After deciding to make a change to their MIS system, Heritage Printing was faced with the challenge of implementing new software. The team at Heritage rose to the challenge, implementing PressWise in about a month. Heritage shared their experience with the process and the effect it has had on their business.
Chuck Frymark, VP of Operations for Heritage
“The only thing I would have done differently was doing it sooner,” said Chuck Frymark, reflecting on the recent installation of PressWise software from SmartSoft at Heritage Printing in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
The installation took about a month, which is remarkably fast for replacing an MIS in a busy print shop. Some people use “doing it sooner” as a feel-good statement. Not Frymark. To him, software that solves multiple problems while providing measurable, monetizable value has a direct impact on the bottom line.
Frymark, Vice President of Operations at Heritage, sees the value PressWise delivers every month when preparing the company’s financial reports. One PressWise feature that immediately caught his attention was order entry, a time-consuming task for many print shops. “We used to have to go to multiple screens, create estimates, convert the info into orders, and more. It was very time-consuming. PressWise simplified the entire process,” he explained.
He added that they were finally able to run their business the way they wanted instead of having to fit it around a developer’s software.
Another surprise came when Frymark reviewed the monthly operating numbers. “We reduced order entry costs by about 40%,” he said. Those savings are significant for a shop like Heritage, which produces approximately 500 jobs each month.
Heritage takes a lot of pride in their fast turnaround
times, aided by their efficient workflow.
Practical Needs
What makes PressWise stand out is that it was developed with the practical needs of print providers in mind. Frymark explained that “PressWise was not only developed by a printer, but it’s also supported by printers and people who understand how printing businesses work. When you call them, they know what you’re talking about.”
This is a key differentiator for a Print MIS (Management Information System). Many systems are written by software engineers who may have only limited familiarity with the complex processes involved in commercial printing. Support teams can be even further removed from the day-to-day realities and terminology of a print operation.
“Software developers don’t always understand print shops,” Frymark noted. He said PressWise is different because a call to the support team often leads users to online learning resources, videos, documentation, and multiple ways to accomplish specific workflow goals.
“For instance, it was very important for me to be able to pull up information from each part of the company, use QuickBooks to support billing, and so on. PressWise helped us link all our data in an automated fashion,” he said.
Building On Experience
Having overseen numerous software integrations throughout his career, Frymark has a unique perspective on what makes implementation successful.
He credits SmartSoft’s support team for making the implementation straightforward. Thorough testing before launch ensured his staff understood what to expect when PressWise went live. Even after implementation, Frymark and his team met regularly during the first few weeks to address any minor issues or overlooked setup items.
“Being 95% functional in just two weeks, with only minor items to address, was astounding, as was the support of all the employees who embraced PressWise,” Frymark said.
Heritage takes great pride in its fast turnaround times, supported by an efficient workflow.
Many printers who have switched Print MIS platforms describe employee resistance as one of the biggest obstacles to a successful implementation. Heritage’s experience was different.
Like any new software implementation, the process created opportunities to improve existing procedures. As Frymark explained, “Even when you think you know everything about your processes, pricing, or costing, you find things that can be changed.”
He added, “This was an opportunity to have the team look at what may be the best way of doing something versus how we have been doing it. This is a valuable exercise for any business.”
As anyone in the printing industry knows, print production can often feel like managed chaos. Frymark concluded, “Whenever you invest in new equipment or software, you hope you made the right decision. You may stumble a bit when setting up your data, but when the moments of truth and implementation arrive, your expectations materialize in ways that make a difference for your business.”
Visit clickheritage.com to find out more about Heritage Printing