By Ed Avis
The software that reprographics shops use to run their businesses needs to do a lot of things – manage bids and orders, facilitate workflow, generate invoices, and much more. In March, we published an article about repro software based on a survey of APDSP members that revealed that many of them are somewhat unhappy with their current systems (click here to read that article).
After the article ran, some members emailed or called to make a few comments, which led us to the conclusion that this is a topic worthy of further exploration. So we are going to do that, in two ways:
1) This article below provides a picture of an “ideal” repro software system, and attempts to see where existing programs fit into that picture.
2) We have scheduled a members-only webinar about repro software featuring a panel of members who use the various systems. This webinar will be held June 21 at 10 a.m. Central time. Click here to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3636298641217604610
The Ideal System
What would made a perfect reprographics software system? Obviously that varies with each reprographics shop, but the following list of attributes seems to cover most shops’ requirements:
Order taking: The ideal system takes orders, both online and manually entered. It should do this for all aspects of a shop’s business, including printing in monochrome and color, equipment leasing/facilities management, retail sales, etc. The system should convert orders to work orders, and in the best case scenario, the order taking system should interface with the online planroom or other job submission system. The system also should track jobs throughout the production process.
Bid management: The system should make it easy to create bids/estimates, in all aspects of the business, and convert those bids to work orders if the job is won.
Inventory management: The system should track inventory and know when an order is placed that exceeds inventory. It should create back orders when needed, and it should alert the user when something needs to be re-ordered.
Invoicing: The system should be able to create accurate invoices using whatever form of charge the shop wants to use, and be able to modify that to match each customer’s contract. For example, some customers may require billing per square foot, where others prefer by the sheet. The system should handle both easily. Furthermore, color graphics work – which may include multiple levels of charges for various add-ons – should also be invoiced smoothly. Customers should be able to view and pay their invoices online.
Equipment leasing/facilities management: The system should provide assistance with this side of the business, including accounting functions, click charge management, supplies sales, maintenance contract management, etc.
Accounting: Ideally the system has a robust accounting system with all the basics – accounts receivable, accounts payable, general ledger, etc. The system should intuitively generate reports. In addition to the basics – open invoices, P&L, etc. – it should create reports such as customer-specific sales reports with prior year comparisons; efficiency reports that track materials usage vis a vis jobs; inventory reports that provide easy reordering information; etc.
Available Systems
So how do the currently available systems stack up in these areas? We talked to some of the vendors, some reprographics shop owners, and others about the systems currently on the market to try to understand that. The result is not a hands-on evaluation, but it should give you some feel for how each product does in the areas above.
Profits Plus from MVS Alliance (previously called MV Software): MV was a pioneer in reprographics business software when it launched in 1978, and Profits Plus is still used by many shops. In our reader survey, six out of 35 shops responding said they use MV Profits Plus.
Profits Plus has a complete ordering system. When asked about online ordering, MVS
President Jim Diefenbach responded: “ODAS is the online document access system for viewing invoice history, getting a current account statement, looking up payment history and submitting new payments. The invoice lookup can also show scanned images to provide the end users with complete documentation from handwritten requests, to production documents, signed delivery documents and any other documents needed through final invoice billing. There are also ecommerce functions that can be customized for placing/updating orders and checking status of open orders.”
Profits Plus handles bid management as an integrated system that starts with a bid, moves to an internal work order, then job tracking, to picking tickets, shipping, and billing. It has full inventory and purchasing modules that provide end-to-end tracking. Back orders are automatically tracked into purchasing and throughout until final billing.
“There are automated routines that can be implemented for calculating optimal stock and order quantities, creating POs, warehouse functions for barcode labeling/receiving/physical inventory, multiple bin location tracking down to the shipment level for traceability reporting and many other features as you move into more of a manufacturing type production environment,” Diefenbach says.
The system handles traditional square-foot billing, and new options such as per-sheet and ½ sizes. Diefenbach explains that many clients do both AEC and color graphics, and the system includes features to facilitate both.
Profits Plus also handles equipment leasing. Says Diefenbach: “It includes tracking of leased equipment, monthly billing of fixed and meter based charges, included or billable supplies/consumables, etc. and straight cost-per-copy program billing. It also includes detailed profitability reporting for individual machines as well as financial reporting based on user defined groups.”
Learn more at MVSalliance.com
Thoroughbred Solution IV: According to our survey, Thoroughbred’s system is used by more
shops than any other – seven out of 35 respondents said they use Thoroughbred. According to its website, Solution IV “is an integrated accounting, operations and e-commerce business solution for reprographics businesses. Solution-IV can be provided as an on-premise license or Web-hosted service, e-Solution-IV.”
