Print MIS estimates job cost based on quantity, raw materials used, finishing, kitting, and shipping. The systems then create quotes with quantity breaks, manage the workflow, and complete accounting tasks—from invoicing to credit card processing and payroll. Reporting functions track shipments and inventory levels as well as jobs that were won or lost.

Even with all of these benefits, some print providers have yet to jump on board and continue to struggle with systems that do not scale to their needs. Print providers may shy away from investing in new technology in light of the economy, but many see the value in print MIS and its ability to help them through struggling times. "Although the economy is slow, we feel that the need for integrated print-ERP software is very strong," says Eliza Leung, product manager, Kodak.

"Many companies become paralyzed in times like these. But others use tough times to improve their competitive positions because they know it is an opportunity to get a leg up on their competition," says Jim Drisler, national sales manager, CRC Information Systems.

Print MIS helps print providers compete. "The need for MIS only increases as profit margins decrease. More than ever, companies need to understand the actual costs of doing business and become more efficient," says Garry Marron, president/CEO, HIFLEX Corporation of North America.

In addition, MIS adopters recognize the importance of strengthening customer relationships. "When new work is difficult to obtain, one of your best defenses is to improve your performance on existing business—and there’s usually some pretty good potential here," says Gerald Walsh, director of market development, EFI Advanced Professional Print Software. "In a competitive market, you can’t just charge more. You have to maximize the potential of every job though effective, sustainable process improvement."

One Solution—Many Tasks
Many print MIS options integrate other common business processes such as customer relations management (CRM), Web-to-print (W2P), and inventory control either directly or through a third party provider. "Having one integrated system reduces training time and makes life simpler for users as there is only one graphical user interface (GUI) to learn and use. It also reduces the IT administration burden, because there is only one database and application to manage," says Stephen McWilliam, executive VP, Avanti Computer Systems.

CRC Information Systems’ Nucleus software, an end-to-end solution, features a browser-based, recently released CRM suite integrated with all aspects of the enterprise software to provide a 360-degree view of all prospect-, customer-, or vendor-related information.

For its range of MIS products, EFI features W2P options, including EFI Digital StoreFront and PrintSmith Site, which provide a desktop for order submission, tracking, and catalog management. "These tools are critical in obtaining the right information, improving workflow, and client satisfaction. Likewise, these tools generate new revenue by providing your best prospects—established clients—with excellent visibility into the additional products and services offered by your business," says Walsh.

EFI also offers inventory and CRM solutions and sales tools—such as Printers Site Internal—which provide remote sales an Internet portal for submitting requests for quotes, jobs, and checking status and history. In addition, EFI offers open integration via JDF or product API, allowing for integration to third party systems. The ability to export and import data from third party systems varies based on data structure and connectivity tools.

Kodak’s EMS Business Software, which the company calls a ‘print-ERP solution,’ integrates CRM, inventory management, estimation, sales management, accounting, and more. Connectivity to W2P software is also available. Current supported W2P software includes KODAK INSITE Storefront System and Printable Technologies’ FusionPro Software.

Print providers also look to invest in point solutions to manage additional elements of their workflow. "We recognize that shops have invested in other applications that Avanti must be able to communicate with," states McWilliam. "Avanti is JDF-certified and able to integrate into all the leading applications such as W2P offerings like NowDocs, Pageflex, PressSense, RSA, and XMPie; prepress applications such as Agfa :Apogee, CREO Preps, Kodak Prinergy, and Xerox Freeflow; as well as corporate-wide systems like Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Peoplesoft, and SAP."

Make the Investment
Print MIS customers look to strengthen and expand their print businesses. "The leading adopters of Kodak EMS are commercial and packaging printers who are transforming their businesses and preparing for growth," says Leung. "More PSPs realize the need to change their mindset from craftsmanship to modern manufacturing. They look for more advanced systems to manage their businesses and provide real-time key performance indicators such as profitability and cash flow, and to help them to sustain and grow their businesses."

The majority of Printer’s Plus customers are quick print shops, in the range of $500,000 to $1,000,000, as well as franchisees and independent shops. The company recently saw a surge in prospective customers from in-house shops such as municipalities and universities. "It seems that everyone is trying to get a handle on costs these days. Typically these in-house shops dealt in ‘funny money.’ Now they are being forced to use some type of system to track their expenditures," says Debbie Potts, administrative assistant, Printers’ Plus.

McWilliam says that with any MIS solution, print shops need to budget for three investments—one-time license fees, training, and ongoing maintenance. A typical system includes about $50,000 for production licenses—depending on modules purchased and the number of users, 15 to 20 days of training, and annual maintenance of 18 percent per year. "It works out to about $15,000 per year, as shops typically put a system in for about ten years. An investment that saves them one to two headcount, so it has a very compelling return on investment (ROI)," he adds.

