PRIMAC Systems

Package printers have their hands full. While their focus is directed toward meeting the needs of their customers, they must accomplish this by spending their money wisely and increasing profits in their own operations. In the past few years, business production software has come to the rescue of package printers faced with the increasing need to run a lean business, while maintaining high-quality standards. Display Pack of Grand Rapids, Mich., was among those looking for a better way to streamline processes and exchange information. Its custom-developed business management system lacked strong estimation and business integration, and the means to provide financial information. Display Pack

With package printers on the hot seat for nimble customer responsiveness at the lowest possible cost, accurate real-time information is a must. WHEN IT COMES to cutting costs and investing in the future, package printers have always had plenty of options on how to spend their money. The list just keeps getting longer, and the opportunities more tantalizing. In recent years, business and production software has been climbing to the top of the list and increasingly winning the fight for the limited capital resources. The reasons for this vary, but ultimately, it boils down to the growing need to run highly efficient and

Business management software suites offer all the bells and whistles; the hard part is deciding where to begin. WHETHER YOUR PROBLEM is scheduling, book keeping, inventory, e-commerce, or all the above, business and production management software could be the answer. Not sure which suite is right for you? packagePRINTING went right to the source for a rundown of some of today's popular solutions. pP: What is your newest software package? What advantages does it provide users Esad Suskic, Pandora product marketing manager, ScenicSoft: Pandora is a native PDF-based prepress production tool for packaging and label layouts. It was created for packaging printers looking for

Today's production software works toward optimum process efficiency both converter and customer can monitor. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor THE ROAR OF the crowd for e-commerce capability will eventually grow too loud for package print firms to ignore; in preparation, business/production software suppliers have been charged with seamlessly integrating shop-floor data with on-line customer service. The notion of e-commerce and its implications for business has become increasingly familiar to package printers over the last few years. "Today, we are finding printers are much more knowledgeable about the Internet and software in general," states Glen Forbes, VP/sales, Western Region, CRC Information Systems. He

In business and production software, there's no such thing as old reliables. Suppliers tally tell-tale signs an upgrade is in order. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor Lack of integration A singular, self-contained management tool is the key element of today's efficiency-plus software packages. printCafe's Flexo Products Group Manager Clay Horsley explains a high percentage of printers currently use a mish-mash of spreadsheet estimating, database job entry, and pen and paper to handle job costing/tracking. Capitalizing on the virtues of integrated software, printCafe's redesigned Flexo Quotation System feeds data directly to all modules, including Job Planning, Scheduling, Purchasing, Shipping, and Invoicing. Inefficient data collection John

A computerized shop means an organized business. Find out what software is available for all areas of your operation. By Chris Bauer LONG GONE ARE the days of using a pegboard to track the production cycle of packaging jobs. Today it is imperative to have computer software in place not only to provide real-time tracking of jobs, but also for order entry, pricing, scheduling, fulfillment, data collection, inventory management, and estimating. There are a slew of computer management software companies out there serving the printing industry, yet the choices seem to thin out when looking for packaging-specific offerings. "Although there are roughly 80 [printing]