The truth is out there

The modern world is dominated by software. In our pockets we have access to millions of apps that allow us to do just about anything we could ever want. This is also true for your business, where every aspect of your sales, service, operations and processes can be committed to computer. Understandably, people have always been somewhat resistant to automation, particularly if they felt they would never get a system that was quite right for them and they would end up losing control of their company. The ‘not broke, so don’t fix it’ concept, while valid, could be standing in the way of progressing your company and driving profitability at a time when you need all the help you can get.

The key to a good business software system is relevance. You want to use a product that fits the way you work and helps you to do your job much more efficiently, quickly and better. One of the leaders in productivity software for the sign-making trade is Clarity Software, which claims its systems have been developed through continuous feedback from customers.

“An investment in software is a commitment that can revolutionise the way a company works. But it has to be for the best,” says Emerson Welch, marketing manager for Clarity Software.

He continues: “Our customers rely on our software, so we make sure it is absolutely fit for purpose by listening to our users and developing the features and functionality that they say will be most useful.”

Sign-makers range in size from one man (or woman) working in their spare room providing signage for local businesses, through to multi-national chains delivering global branding campaigns. However, a good industry-specific software solution needs to be just as effective for any company of any size because it needs to handle growth and change.

“We have customers of all shapes and sizes and they rely on the information from Clarity products to make key business decisions. Our systems integrate every aspect of their operations, from the first contact on the web site through the whole production supply chain and on to after sales service and long term forecasting,” adds Welch.

Integration is a very important element of company-wide software. This works by giving you a ‘single version of the truth’ and using this throughout all of your systems. For example, a quoting system will allow you to register a client’s details and will enable you to quickly develop a detailed quote for acceptance or give you the ability to say ‘no’ to a potential loss-maker. The key information within that quote needs to be tied in with production capability, media stock, availability of engineers and so on. This information is held in the system somewhere, and the quotation system should be able to access this and present an accurate quote to the customer. Once accepted and in the system, each other element of the business should be able to use this information to speed the order through the cycle, right up to the point where it can be invoiced. This is best achieved through a single integrated system, rather than having a series of separate applications that require the same information to be entered for each new process.

“Clarity has been developed as a fully integrated, company-wide productivity system for sign-makers. It allows users to access every single part of the order and drill down to the finest detail,” says Welch, adding: “We have one customer, Trade Signs, which uses our marketing and web sync software to produce content for their own web site. They have developed Sign Track, a feature where they can share real-time production information securely with their customers so that they have complete visibility of all orders right across the company.”

Visibility is another massive benefit that can be gained from good software. Because many applications are web-based, they can pull information in from many other systems and present them in a clear and easy-to-view ‘Dashboard’. This can show all types of valuable data, including production schedules, shop floor data collection, customer satisfaction, stock levels and just about anything you can think of. As a result, you can make much more informed business decisions that can help your company focus on the most profitable activities and customers. Much of this can be done on mobile equipment, such as tablets and smartphones, so information is always up-to-date and accurate.

Mind the gap

Just about any sign-maker will tell you, the estimated vs actual value of an order can often dictate the overall profitability of their business. But you can only measure this by having accurate cost analysis and this is again where a good software solution can make a massive difference.

Welch explains that, in the past, a business had to rely on manual reports such as dockets, time sheets and the like. These created their own administration time and were often inaccurate and late, particularly as they relied on people being available to process them.

“Clarity lets people enter data directly from the point of operation, so information is always available, up-to-date and accurate, saving time and creating a more efficient and responsive to customers, which means you can deliver better customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention,” he adds.

“Our vision is for business owners and managers of departments to be at whatever location they want to be and be totally aware of every single job happening in their company. For example, our proof of delivery application means that as soon as a job has been delivered, installed and signed for, it’s in the system and ready for the next stage.

“Similarly, as soon as a product is delivered to the warehouse, the stock is available for any jobs it is allocated for. We don’t have to wait for the paperwork to come through, everything is instant, integrated and delivered straight to the people who need it.”

Cut out inefficiency

Handling a greater number of jobs more economically, while shortening cycle times is both a challenge and an opportunity for business growth.

“To handle the larger number of shorter runs and wider job mix now typical of the market, sign-makers require solutions that remove time-consuming labour from the work process and cost-efficiently enhance throughput capacity,” Paul Bates, UK and Eire business manager at Esko.

He adds: “As a result they are realising the benefits of implementing an integrated workflow, which can dramatically improve productivity while minimising errors. Prepress workflow solutions are an especially important element of a successful future for sign and display companies. This helps make a tangible difference to their bottom-line and can also help foster stronger customer relationships - crucial in an economic climate when holding onto business already won is so important.”

Esko offers a complete range of software and hardware solutions that customers can pick to suit their business demands. The software portfolio also includes the i-cut Suite collection of pre-production software that performs a number of functions including automating workflow, preflighting jobs, maximising sheet layout, nesting orders and defining the most efficient cutting paths. Its modular approach provides a rich toolkit to deliver sign and display products with optimal efficiency and productivity.

i-cut Automate is the most recent addition to the i-cut Suite and ties the pieces together. Esko claim it automates the entire production process, from design-to-print-to-cut so users can build dynamic workflows that will automate repetitive prepress tasks. It enables the tools to run in a single automated workflow, minimising operator intervention and the potential for manual errors. Through Mac or PC-based clients, operators can easily monitor the workflow and interact when necessary through a comprehensive checkpoint.

All these repetitive tasks can be made far less time-consuming by setting up dynamic workflows that are easy to operate in a client-server environment. i-cut Automate can also be integrated with Management Information Systems, enabling automatic job creation and the submission of job parameters to the workflow via XML data. The result is enhanced productivity, reduced operator intervention and errors, and valuable time, money and material savings.

Total integration

EFI is another software company making significant inroads into the sign-making industry, by aiming to provide a complete integrated solution for all aspects of a business.

“For example, you may have a Vutek printer with a Fiery RIP, which is seamlessly connected with bidirectional communications via JDF with our MIS, workflow and other productivity systems,” explains Raimar Kuhnen-Burger, marketing manager for EFI’s Fiery wide-format products.

EFI claim that this level of integration allows a sign-maker to provide its customers with a digital web-based storefront. From there they can select a print requirement, upload the file and then follow its progress all the way through to completion.

“It’s a very powerful customer service tool that significantly reduces operational costs and increases profits. Customers and users alike can also access the system from mobile device so they don’t even need to be in the office to maintain complete control of their operations,” says Kuhnen-Burger.

He adds: “Our complete family of products are perfectly harmonised to ensure maximum productivity for our customers. We can help sign-makers of all shapes and sizes improve the visibility and understanding of every aspect of their business from one screen. The software provides detailed, accurate and up-to-date information on stock, project costs, work-in-progress and just about any key information within the business. This leads to more effective business accounting, shorter payment timescales, higher cashflow and quite simply much better overall performance.”

The on-going theme from the productivity software suppliers is that you simply cannot be successful as a sign-maker if you do not offer customers a comfortable way to order. Getting the order right means all the fundamentals are in place to ensure the rest of the operational supply chain can work at optimum efficiency and performance levels, while keeping costs down. The message also seems to be that these systems are for all sign-makers, from one man in a shed, to large national and international organisations.

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