Digital Output - March 2008 - (Page 21)

our size—and most definitely not for the shop we wanted to become.” Starting in 2004, Digitech set out on a quest for an MIS, which would span nearly three years. Boatright started the journey with a bulleted list of criteria most important to the company. This included production tracking and business management tools and a shorter training cycle for new order-entry personnel. Also needed were streamlined pricing procedures, with better visibility of real costs, customer CRM tools, price point, and room to grow. By 2007, the company discovered and implemented Cyrious Control. “[It] is a huge time saver, and a real boost in employee productivity,” Boatright confides. “Digitech grew from a three-employee shop in a 1,400-square-foot facility with only an Encad and a hot-shoe laminator, to a 14-employee operation occupying a 21,000-square-foot space, with three aqueous printers, two solvent devices, and a flatbed machine—with various supporting [technologies], including laminators, routers, plotters, etc.” Share your Findings print shop owners or revamping existing solutions to meet large format needs. Managing a business is complicated and implementing an MIS helps eliminate some of those complications. And thankfully, large format print shops now have the opportunity to do just that. D Once the system in place, the hard work doesn’t stop there, according to Richman, who—after implementing EFI Logic—volunteered to lead the EFI Logic User’s Group. Since 2006, members of the Logic User’s Group (LUG) have helped fellow users by answering questions about EFI’s Logic MIS application. “I’m a strong believer in being involved and giving back,” he asserts. “When you run a business where the culture is proprietary, you’re doing your business a disservice. You’re locking yourself up inside a box. And it’s impossible to grow. The only way to really progress in this industry is to open yourself up, to collaborate with others. I think a lot of people in large format print are realizing that there really aren’t that many secrets in this business. There are simply different ways of doing things, and both parties get value when you collaborate and share your experiences with others.” Both large format and traditional commercial printers collaborate over business management solutions thanks to systems designed for a range of users. Companies such as Cyrious Software, EFI, and Pace Systems Group, are developing solutions targeted specifically toward large format Circle 16 on FREE Product Info Card Circle 17 on FREE Product Info Card www.digitaloutput.net March 2008 Digital Output 21 http://www.southernimperial.com http://www.fredrixprintcanvas.com http://www.fredrixprintcanvas.com http://www.digitaloutput.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Output - March 2008

Digital Output - March 2008

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