"While some print shop owners are sitting on their wallets, many realize they need to reduce their cost of doing business. They won’t invest $40,000 in a $15,000 problem, but they will invest $15,000 in a $40,000 problem—a reduction in headcount," says McWilliam.

"Kodak EMS is flexible and print service providers can begin with the core modules that are critical for their businesses and continue to expand the functionality as they grow. We also offer various professional services that help printers quickly implement EMS Software and exercise better control over their business processes," says Leung.

AACRO’s Print Shop Manager is priced between $1,800 and $4,000. "Setup time varies greatly from user to user, but seems to range from two days to two weeks initially," says Giles.

The Printer’s Plus Basic system is $995 out of the box for one workstation. There are three levels of mandatory subscription, as well, beginning at less than $120 per year. All subscriptions include free software updates and come with varying levels of support. "It gives you everything you need to estimate any type of printing or copying," says Potts.

EFI’s Walsh notes that a print MIS solution is unique from any other business acquisition in that it impacts virtually every employee. "This usually requires some level of training with all employees. The time investment required for training and implementation is often one of the biggest costs. The ROI from improved communication and process control, however, quickly offsets these costs," he explains. He says that the software investment varies substantially based on business model, product mix, and employee count.

Time to Upgrade
Print providers already utilizing print MIS technologies find that the latest releases offer attractive, high-end features that can help manage and grow businesses even further. "Many shops are on ‘round two’ of investing in a print MIS solution," says McWilliam. "They are ready to move from a system that they outgrew. That’s good news because they know what they like about their current system and notice what is missing. It makes the selection process easier for both the shop and the vendors."

Freeport Press’ upgraded from EFI PSI to the EFI Monarch suite about two years ago. The switch helps the print provider manage its operation more completely. PSI formerly served as the Freeport, OH-based printer’s accounting, shop floor data collection, and planning system.

"We chose Monarch because of its integration and end-to-end solution, which manages all aspects of the operation," notes Philip J. Salvo, customer service/project manager, Freeport Press.

Salvo notes that the upgrade is a large investment for a printer. However, the shop understands that MIS is important to future growth. "The implementation took about three months to launch and six months to complete. We looked to the future and targeted growth in the publication multi-version products and felt it was necessary to re-tool our MIS in advance. We focused on sales and marketing initiatives to bring the work in, while the system manages the complexities publishers expect," he says.

Freeport Press is a heatset-web short- to medium-run publication and commercial printer with stitching, offline UV coating capabilities, and full mail services. The business has a minimum print order of 5,000, with an average run of 30,000.

Efficiencies in the customer service department are the first benefits brought on by the MIS upgrade. Salvo notes a number of other gains the company experiences with Monarch. "The planning system is superb in managing and dissecting complex magazine makeup. Our job instruction error rate went from a daily challenge to a random occurrence. The clarity of job instructions was tremendously improved while the time manufacturing took to interpret the job instruction was greatly reduced. The presses and binderies are connected through Auto-Count, which is bar-none in managing counts and avoiding costly overruns. The system communicates all aspects of the production process from the planned job to the plant processes back to the schedule as each task and process is completed. Avoiding missed processes and deliveries is as easy as waiting at a traffic light and knowing when to stop or go. Then—on the executive management side—the job costing is spot-on for evaluating and exploiting the successes and failures of the plant," he states.

Freeport Press uses Salesforce.com with the intentions of integrating through the EFI Printer Site Internal system to facilitate requests for quotes from sales. "Our hope is to continue our partnership with EFI in their efforts to create more connectivity throughout the systems. We look forward to the new user interface that Monarch brings and the single database structure of Sequel. We also continue to launch new modules of the system. We’re currently implementing the new Paper Monitor to manage our roll level inventory and paper consumption on a job level," says Salvo.

Freeport Press excels with their upgraded print MIS system, and it helps them stay competitive. "We attribute the EFI Monarch system to being part of the reason we experience lower cost and more efficient workflows. We also know that many printers use the same system, which raises the bar for all of us," says Salvo.

Manage Your Print Business
Print MIS can truly transform a print operation, saving time and money while opening new avenues for business growth. Available solutions offer many new features that attract those ready to upgrade or add a new system.

Now is the ideal time to invest in technologies that bring efficiency and better management to your business. Automation is key to profitability. Print MIS solutions work to ensure print providers are able to utilize and leverage a streamlined workflow.

"A good management system is important to any business strategy. In challenging times, the ability to streamline processes, drive out waste, improve communication, and eliminate touch-points can be the difference between keeping your doors open or closed," says Walsh.