MIS software keeps converters connected

From human resource and payroll data to live inventory updates and supply chain data, MIS software is a key tool for ensuring that business runs smoothly and company information is readily accessible in all departments at all times.

And as computers, automation and digitisation become increasingly sophisticated, so must MIS software available for converters around the world - often with MIS software designed specifically for companies specialising in tasks such as converting raw material into packaging supplies.

For example, the UK-based Shuttleworth Business Systems focuses on the global print materials market, and recently showcased its new applications and tools at the annual IPEX printing industry conference in Birmingham. There, the company’s Estimating Wizard tool was touted as being simpler, more user-friendly and up to 30% faster for generating customer quotations and commercial estimates.

Shuttleworth’s other new tool is its Supply Chain Manager, which is connected to the company’s website, and requires no extra software for the user. The company uploads information needed to request a quote, which is then sent via email to suppliers who log into the web-based Supply Chain Manager and fill in the prices. The beauty of this tool, the company says, is ‘the website does all of the chasing, taking the hassle and cost out of the whole process’.

Running a cost-effective company is incredibly important, particularly coming out of the global economic downturn. For example, Cimlogic, UK, has released version seven of TrakSYS across the globe. TrakSYS operations and performance management software is said to help improve performance, and therefore cut costs on the floor.

People are trying to get more out of their existing machinery and reduce waste. In the packaging and converting sectors, it allows one to see how much scrap material is produced, and measures scrap costs. When a machine breaks down, the software translates that into a cost, too,” says Mike Hodge, Cimlogic’s Director.

According to the company, the TrakSYS ‘connect and collect technology’ gathers data non-intrusively from a variety of sources within the company to measure performance. A set of customisable analytical tools and business rules turns the raw data into readable and accessible information that identifies causes for poor performance, potential and current impacts, and the best opportunities for improvement.

But Mr Hodge says the recession has left companies with less spending power and a more cautious approach to signing onto new technology, leaving Cimlogic and other small and medium management software companies vulnerable.

“We’ve noticed potential customers have to be really convinced before spending money on projects,” he explains. “Management and performance programmes are not essential to run a factory; they are tools to [measure] efficiency.”

This frugal attitude has meant companies such as Cimlogic needed to work extra hard to sell their products during the recent economic downturn. But Mr Hodge says the attitude has not just hurt the software companies – it is having a negative effect on their clients, too.

“People are taking the safe approach even if it’s not the best approach for [their] problems,” he says. “I think companies might lean toward the largest supplier because it’s a safe option and other countries are using it. People seem less inclined to be pioneers to try something new.”

SAP, a global business solutions company focused on servicing small and medium businesses in many industries including packaging materials, is one of those larger suppliers, with over 100,000 clients around the world, according to SAP company information. It has also been pushing forward in the wake of the recession, partnering with other business management software suppliers to make products compatible with SAP platforms and used simultaneously by mutual clients.

In August, for example, SAP partnered with UK-based Psion Teklogix to integrate Psion’s enterprise-wide middleware mobile integration suite version 3.0 with SAP’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) application, which is particularly useful for warehouse inventory and supply chain management applications.

“Through the re-certified integration of our software by SAP, our customers and partners can quickly integrate their Psion Teklogix products with SAP applications for warehouse management control,” says Ronald Caines, Worldwide Sales President at Psion Teklogix. “We remain committed to providing industry-leading solutions for logistics and inventory management.”

But cutting costs and increasing usability is hard to achieve today without the help of the Internet, which is an immeasurably helpful tool for keeping clients and companies connected with faster and easier interaction. Technique Group, a UK-based global provider of MIS solutions to the print industry, released nine new tools in time for this year’s Ipex conference – including a community forum that connects clients and users to instant updates from RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, online sources and social media networks such as Twitter and LinkedIn.

Technique also released a smart phone application for its Customer Relationship Management tool, which allows company employees to access the module’s information from their iPhones, Blackberries and other mobile devices. For corporate websites, Technique has developed the Commercial Quick Pricer, which allows a company’s clients to access real-time price estimates and place orders online.

These additions to Technique’s MIS packages have grown from the move for ever-faster communication with clients. “In these times of fast decisions, instant response and quick turnarounds, printers need the right tools to support their sales and production teams,” the company says. “Technique’s new modules integrate and support the latest developments from social media, to the Apple iPad, to instant estimating, dynamic outsourcing, and real-time production status dashboards.”

Technique is not alone in this strategy. USA-based EFI also released a series of enhancements for its Pace MIS system for speciality printers, including applications for smart phones, iPads and other mobile devices. “Version 23 adds support for the iPad tablet to redefine data access, giving sales and management teams real-time access to critical business information when and where they need it,” says EFI Pace General Manager Jay Farr.

EFI has been expanding its ability to serve the global packaging and converting industry, acquiring Radius Solutions, a leader supplier of MIS solutions for the print and packaging sector. EFI’s Senior Vice President says its goal is to offer as many management solutions as possible to its packaging and printing clients, and adding Radius to its Advanced Professional Print Software (APPS) division allows EFI to do so. EFI’s Pace and Monarch MIS systems are both already targeted to the commercial print industries.

In general, there are countless business management solutions on the market for the converting industry, each offering slightly different benefits and advantages over others – and it is a challenge for companies to find the right system for them. Of course, one may choose to skip the market’s products altogether, as did pixart.it, investing €400,000 and designing its own custom MIS software to suit its needs.

A screenshot of Shuttleworth Business Solution’s packaging imposition tool shows the exact dimensions of a carton. Carton Cybercriminals can launch attacks on essential networks from any computer.(Photo: Tom Stefanac) Cybercriminals The TrakSYS MIS software from Cimlogic includes detailed management information, including breakdowns of productivity for each shift. TrakSYS 1 A TrakSYS screenshot breaks down target efficiencies for various products versus actual efficiency. TrakSYS 2

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Shuttleworth
Cimlogic
SAP
Psionteklogix
Technique
EFI
Pixart