By Cassandra Balentine
Manufacturers that print to corrugate look to ERP/MIS and MES software to streamline production, provide analytics, and shop floor transparency. The continued adoption and advancement of digital solutions that target this space increase the stakes.
“Workflow solutions enable plants to decide which orders to run, when, and how,” states Jack J. Lafler, VP, sales and technical services, HiFlow Solutions. They are essential tools to achieve lean manufacturing. “Automation coupled with data and meaningful insights gives manufacturers plant-wide visibility to adapt and respond.”
The April issue of Industrial Print magazine looks at considerations for corrugate print environments with the growing adoption of digital technologies.
Here we highlight solutions from the companies that participated in the piece.
Durst Image Technology US LLC
LiftERP is a cloud-based software system that provides a single integrated platform to run all aspects of your printing and manufacturing business. The process is automated and streamlined, from placing orders online, preflight, printing, manufacturing, and shipping.
In February 2024, Release R10.8 occurred, which offers users a new experience in the Customer Help Desk. The LiftERP Help Center has always been very easy to access and use, and with input and suggestions from Lift Software users, it was enhanced.
The main feature of the Help Center, the ticket management screen, now provides users with important information the way they want to see it.
Some of these modifications include a brand new resource library. From the ticket management screen, users will be able to access articles and videos with a click of a button. All LiftERP resources are located in this library, including tip and tricks videos, past webinars, and release notes. Users can utilize a search bar to look up specific help videos and articles.
Users are now able to view past and present tickets, with associated release notes and dates. Present tickets also now feature future release notes and anticipated release dates.
Ticket communication and update functionality is enhanced. Users can make service requests, raise tickets, track answers and ticket status, and make modifications all without leaving the management screen. They can click directly into tickets and upload photos or videos, and update severity from inside the ticket. Messaging and notifications can be easily sent back and forth between users and the Lift Support team within the ticket.
eProductivity Solutions (ePS)
With a history dating back to the early 1980s, ePS Packaging, the packaging operating unit of ePS, is a leading solutions provider addressing the challenges that corrugated board manufacturers and box converters face.
ePS’ Corrugated Suite (CorrSuite) is a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to optimize and streamline the workflow. It can be utilized as a full suite covering all business functions of a box plant or as point solutions addressing critical functions in manufacturing, such as scheduling data collection and shipping.
“As corrugated businesses navigate the challenges of today and prepare for tomorrow, ePS Packaging remains committed to empowering its customers. Investing in technology and personnel development ensures our solutions meet current demands and anticipate and address future challenges. ePS Packaging is a strategic partner in pursuing sustainable packaging practices, equipping corrugated businesses with the tools to thrive in a competitive and ever-changing market,” offers Aleks Zlatic, VP, product portfolio and market development, ePS.
Zlatic feels that the heartbeat of any box or sheet plant is its manufacturing efficiency. ePS’ MES are designed to enhance plant management by automating manufacturing processes and optimizing schedules, providing total machine and labor visibility to manage the plant floor and customer expectations effectively. “These specialized modules save time and resources and significantly reduce errors from manual data input throughout the production process. The real-time visibility these intelligent solutions provide translates into increased productivity and reduced wasted time and resources,” shares Zlatic.
Further, the flexibility of modules like CorrPlan—converting scheduling; and CorrTrim—corrugator scheduling; is particularly beneficial, supporting both pull and push scheduling abilities.
Using technology similar to artificial intelligence, CorrPlan facilitates efficient scheduling, assisting planners in identifying the lowest-cost production schedules, balancing inventory levels, and sequencing orders effectively. This flexibility is crucial in achieving the efficiency required to produce more products with greater profits.
Within CorrSuite, CorrTrac—roll stock inventory management—addresses a critical aspect of production cost – paper. CorrTrac tracks every facet from ordering to consumption, enabling manufacturers to maintain an efficient inventory, minimize waste, and reduce over-ordering of stock. Complemented by its Roll Stock Analysis service, ePS ensures the most efficient use of paper across the plant, leading to substantial cost reductions. “The tangible impact is evident, with some customers achieving annual cost reductions exceeding $230,000,” says Zlatic.
Zlatic admits that finding the right business system to manage an entire box plant enterprise can be daunting. As a result, CorrSuite also has a complete ERP system specific to the industry. The Corrugated Business System (CBS) is the full-featured ERP solution tailored explicitly for the corrugated industry. CBS empowers customers with tools for precise cost modeling, enabling accurate estimating and confident decision-making regarding product margins and profitability. This level of granularity is vital in an industry where precision and efficiency are paramount.
“Noteworthy is the adaptability of these solutions, allowing them to be seamlessly integrated into existing ERP systems and workflows or implemented as part of CorrSuite for a complete solution. This flexibility enables customers to grow at a pace that suits their needs, fostering a gradual and sustainable digital transformation,” says Zlatic.
HiFlow
HiFlow software is developed to addresses the unique challenges and requirements of the corrugated industry, offering corrugated converters a solution that drives efficiency, streamlines processes, maximizes profitability, and improves overall operational performance.
According to Lafler, HiFlow essentially provides that 30,0000-foot look into the heart of your entire operation. “Managers and owners see, with great precision, what happens from the moment sales gets the order, to estimating, scheduling, customer service and accounting. Then, with deep data access from HiFlow’s analytics system, authorized personnel know shop floor data, warehouse, and inventory levels, production job status, quality control and more, in real time. HiFlow connects deep data collected from warehouse, vendors, machines, and operators, and businesses get robust, detailed analytics and reports.”
The company’s comprehensive MIS/MES is divided into eight areas—Sales & Customer Service, Production Planning, Production Preparation, MES, Warehouse, Financial, Analytics, and Integration & Communication. “Within these systems are over 70 modules that provide data and automation for critical functions including estimating, scheduling, tools management, material demand, inventory management, quality control, business intelligence, and shop floor data collection,” adds Lafler.
HiFlow MIS/MES offers a broad view of the entire ecosystem of a corrugated company from end to end—modules are tailored specifically for each unique company as each corrugated manufacturer has its own unique needs. In HiFlow’s single central database, jobs and crucial information from across the business ecosystem are instantly accessible by authorized users in any department. With the reporting tools and data that HiFlow’s management system supplies, management sees exactly what is needed—not only to meet the bar but exceed it.
Corrugate Software
Manufacturing plants with digital corrugate printing streamline workflows with specific software tools designed to present automation, analytics, scheduling, data collection, and more. While many functions are covered with options originally designed for analog processes, it is worth re-evaluating when digital is introduced to ensure productivity.
For insights on the evolution and functionality of workflow software specific to corrugate environments, check out our April issue.
Apr2024, Industrial Print Magazine
