Integration of prepress into the ERP process

In an industry in which customer requirements change constantly and more and more quickly, it is extremely important to embed the essential sections of the value-added chain transparently and fully integrated into the enterprise resource planning process.

In printing technology, for instance, it is extremely important to map the graphical representation of the products and the implementation for production with all the necessary elements in such a way that everyone involved knows exactly what happens at what time and what to expect. Especially the process around coordinating advertising agency, client, graphics department, back office and field sales and suppliers is usually not integrated into the ERP system and challenges everyone involved.

Especially in appointment and status management, it is important to map all the necessary agreements and targets in a clear and transparent way. This requires flexibility since delays, exceptions and changes can occur at any time from each side.

The following dates must often be coordinated:

• acceptance dates
• completion dates
• print test dates

Acceptance dates are primarily about being able to adhere to agreed milestones. For example, a customer acceptance date is a deadline which must be scheduled and met. The challenge is that all the necessary activities need to be scheduled so that all dependencies are taken into account.

With completion dates it is important to juggle graphics, cylinder engraving, printing plate production, tool preparation/ordering and to trigger the processes and effect the orders in good time while still leaving room for changes.

Document sharing constitutes another challenge. How are designs, colour matching, parts lists, etc. shared between departments? How do you know where the entire process stands, and which activity is due next?

This calls for a modern ERP system to map the activities and processes transparently. The processes may be repeated, but the activities in the process can vary. Hence, for example, for a customer release of a new product, you must schedule and approve many more steps than for a change of an existing product. Here, an ERP system must form the basis for the management of the process steps so that they can be scheduled sensibly and correctly.

Another challenge for an ERP system is the overview of departments, resources and subcontractors. Who can do what when, or will there be any bottlenecks in a department which risk meeting the deadline?

There is a number of challenges when integrating prepress into an ERP system in a sensible, efficient and transparent way. Often, this process runs alongside the ERP system thus leading to problems in communication, coordination and meeting deadlines.

Therefore, COSMO CONSULT in cooperation with its customers has developed a industry solution for the printing and packaging industry. Based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations, among other things, the prepress process is integrated into the ERP system and provides full transparency for companies in this industry.