Taking control
The competitive nature of the print industry means that it is absolutely critical for print companies to ensure they are maximising profit on each job and not allowing potential revenue to slip through their fingers.
Management information systems (MIS) are a highly effective way of achieving just this. Not only does this software allow you to keep track of the finance side of business, but also ensure that you are hitting key targets and getting the most out of your machinery.
Here, we take a look at the latest advancements with MIS solutions and find out how these new developments can help print businesses continue to succeed and grow.
Update regularly
First up, Jonathan Malone-McGrew, senior director of engagement at Solimar Systems, says that, simply put, updating your MIS means that you will have access to more features and capabilities to help make processes in your organisation run smoother.
Solimar Systems says updating your MIS means you will have access to more features and capabilities
“Most software providers have a goal of providing improvements based on enhancement requests from their user base,” Malone-McGrew says, adding: “Many also look for those innovative and competitive differentiators that will drive significant value for their users.
“More than just features and functions, version updates generally also come with security advancements. As technology continues to progress, the level of security also increases. Running an older version can leave you open to security risks, which is another good reason to update your MIS and other software solutions regularly.”
Running an older version can leave you open to security risks, which is another good reason to update your MIS and other software solutions”
In terms of what printers should be looking for in an MIS, Malone-McGrew recommends an MIS that has an intuitive user interface, an open architecture with the ability to connect through APIs and webhooks, as well as the ability to configure without custom coding for a variety of types of orders, work or jobs, and the ability to easily upgrade to new versions without a vast amount of professional services and downtime.
“MIS systems typically house critical information about orders and facilitate the scheduling and billing processes within a print organisation,” he explains, adding: “However, MIS systems also need to have access to a lot of information and need people to plan out their implementations.
“In the past, they also tended to have highly customised implementations which could make upgrades difficult. As the industry and technology have evolved, we have seen new versions coming to market that deliver more flexible and easier to use interfaces while also integrating better with up and downstream systems like the solutions we provide at Solimar Systems in the post-composition optimisation, workflow automation, enrichment, enhancement, and visibility space.”
Evidence of this sort of development can be seen at Solimar Systems, with Malone-McGrew drawing attention to solutions such as the Solimar Chemistry Platform, which he says offers print and digital production environments the ability to rapidly onboard, optimise, enhance, enrich, track, report, and provide visibility of files that come out of composition systems and other data-driven systems of record.
The benefit for customers, Malone-McGrew says, is an ability to control their production environment with greater efficiency and precision while also optimizing the files for the print equipment and digital channels required for delivery.
“Additionally, our platform makes it possible for production process or workflow information to be viewed from any mobile or desktop device while also being able to programmatically pass information to systems like a print MIS for process validation, scheduling updates, and billing activities,” Malone-McGrew adds.
Planning ahead
Elsewhere and Amanda Newman, head of marketing at Tharstern, says as all MIS providers are constantly working on new features to help solve customers’ challenges, if you do not proactively keep up to date with the latest developments, this could mean missing out on useful functionality for your business.
Tharstern regularly releases updates and new features for its MIS solutions
“We always recommend our customers assign an MIS manager to oversee their software and continually improve how it’s used in the business,” Newman explains, adding: “They are the ones who will attend the user events, read the newsletters, attend the webinars and establish an ongoing relationship with the MIS provider to make sure you’re always on top of the latest developments and making the most of your investment.”
As with any new investment, ensuring you have the right product in place is key to success. Newman advises that print companies should only be looking for one thing when they are auditioning MIS solutions: one that solves their top five business challenges.
“Some companies we engage with create this long list of features they require, ask MIS providers to state whether or not they have each feature, and then use this to make a decision,” Newman says, adding: “But this isn’t helping us providers understand that company and their challenges, and it doesn’t give us a chance to show them how we would solve them. It also makes it harder for the print companies to differentiate between providers.
In 2021, Tharstern launched Tharstern Cloud for Labels, a new MIS product for the label sector
“So, our advice to any company embarking on an MIS transition project is to first create a well-thought-out list of your top five business challenges, present them to each MIS provider and then ask them to come back and present their solutions.
“Taking this approach gives you another advantage too – you’ll have a better opportunity to assess the people behind the software, which is just as important. Your relationship with your MIS provider will last for years, so you need to make sure they’re on your wavelength and are going to help you make the most of your investment in the years to come.”
Looking at the latest developments from Tharstern, Newman picks out a new traceability feature that provides tracking records for jobs, allowing users to trace back each order to the raw materials, processes and operators used to produce it.
