Case Studies

How A Print MIS Adds Value

The in-house printing department at Mount Carmel Health System serves four hospitals, several free-standing emergency centers, plus specialty and primary care outpatient facilities in central Ohio. The operation also provides printing services for other regional hospital systems.

The operation had been challenged by time lost to pricing, quoting, tracking jobs, keeping the flow of short-run jobs on schedule, and keeping customers looped in on job status. Something had to give.

Here, Carol Stokes, Printing Services Operation Manager, explains how PressWise changed print production at Mount Carmel Health System on every level, for the better.

Empowering an In-plant with Print MIS

Serving the print needs of over 600 departments spread across five universities within the State of Texas is a challenge in itself. Implementing a new Print MIS system to manage that workload isn’t a task to be taken lightly.

However, the General Services Team at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center did just that and are reaping the rewards of faster turnaround times and fewer manual touches in a much more streamlined and efficient operation.

Here, the Assistant Managing Director, Arthur Paré, explains how they achieved that with PressWise.

Training the Next Generation of Print Workers

As the print industry continues its technological evolution, and as new generations enter the workforce, we can continue to expect a change in the landscape of print production. In response, Thaddeus Stevens College (TSC) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the people behind the Print MIS PressWise have joined forces.

PressWise has now become the main software and learning tool for TSC’s Printing Processes courses, which prepare future print leaders by giving them valuable experience with production and workflow tools in a dynamic print environment.

An In-plant Print Shop’s Evolution with PressWise

In a time of uncertainty for many In-Plant print shops, East Baton Rouge Parish Public School System’s print shop hit upon a formula for success. Under Chad Simpson, they were able to innovate and not only observe shifts in their business, but proactively adapt to take advantage of them. The change has been so significant that they are looking forward to a bright future for an In-Plant serving over 90 schools, 6000 employees and over 43,000 students.

PressWise Opens The Door To New Possibilities For Moxy Ox

After implementing PressWise, companies frequently talk about how their production process has become more efficient. For Moxy Ox (www.Moxyox.com), a print and design company based in Tontitown, Arkansas, that efficiency has opened the doors to a variety of new opportunities. “It has had a ripple effect,” notes Matt Huber, Head of Operations for Moxy Ox.

IMS Printing & Signs – Making Wide Format More Efficient

While most printing companies are learning to redefine their businesses as marketing service providers, IMS Printing & Signs in Lone Tree, CO took the opposite path and evolved from an advertising and marketing company.

70% of IMS’ business is wide-format jobs such as banners, tradeshow displays and retail signs, while digital and small-format pieces make up the remainder of their work. Nearly all (around 98% in fact) of these orders are managed using PressWise.

Automating a Century-Old Print Business

Lawton Printers in downtown Orlando, Florida is one of the oldest, continuous family-run printing businesses in the United States. The current owners, Kimberly Lawton Koon, and her husband Tyler, represent the fifth generation to run the company.

Kimberly’s great, great grandfather, J.B. Lawton Sr. founded the business after prior experience printing and publishing a Louisiana newspaper, which he gave up after being shot by a disgruntled politician who took a strong dislike to one of his articles. After a couple of years running a pineapple farm outside of Orlando which was brought to a halt by a big freeze, J.B. went back to what he knew best – printing.

This knowledge was passed from generation to generation, and when Kimberly heard her father was looking to pursue other interests in 2002, she and Tyler moved back to Orlando to get involved in the company, eventually purchasing the business from her father and maintaining the family lineage.

Hemlock Seamlessly Links External Storefronts to Internal Systems

Hemlock Printers Ltd. has been proudly operating in Burnaby, British Columbia, for over forty years. Hemlock has grown from a one-man shop in 1968 to one of the largest commercial printers in the Pacific Northwest with a state-of-the-art 79,000 square foot facility employing over 170 craftspeople. Privately owned by the Kouwenhoven family, Hemlock also has sales offices in Victoria, BC; Seattle, WA; and San Francisco, CA.

The company has offset presses and HP Indigo digital presses. Its search for a more efficient workflow began when a client approached the company about connecting to existing storefronts on the customer side. “We went looking for a solution a couple of years ago,” says Keith Stoner, Prepress Systems Manager, “and found PressWise at Dscoop.”

Midstates Group Improves Efficiency, Attracts New Business

Located in Aberdeen SD, Midstates Group employs about 400 people and generates $50 million in annual revenues under the umbrella of four different companies, the largest being Midstates Inc. Print & Media Solutions, a heatset web/sheetfed offset business that accounts for three-quarters of those employees.

Another Midstates company, Quality Quick Print (QQP), is the focus of this discussion. QQP is a digital shop specializing in short-run, fast-turn digital and quick printing as well as signs, large format graphics and apparel. This group has about 40 employees and generates about $5 million in annual revenue.

“As QQP grew,” says Justin Feickert, Midstates’ VP of Sales & Marketing, “we needed to improve our overall infrastructure to ensure that we could support our growth and generate more.”

SaaS Print Workflow Is Key to Success For Platinum Direct

Platinum Direct is an integrated marketing solutions company located in Carrollton, Texas. The changing print economy forced the company to take an in-depth look at its operating processes and product offerings. They looked for a workflow solution for the digital world, one that could efficiently handle smaller, more frequent orders and give them the ability to capture more online sales and push those jobs straight to press.

After evaluating multiple options, they chose not to go with a traditional licensed software option, but instead preferred to enjoy the benefits of the PressWise SaaS model.