The service, which went live on Monday (13 January), covers areas such as product pricing, recommended selling prices, carbon emissions data, and the plastic content of printed products. It is to be delivered initially via API connectivity into other software systems.

It is designed to integrate with industry MIS and ERP platforms, along with other API-based systems, such as those used by online printers and print managers.

Market Harborough, Leicestershire-based Haybrooke said PDQ Benchmarking is aimed at the entire print value chain, including printers, print resellers, and print buyers, and will include end-consumers of print.

John Roche, CEO of Haybrooke, said: “We were recently approached by a large consumer of print who was interested in obtaining market benchmark pricing for print using our system.

“This, along with a need we had already identified among our own customers, prompted us to create PDQ Benchmarking.

“The service will provide access to a wealth of commercial, manufacturing and environmental data at the fingertips of users who are provided access via a partner’s connected system.”

Haybrooke said PDQ Benchmarking will deliver a real-time market benchmark price for a requested print product instantly, along with averages for the top five and top 10 suppliers in the marketplace.

Pricing information will be supplemented with manufacturing data showing the preferred production method, paper required, manufacturing time, and a guide delivery time. The service will also return three tiers of recommended selling price evaluated by market trends.

“We use our manufacturing algorithm to calculate live prices for hundreds of suppliers in PDQ creating thousands of print estimates every day,” said Roche.

“This makes it possible to work out if the market is ‘settled’ on a price for a given product or specification. Our algorithm then calculates an RRP depending on these market factors meaning a reseller can potentially achieve better profit margins on non-commoditised products.”

Environmental information provided by PDQ Benchmarking includes CO2 emissions that are calculated for paper, production and delivery, along with average total carbon emissions for the top five and top 10 suppliers.

To ensure compliance and greater accuracy, Haybrooke uses UK government carbon emissions conversion tables for its CO2 calculation that it claimed is “the most accurate in the market” as machinery manufacturing kWh underpin its production emissions calculation.

The total weight of plastic is also provided for products that are laminated, plastic coated, or shrinkwrapped.

Haybrooke said it believed that instant access to intelligent market benchmark information signals “a significant leap forward” for organisations wishing to use live industry data to help inform how they procure print.

Roche said that printers whose prices are being squeezed could use the new service to help validate their own prices against the market, and the production methods used, to help them to more effectively compete for certain products, quantities, and specifications.

For MIS and ERP providers, Haybrooke said it believed that the integration of PDQ Benchmarking will add a new layer of functionality to their platforms and provide more value to its user groups.

Effectively, a printer creating an estimate in its own MIS will be able to easily pull in live benchmarking data from the open marketplace.

Haybrooke said the initial benefit to users will be largely commercial, helping with day-to-day pricing and business-critical decision-making, particularly around sustainability.

PDQ Benchmarking is ready to connect to partner systems straight away and Haybrooke said it is inviting interested potential partners to get in touch. The pricing for the service is still being finalised, but the company said there will be discounts and incentives in place for early adopters.

Haybrooke won the Boss Federation Ebusiness of the Year Award last November, in which it was also Highly Commended as Service Provider of the Year. Its head of print services, Austin Coyne, was also celebrated as an Unsung Hero at the same event.

Last month, meanwhile, the company unveiled a new brand identity designed to reflect its evolution from a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider to an all-encompassing provider of printing services and print wholesaling.

Haybrooke currently employs 10 staff. Its turnover target for the current financial year is £3m.