Advancing your scheduling capabilities is a quick and easy way to maximise the resources across your whole print business. Taking an intelligent, data-driven approach to scheduling, optimising workflows and enhancing overall operational efficiency will give you the ability to flexibly meet the needs of your customers and refine your operations.
To help its users do this, eProductivity Software (ePS) recently unveiled a new integration between its print MIS, Tharstern and PrintFlow 4D. Since its acquisition in 2023, ePS Tharstern has become more integrated into the ecosystem with the automated scheduling software PrintFlow 4D.
“Tharstern has great scheduling capabilities, but this integration into PrintFlow 4D advances the scheduling capabilities for our users to the next level,” said ePS Tharstern managing director Lee Ward.
“As soon as we let customers know about this new integration, we had a number of printers start the implementation immediately with their Tharstern MIS, including Newcastle-based printer BLP Northern.”
Customisation with automation
“I've always seen PrintFlow 4D as a superior scheduling tool,” said BLP Northern managing director Denis Corcoran.
With its implementation, BLP Northern is experiencing a significant operational transformation, allowing employees to focus more on critical business tasks.
“Looking at Tharstern as a product, I considered it as best in class, but when I heard about Tharstern and ePS joining together it was great opportunity to make the most of the workflows and automations together. We wanted that full suite,” said Corcoran.
Corcoran highlighted PrintFlow 4D's benefits, particularly its automation capabilities and the ability to minimise human error through customisation.
“One of the main attractions was its automation, driven by customisable back-end parameters,” he added.
PrintFlow 4D enables tailored customisation based on individual operator skills, offering real-life scenarios, live insights, and expectations at a scheduling level.
“Where this gets really exciting for us is we can set parameters such as strategic tiering, minimising late deliveries and reducing waste, which is crucial for eliminating errors and optimising outcomes,” said Corcoran.
See more and make better resource decisions
“It's critical that our satellite offices have full visibility of production as well as the workflow and the resource allocation. PrintFlow 4D enables that and gives us the ability to collaborate more as a unit. For us it’s not just about optimising equipment, but also operators and aligning both to get the best out of both worlds, using it in combination with the Tharstern MIS system,” Corcoran added.
“What was immediately apparent was the reduction in manual data entry and reporting tasks with the automation. This will free up considerable time for our staff to focus on more strategic business activities.”
The future for Tharstern with ePS
“The PrintFlow 4D integration is just the start of embedding our MIS system into the ePS portfolio,” added ePS Tharstern’s Ward.
“With continued investment into the product ongoing, and further integrations coming this year with Auto-Count 4D to provide real-time data collection and the e-commerce platform MarketDirect StoreFront, it’s an exciting time for our current customers and our future ones too.”
Tharstern and PrintFlow 4D are just two of many dedicated print solutions from eProductivity Software that will be showcased at Drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf, Germany in Hall 7A, Stand E03. To find out more about how you can replicate this success in your own print business, visit Print ePS, or if you are heading to drupa, register here to come see us in person.
