The Digital Imaging Association offers a dependable and cost-effective way to stay current with the industry—we recruit experts in various fields to address topics of interest to our membership.
Recently, members and guests participated in an in-depth session that examined some case studies of what works and what doesn’t when going down the MIS/ERP/CRM path. A three-member panel led a town hall-style meeting in which both presenters and attendees shared their knowledge and expertise. The expert panel, comprised of Marg Macleod (IBEC Training and Consulting), Ian Broomhead (CP Printing), and Bob Weller (Transcontinental Yorkville/O’Keefe) provided users’ perspectives, not specific vendor solutions.
The presenters defined the systems:
MIS—Management Information System—a series of inter-related data bases which manage the administrative, production and manufacturing operations of a company
ERP/MRP—Enterprise/Management Resource Planning—identifying and moving resources around in concert with day to day activities
CRM—Customer Relationship Management—contact software to build information about clients
The DIA’s outlook
The intent of the above mentioned systems is to automate manual processes in order to control operating costs, streamline production flow, eliminate redundant processes, track waste, create consistency in estimating and job costing, and eliminate inaccurate information, all in order to maximize revenues.
Manufacturers make money by streamlining processes, and the systems and options now available, provide many ways to streamline by eliminating redundancies and providing measurement tools.
The automation process should start with an audit of current processes by talking to the people who do the work. An objective consultant should review what actually happens as work progresses through planning and production, with a focus on the core flow, not the exceptions or what ifs. The consultant’s documentation should track the progression of work through each phase of production, recording that the work has cleared a department after being checked and verified.
Other important revelations emerge from a review of process and cycle time. Process time is how long it takes to physically perform every operation, measured in seconds and minutes. Cycle time is the amount of time it takes to move the project from the front door to the back door, measured in hours, days, and weeks. The goal of system automation is to reduce cycle time almost to process time. Examples provided by the panel and from participants pointed out systems that can facilitate this objective.
Why your company needs an MIS system
The following 8 reasons were outlined at the DIA session. We suggest you review your own workplace against these reasons and decide for yourself.
- Estimates are inconsistent and/or take too long to produce
- Purchasing responsibility is scattered and not all costs are captured on dockets when they’re billed
- Excessive consumable inventories
- Waste and spoilage not accurately measured or managed
- AA’s and house errors go unrecorded and unbilled
- Decisions made based on filtered information rather than actual data
- Scheduling failures are not tracked
- Multiple administrative software programs that have no inter-operability
MIS System Options
There are three basic levels of MIS systems: single, with limited function, multiple functions that cover 99% of printing companies’ needs, and the granddaddy systems that include dynamic scheduling, job imposition planning, and JDF compatibility.
System prices can range from $20 000 to $100 000 for the second level to over $250 000 for the most advanced models.
Buying options include creating your own, buying off-the-shelf products you host yourself, or purchasing systems with external ASP hosts. Whatever your company chooses, implementation requires full employee support and complete knowledge of your process and people.
Ensure that you test and retest to ensure your selected system does address your goals.
In addition to dialoguing about the successes and failures of system implementation, attendees were also able to view and request various charts demonstrating process workflow and how automation tracks and improves activities.
Become a member of the Digital Association today to take part in informational sessions like this one. The privilege of membership enables companies to send as many employees as they deem appropriate to each meeting at no additional charge above the low cost of membership. As a member of the DIA, you’re not just a name on a list. You become part of a network of professionals dedicated to the strength and future of the industry.
Contact Marg Macleod, Association Manager, at 416.696.0151 or marg@digitalimagingassoc.ca.
