A good Print MIS needs to let you get quotes done faster, and more accurately.

I've worked with ERP systems for many years. During that time, I have worked with businesses in every conceivable industry. Although I was exposed to the graphics arts manufacturing through an envelope manufacturer more than 15 years ago, I really didn't know much about print until recently.


Since 2017 I've had a pretty intense education in all (or at least many) things related to print manufacturing. This is because we started selling a print MIS system called PrintVis for Business Central and frankly we're overwhelmed by the response.


During my career, I've seen things done well and not so well with ERP implementations. ERP (more commonly called a Print MIS in this industry), is usually a combination of production, estimating and accounting software. Good ones also have kitting, inventory management, Web2Print integration, JDF and production. Here are 5 recommendations that I can make regarding getting the most out of your Print MIS system - nomatter which one:


1 - Template-Based Estimation


A good Print MIS needs to let you get quotes done faster, and more accurately.


I've read academic studies showing the faster a quote arrives at a customer, the more likely a sale will be made. More businesses buy the first quote they receive than all the rest combined. This is really significant to a print manufacturer, especially a commercial printer.


When you don't have the right software, this results in a rush to get the quote out. The result, some quotations are going to be wrong by small percentage. That can have a devastating impact when the mistake is in the wrong direction with huge quantities.


In fact, these errors have so much risk in today's low margin environment, the pressure from management is to take the time to ensure the quote is right. Likewise, the risk of losing the order is so high, the pressure is to rush the quote. You can see the problem!


Even those companies who invested in Print MIS struggle with this. In fact we often see really slow quote delivery.


Often this is because the older MIS systems weren't designed for modern print manufacturing. Digital print, kitting, fulfillment... all of these requirements exist to day and didn't really 20 years ago.


Most Print MIS systems were based on technology designs before these production needs existed. The work of an estimator is getting harder all the time, having to make adjustments to account for unsupported processes.


There are more modern print MIS software (like the one I sell, PrintVis) that are built on modern ERP platforms. Whether that is Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Epicor... these technologies are more current and flexible.


This problem with old MIS systems isn't unique to print. We've seen it in sign manufacturing, job shops, production etc. Old technology that simply hasn't kept up with the times.


Newer MIS systems introduce more flexible ways to create quotes. Often this is with a rule set, or a product model. In the PrintVis system this is called a template, which is a pre-built estimate that just needs a few pieces of information to finish.


Templates (or rule sets or models) really help all quotes. Whether simple or complex, the template is a starting point to speed up estimating. Studies have found that this approach cuts time spent by as much as 75%. Any good Print MIS should also increase accuracy, using the most recent pricing from vendors automatically.


2 - Automated Customer Integration



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