Software 101
August 2002
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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 a cost-effective digital prepress solution. In addition to PDF output, Pandora can also output Adobe Portable Job Ticket Format files (PJTF) and Job Definition Format files (JDF), as well as PostScript. This enables Pandora to inter-operate with many of today's PDF-, PJTF-, or JDF-based workflow systems.
Tony Caudill, sales manager, Pace Systems: We recently introduced ePace. This web-based and wireless-compatible solution can run on any platform or device that can operate a Web browser. The ePace System includes an integrated accounting system and advanced e-commerce features for direct interaction with customers.
Chris Wood, VP/sales and marketing, Radius Solutions: Our estimating system contains functionality for the different packaging sectors. It has been designed for multi-plant environments, which enables larger converters to understand and control the cost/benefits of production at Plant A, Plant B, or both. The automated Shop Floor Data Collection System allows information to be sent to and from an in-house production scheduling system, or PECAS, in real-time.
John Knowlton, marketing director, PRIMAC Systems: We have just released our Enhancement Release 12, which adds new functionality across all the modules. This includes new features for our production scheduling/job tracking system. Now, when running any report or doing invoices, PO's etc., the user has the choice to print it, e-mail it, or create a PDF. Inventory is now tied to fiscal periods.
Ken Meinhardt, president, Tailored Solutions: Label Traxx 3.3 is designed for the narrow-web label market. It includes prospect tracking, estimating, order processing, AR, AP, and GL. We have optional modules to handle finished-goods inventory, quality control, and Internet data access, and we recently added sales budgeting and executive trends tools.
Glen Forbes, VP/sales, Western Region, CRC Information Systems: Our latest release of THE System is Rev 19, which incorporates several new features. For example: Flowchart-style menu structure guides end users through each step of the job cycle. The new financial ratios module puts the information from a financial statement into perspective (graphically), allowing management to spot financial patterns. The e-commerce modules allow buyers to submit job specifications and review AR statements from their printer's Web site. And the new Executive Overview module gives the ability to create user-defined inquiry screens.
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 a cost-effective digital prepress solution. In addition to PDF output, Pandora can also output Adobe Portable Job Ticket Format files (PJTF) and Job Definition Format files (JDF), as well as PostScript. This enables Pandora to inter-operate with many of today's PDF-, PJTF-, or JDF-based workflow systems.
Tony Caudill, sales manager, Pace Systems: We recently introduced ePace. This web-based and wireless-compatible solution can run on any platform or device that can operate a Web browser. The ePace System includes an integrated accounting system and advanced e-commerce features for direct interaction with customers.
Chris Wood, VP/sales and marketing, Radius Solutions: Our estimating system contains functionality for the different packaging sectors. It has been designed for multi-plant environments, which enables larger converters to understand and control the cost/benefits of production at Plant A, Plant B, or both. The automated Shop Floor Data Collection System allows information to be sent to and from an in-house production scheduling system, or PECAS, in real-time.
John Knowlton, marketing director, PRIMAC Systems: We have just released our Enhancement Release 12, which adds new functionality across all the modules. This includes new features for our production scheduling/job tracking system. Now, when running any report or doing invoices, PO's etc., the user has the choice to print it, e-mail it, or create a PDF. Inventory is now tied to fiscal periods.
Ken Meinhardt, president, Tailored Solutions: Label Traxx 3.3 is designed for the narrow-web label market. It includes prospect tracking, estimating, order processing, AR, AP, and GL. We have optional modules to handle finished-goods inventory, quality control, and Internet data access, and we recently added sales budgeting and executive trends tools.
Glen Forbes, VP/sales, Western Region, CRC Information Systems: Our latest release of THE System is Rev 19, which incorporates several new features. For example: Flowchart-style menu structure guides end users through each step of the job cycle. The new financial ratios module puts the information from a financial statement into perspective (graphically), allowing management to spot financial patterns. The e-commerce modules allow buyers to submit job specifications and review AR statements from their printer's Web site. And the new Executive Overview module gives the ability to create user-defined inquiry screens.
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