“Inventory traceability is an increasingly important requirement for many manufacturers, especially those working with customers in the food and pharmaceutical industries, and so this new feature helps our customers work with more companies in these well-performing sectors,” Newman says.
Also new from Tharstern is enhanced functionality to help manage complex multi-location campaigns, such as those you might deliver for a large retail chain. This functionality, Newman says, spans from the estimating part of the process, all the way through to packing and shipping.
“When you put it all together, you’ve got a very slick automated workflow that cuts administration time down significantly,” Newman says, adding: “It’s gone down extremely well with those of our customers who work with these types of campaigns.”
Cornerstone of a business
Meanwhile and another MIS provider is Iteba, which has been offering its SolPrint MIS to the market for the past 30 years. The system is modular and covers a wide range of areas, as well as a range of manufacturing types including digital, litho, web, screen, wide-format and labels, as well as a print buyer version for print management companies.
“A MIS should form the cornerstone of any print or print management business, bringing various stakeholders together and providing instant feedback on performance,” Iteba’s managing director Peter Griffin says.
“A browser-based MIS that provides access from diverse systems over multiple platforms or devices will enable the business to grow efficiently and profitably. The system should allow staff, customers and suppliers to interact with the MIS either directly or via the API.”
Looking at the importance of updating an MIS, Griffin points out that SolPrint is being constantly developed and enhanced with new features. One of the latest additions comes in the form of the SolPrint Control Centre which provides a graphical real-time monitor of performance and progress, with events and notifications tailored to each individual user’s role and responsibilities.
Notifications are available for all key business drivers covering sales, estimating, production, purchasing, stock, despatch, compliance, quality assurance, warehousing, invoicing and accounts.
“Configurable events allow for any database change to trigger an event,” Griffin comments, adding: “Events can be simply notifications of a change or drive analysis and real-time reporting linked to the SolPrint Reporting tools.
“Graphical drill downs provide instant information of business performance and progress.”
The SolPrint Control Centre is available for all users including internal, customer, sales, production, and suppliers, allowing each to have their own bespoke hub.
Track record
Elsewhere, Trevor Cocks, managing director of Accura, says print companies should be using an MIS that will help them keep pace with technology and continue to meet the needs of a changing market. As such, Cocks says, ensuring your product is updated on a regular basis is key.
“Printing companies should look for a comprehensive and fully integrated solution that covers their needs now and into the future, from a company with a proven track record of longevity and innovative product development,” Cocks says.
“Don’t just buy the cheapest product if it only just about meets your needs now; you will outgrow it. Your needs will change as your company develops and uses more of the system – you need the system to have flexibility and scalability potential.
“Look for an ‘end-to-end’ solution that encompasses all your needs in one: CRM (customer relationship management), web-to-print and MIS, and the ability to push data downstream via XML to drive pre-flight, imposition, and workflow. Avoid solutions that require plug-ins or additional integration services to configure APIs (application programming interface). If you don’t have this expertise in house it will take many months and increase costs massively.”
O Factoid: Accura has been providing MIS solutions to the print industry since 1988 and has more than 3,000 users of its software around the world O
With this advice in mind, Cocks draws attention to some of the latest offerings from Accura, starting with AccuraSync. This new module can be integrated with Xero and QuickBooks, so that data added or changed in the MIS is updated immediately in the target accounting package.
“This negates the need for file import or export of data such as invoices from the MIS to and from the accounting system,” Cocks says, adding: “It also synchronises account ‘on-hold’ status, and balance owning, along with the payment status of any invoices – so the MIS user can see when a client has paid.”
Also new from Accura is AccuraPOD (Proof of Delivery), which can be integrated with Detrack to provide contactless proof of delivery via hand-held mobile or tablet devices across Android and iOS.
Users can click a link to see the location and progress of their print delivery in a style that Cocks compared to tracking an Uber, and then acknowledge receipt using a SMS or scanned QR Code. Other features provide drive GPS tracking for the printer, and signature, if needed, is made using the handheld device and automatically scanned back into the Accura MIS and lodged in the database against the delivery note for proof, along with an optional ‘doorstep photo’.
AccuraPOD from Accura allows users to track orders in a similar way they would an Uber car
“This module improves customer service and feedback with customers and allows printers to distinguish themselves from their competitors by offering unparalleled technology-led service,” Cocks says.
Cocks’ closing comments offer an effective conclusion to the discussion in that any changes and updates you make, or do not make in some cases, will have an impact on your own customers. Upgrading software makes the whole process easier for both the user and customer but holding back on updates risks you missing out on all sorts of benefits.
