Sefas Open Print personalisation software, officially launched in the UK at Northprint in May 2011, is aimed at end-user companies such as banks and utilities firms with both in-house and outsourced print services as well as outsourced print service providers themselves.

The software allows users to assign unique data to documents, merge and batch applications, manipulate images and control distribution formats from a single interface.

Initial implementation of the software began at Torbay Council this month with full roll-out of the service across all of its departments expected to be complete by April 2013.

Sefas said the Open Print software, which can be accessed from local desktops around the organisation, would help the council create a more efficient system by consolidating the processing of all of its posted documents into its central print room. It will also produce more accurate and uniform document applications such as barcodes and address boxes, the company claims.

One bespoke specification that will generate "significant" cost savings for the council is the merging of its council tax and benefits notifications into one document mailout, according to Sefas, while further efficiencies will result from individual departments’ franking devices being replaced by the single consolidated system.  

Sefas UK general manager Giles Hill said the new print system would offer the council a return on investment within six to 18 months.

He added: "We are used to dealing with very high volume transactions for companies like Nationwide, Santander and BT but what we have done recently is make a conscious effort to modularise and bring that enterprise capability to smaller businesses and organisations such as local authorities who really need to focus on cost savings at the moment.

"With this new system they are very quickly able to get their costs down and they can also improve the quality of service to their citizens very quickly."

Hill said as well as anticipating two "significant" new UK clients by the end of the year, Sefas was in advanced discussions with other local authorities. He explained that the company had been working with local government forum, the Association of Print and Communication Managers, to understand exactly what local authorities needed from their print software.

"I think that’s how we’ve managed to get it so right," he added.  

Torbay pre-press manager Guy Millward said the software specifications met the exact priorities set out by the council’s 30 internal stakeholders. 

He added:  "It will not only support our complex print operations but its multi-channel capabilities will also enable email and other electronic communications in the future."