The order system, which can be set up online with a module called Web Services, generates work orders that are designed to be reviewed by a human to make sure everything looks right.
“Because of all the discounting and all that, we want a human being to look at it and say, ‘This is a good order, it is using the right contract…’ All those kinds of things you need to make sure you’re doing correctly,” says Mark Lewis, the company’s VP of sales and marketing.
For color work, Thoroughbred can integrate a program called Midnight Print, which is designed for color graphics production. It has an inventory control system that includes back-order capabilities.
The system handles equipment leasing/facilities management with a service contract module. It integrates with Sepialine’s click charge counter, and is working on an integration with OpCenter PlotWorks.
Thoroughbred also offers a version called ezREPRO, which is designed for companies that need ordering/invoicing without a full accounting package.
Learn more at http://www.solution-iv-reprographics-software.com/
Cyrious Control: Cyrious Control is another popular program among reprographics shops.
Only two respondents to the survey said they use Cyrious, but in conversations with APDSP members, it comes up frequently. According to Kristen Licursi, director of marketing, 50 reprographics shops use Cyrious.
Cyrious’ system began as a program for sign makers, and consequently it is strong on the color graphics side. Several APDSP members use Cyrious specifically for color work. Cyrious has added features specific to reprographics over the years, including the ability to handle equipment leasing and rentals.
Licursi says one of Cyrious’ strengths is that it helps shops determine pricing. “We find that there are a lot of questions surrounding pricing, and the system helps shops determine the right pricing to remove questions about profitability,” she explains. The system can handle a variety of pricing structures – square foot, cost-plus, table-based, or custom. It also includes a customer relationship management (CRM) system to help the sales team.
Cyrious Control includes an inventory module that provides on-the-fly information as an estimate is made. Licursi says it gives warnings if a supply is running low, and it can do analysis after a job is finished.
Invoices can be viewed and paid online. “Each invoice can be sent with a ‘Pay Online’ button, which enables the repro shop’s customers to pay directly online,” Licursi says. “The payment history is automatically tracked within Control.”
Control has accounting capabilities, but it appears that repro shops using Cyrious commonly export the data to QuickBooks or another accounting program rather than relying on Cyrious’ system.
Learn more here: http://www.cyrious.com/products/control/
ECI e-Automate: This program is widely used by companies, including repro shops, that sell
and service equipment. Managing leased equipment and FM sites seems to be what APDSP members are using it for, though other functionalities can be added. According to its website, “E-automate® software is fully integrated business software developed specifically for businesses that sell and service technology. Today, more than 1,500 companies trust e-automate to manage their daily business processes like accounting, contracts, inventory, purchasing, sales, service and more, saving time, money and manpower.”
APDSP member Pam Turner, director of operations for Digital Now, Inc., has used e-Automate for the past 13 months. When asked what she likes about it, she responded: “More flexibility in running reports. Remote Tech Add-On allows our techs to dispatch themselves and see more equipment history and information. Automated invoicing where customers get an email invoice instead of mailing them by postal service, automated contract, service billings and meter requests. The ability to open and close financial periods when needed. You can edit invoices without having to retype the whole invoice.”
Learn more here: http://servicetechnology.ecisolutions.com/solutions/e-automate-overview.aspx#tab-0-div
MFG Software: This is a system widely used by ARC locations, and the developer, Chris
Bonthius, is interested in expanding beyond ARC. The software came into existence in 1989 at Blair Graphics, and when Blair was acquired by ARC, it spread to other ARC locations.
When asked about the features of the program, Bonthius supplied this list:
General Features:
- Easy upload of supporting documents linked to transaction data
- Lookups with drill-down for quick access
- Access reports as Excel, tab or csv formats
- E-delivery of reports and documents and automate communications
- Rich visualization of live data for better business decisions
Key reprographic modules and features:
- Estimating
- Order processing
- Job Tracking
- Dispatch & delivery
- Multiple pricing methods
- Fully integrated A/R, A/P, G/L, PO, Inventory, Fixed Assets, CRM
- FM Device, product code, and project detail and summary reports
- Tracking data upload for detailed project billing
- Accepts tracking data using user definable mapping
- Meter templates for meter only billing and net meter billing
- Exports for customer accounting and project uploads
- View open orders by due-date/time, customer, work order, project
- Complete order details on the floor
- View order supporting documents on the production floor
If you are interested in learning more about MFG Software, contact Bonthius directly at cbonthius@mfgsoftware.com or 714-850-1190 ext 120
Remember, if you are interested in watching the webinar on this topic during the week of June 19, please email me, ed.avis@apdsp.org, and I’ll update you as soon as the date and time are set.