Workflow developer printIQ is launching a scanning app for smartphones and tablets to monitor how long jobs are taking, as well as a new capacity planner.
Later in the year it will also come out with a new version of its management workflow system (MWS) which is designed to be used by smaller print business, specifically those with less than seven staff.
Mick Rowan, director and head of R&D, printIQ “With the scanner app, someone on the production floor only needs to have a phone or an iPad, they do not need a computer, and they can start and stop time for jobs so that it can be recorded live.
“They simply need to scan the job, and record when the job starts and finishes, so the production planner will have a live readout as to how the job is going. By doing this you can compare estimated versus actual time needed to complete a job, and all of the information is stored and catalogued.
“With capacity planning, you can use printIQ to see a rundown of what is happening in your factory, and exactly how much of the capacity is being used.
“Later this year we will be bringing out a lite version of Print IQ. Most of our customers are companies with 10 or more staff, with our biggest user employing 3,500. What we are working on is a product that aims for 7 or less. It strips out unnecessary functions for smaller printers, and is offered at a lower entry point, with the option to upgrade from there.
“My role as the head of R&D is to be looking way ahead of the product to see what comes out next. For PacPrint, we brought out our scanner app, and our capacity planner.
“Let us say that I’m a printer with a factory in both Sydney and Melbourne, and my Melbourne factory is running at 1 per cent capacity, only planned 5 jobs, but I have another 260 jobs which need doing.
“What the capacity planner will do is assess the gaps in the factory, and auto-plan all of the jobs. Then it will say “you are now at 80 per cent capacity”. It can tell me where there are roadblocks or bottlenecks, and allow me to re-jig my jobs.
“With printIQ, you can run design, digital, labels, mail, offset, packaging, signage, and wide-format. It is really the whole gamut of printing. With any of these, Print IQ will manage the job from start to finish, either bought upfront or fully financed. We do not believe we have a competitor on the market, as others are management information, whereas we manage the workflow, and what we offer is far more than an MIS.
The company says its management workflow system (MWS) sets itself apart from management information systems (MIS), by incorporating the whole workflow from start to finish.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter