Well really, why bother? MIS (Management Information Systems) have never properly understood Digital Large Format, Screen or Specialist print processes.
Normally they are too complicated, too expensive, and where is the return? It’s more for Litho printers, not us!
That has been the familiar war cry against MIS investment for many companies and historically for good reason. Well now we’ve identified a company who are directly challenging these views head on, as they have embarked on a new MIS journey by going live with an Optimus MIS dash system at the end of April 2011.
The company in question is KGK, a privately owned successful family business of some twenty plus years based in Thundridge Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, who offer a complete design, manufacture and installation service for POS, digital print, graphics, exhibition displays and signage. KGK’s client list is extensive and includes numerous high street retail brands: John Lewis, M & S, The Body Shop – as well as high profile organisations such as British Airways, BBC and Disney to name but a few.
But, and this is a big but; even with consistent proven success, the owners of the business recognised that so much more could be done to improve profitability and performance by automating daily tasks instead of the continual manual duplication.
Graham Pitts says, “We started our search for an MIS company who wanted to work with us, and who would not compromise on the speed and flexibility we needed whilst also being able to incorporate our processes. My key focus was to get time back, and in a big way! Because too much information is held with me instead of being located within a centralised system visible by all, I end up with constant phone calls and interruption even when on holiday. Also despite my best efforts and working long hours, sometimes invoicing just doesn’t get done on time which has a massive negative knock on effect”!
“So we wanted an MIS partner who was well proven in delivering all of the back end office processes: E.G. Accurate fast consistent estimates that I trust in, so they can be done when I am not there; as well as rapid job entry, better stock management, production planning, requisitions and ordering. And, most importantly to KGK, automated invoicing with transactions posted directly into an accounts package of your choice.”
“With nearly 30 years experience delivering and maintaining MIS systems worldwide, Optimus impressed us as an MIS partner who would stay the course. Because they actually listened properly to what we had to say and were focused on our short and long term strategic goals and wanted to understand what they could be measured against, by us”!
“The key to this for us was that Optimus also recognised that a litho workaround was not the way forward; this has been the traditional graveyard for MIS providers in our markets. They knew they needed to provide a completely new way to deal with our front end processes accurately and efficiently, with our business rules and logic incorporated, hence their investment in “dash”!
“Dash has been built from the ground up and can manage any calculation from what we have seen; it is a really clever intuitive piece of software and incorporates lean manufacturing principles. It doesn’t matter what you produce or sell, Optimus dash can manage any substrate or production method. It has the potential to make a massive difference to our industry if word gets around”!
As KGK have just gone live with their Optimus dash system, the plan is that six to twelve months from now when there is proven data to back up the original plan for investment in MIS, we can then show in a follow up article where gains have been made and by then highlight specific areas where a return on investment can be proved with Optimus dash!
To quote Graham Pitts, “the early signs are very encouraging, as today fifteen minutes after a job was despatched and left the building, the invoice was ready to post. That alone just would just not have happened before! My instinct is that we will genuinely be able to say that the business has really benefited from improved cash flow and performance and the impact on my time will be significant”.
“Like many businesses we don’t necessarily want to recruit more and more people and equipment, we want to grow with what we have got! This investment in Optimus dash should enable me to be more proactive with our key accounts and look to grow the business if the mundane stuff can be taken care of. Watch this space in a few months time where we hope to be able to talk about our ROI in more detail”.
Optimus Management Information Systems Pty Ltd
optimus@optimus2020.com
