear insight into ROI. Digital color solutions typically provide measurable returns quickly, including: 

• More work in less time: Color matching software reduces time spent on matching tasks, letting teams complete more jobs efficiently.  

• Reduction in material waste: Accurate color tools reduce pigment, dye, fabric, or plastic waste by improving first-shot matches and allowing reuse of miscolored samples.  

• Less back-and-forth: Digital color tools improve customer-supplier communication, shortening approval cycles.  

• Improved customer satisfaction: Faster, accurate color matching increases repeat business and positions your company as reliable.  

• Sustainable processes: Digital workflows reduce physical sample shipping, allow testing before full production, and enable reformulation of off-color batches. 

“There is cost involved to match one color recipe – we calculate all the costs – materials, overhead, packaging, etc. – and depending on the location, the cost can be quite substantial. If we need to match the same color different times at different stores around the world, the cost can be up 100 times that – and it would stay outside of the central database. Now (with Datacolor MatchPigment) we can generate and handle all the data centrally in a higher quality-controlled environment.”

Parag Akre, Global R&D Color Director, PPG

Want to take your case a step further? This ROI calculator lets you input details about your own company’s color operations to see how investing in digital color solutions can make all the difference.  

Making the Strongest Case With Each Stakeholder 

Even with a clear ROI, convincing stakeholders can be challenging. Each decision-maker has different priorities, so tailoring your message is key: 

• The company owner or CEO
  Focus: Increasing revenue
  Response: Investing in color technology improves efficiency, enabling faster lead times and more completed orders, empowering the sales team to grow revenue. 
• Finance leadership
  Focus: Reducing costs
  Response: Digital color management reduces material and labor costs while increasing production speed. 
• Technology leadership
  Focus: Minimizing downtime and equipment maintenance
  Response: Efficient color systems reduce the need for additional instrumentation, lower maintenance, and minimize downtime, easing IT management. 
• Quality and production management
  Focus: Operational efficiency
  Response: Streamlined workflows, fewer errors, and faster approvals improve efficiency across the board.
• Quality and production management:
  Focus: Overall operational efficiency
  Response: Streamlined workflows, fewer errors, and faster approvals improve efficiency across the board.

Datacolor Can Help You Gain Stakeholder Approval 

Securing stakeholder approval for color solutions can feel like an uphill battle, but Datacolor has helped companies worldwide make a compelling case for investment for over 50 years. 

We work with teams to standardize color workflows, train personnel, implement solutions, and maintain accuracy across instruments and software. Over time, what initially feels like an investment becomes a solution that pays for itself many times over, a tool teams can’t imagine operating without. 

If you’re already working with Datacolor, let us help you present the case to key stakeholders. If you’re exploring solutions for the first time, connect with our team to see how we can help you streamline color operations.