Thistle Printing in Toronto, a full-service commercial printing company and one of the oldest and most respected printers in Canada, established in 1931, has become the first Canadian printer to invest in a Management Information System (MIS) from worldwide MIS specialists for the print, packaging and labeling industries, Tharstern USA (Kennesaw, Georgia). Thistle Printing is a state-of-the-art Heidelberg facility running seven days a week, specializing in everything from design, consultation and project planning, to printing, finishing and fulfillment. The company chose the Tharstern system after reviewing nearly 30 different MIS solutions.
“In order to maintain our high levels of service and quality at the competitive prices our customers expect, we require best-in-class systems and equipment for maximum efficiency and customer care,” said Jordan Fietje, President of Thistle Printing.
“This investment in the Tharstern MIS will allow us to maintain and even improve our high service standards. What we liked about the estimating module in particular is that you’re able to generate a quote, populate a docket face and give multiple production options exceptionally quick. Demonstrating it’s understanding of the digital eco-system, Tharstern has created an estimating and production ‘hub’ that can fully integrate with third-party, best-in-class software packages that we may need in the future,” he added.
“Tharstern has a unique approach within the North American MIS market, which is seeing us gain real traction with printers,” said Bob Moore, Chief Operating Officer for Tharstern USA. “For us, it’s about partnerships – both with our customers and with third-party systems developers that we look to integrate with, providing customers with more efficient workflows. It’s great that Thistle Printing has recognized the benefits that our approach can deliver for their printing operation.” Tharstern Global Sales Director Lee Ward added: “Naturally we’re delighted to have the chance to work with Thistle Printing and shape our Tharstern MIS to its specific needs. Our recently formed North American Division is performing just as we had hoped – and to secure our first installation in Canada is proof of that.”
Tharstern launched into the U.S. in the autumn of 2015, and has established tight integration with other OEMs such as Heidelberg and HP (both using Tharstern as a preferred partner for MIS), as well as Manroland, Komori, Xerox, Esko, Enfocus Switch, Kodak, Agfa and Fujifilm. Tharstern was started more than 30 years ago has a client base of more than 700 users worldwide. It currently has 7,000 users of its MIS and workflow solutions, with a 96% customer retention rate.
Thistle becomes first Canadian printer to adopt Tharstern MIS technology
