logo
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • News
  • Products
  • Knowledge Bank
  • Community
  • Insights
  • Showcase
  • Drupa
  • Fespa
  • Awards
  • Reports
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • International
    • India
    • Druck & Medien
    • MENA

News Categories

Applications
Awards
BPO
Briefings
Business
Contracts
Direct Mail
Events
Environment
Investment & Installations
Labels
Packaging
People
Print Buying
Product News
Publishing

Product Categories

Consumables
Design
Digital
Equipment manufacturers
Me & My
Post-press
Pre-media
Presses
Star Products
Substrates
Technical Features
Wide-format
Printweek special supplement

Marketing Technology Report 2023

  • News
  • Products
  • Community
  • Insights
  • Showcase
  • Awards
  • Jobs

Search


Sponsored Content

Is software your key to business agility?

Sponsored
Sponsored Content by Steve Downes
17 August 2021
Digital
The pandemic accelerated trends that we were already happening
The pandemic accelerated trends that we were already happening

The need to be able to adapt quickly has been clearly demonstrated in the past 18 months – so now is the perfect time to ensure your business has the flexibility it needs to thrive.

Agility – it’s a word that has been on many printers’ minds over the past 18 months. Events have shown, like never before, that you have to be ready for the unexpected as you plot your business’s path to success.

Many commercial print businesses have needed to pivot quickly as they pursue new directions and have looked to their software systems – both the functionalities of their applications and the ways these are deployed – to enable that agility.

Vendors like Ricoh, with applications such as Ricoh ProcessDirector workflow and Avanti Slingshot print MIS in its portfolio, have had to respond in kind, with agility built into our products, and into the ways we service our customers’ needs.

The pandemic has accelerated trends that we were already seeing in the market. Namely that print businesses were already moving away from inhibitive in-house systems that were costly to evolve and as a result they were already looking for software that gave them a proven framework upon which to build, that was flexible enough to meet their unique requirements, and scalable for business growth.

There has been a surge in that trend. Customers have been asking themselves a big question: how can we protect ourselves against events outside of our control? The answer has been seeking proven, off-the-shelf solutions that have the ability to adapt as required, sourced from service providers that are prepared to accommodate that need for agility, that can react quickly to meet unique needs, and that are steeped in the spirit of partnership.

Workflow and MIS software must be flexible, scalable and compliant in terms of security and data handling. It must be capable of running within the cloud or on premises, if that is the customer’s preference.

Customers often fear that requesting tailored adaptations to an off-the-shelf solution will mean long lead times before implementation. It need not be the case: in our experience of tailoring Ricoh ProcessDirector to customer needs, the implementation time should be no longer than six weeks from the start of the project. Speed of delivery, even for tailored solutions, should not be a problem.

Nor should cost. Out of the box, the Ricoh ProcessDirector software is a simplified PDF workflow, and is capable of meeting the needs of every organisation, from a small to medium sized print business, right up to corporate enterprises and retailers. It is modular and is deployed on a ‘pay for what you use’ basis.

ProcessDirector enables printers to add multi-channel comms to their offering

During the pandemic, we have seen Avanti MIS become increasingly important for smaller print companies in particular. In assessing their staffing needs during lockdown, they wanted to gain a better understanding of the length of time that jobs were being actively handled, and how long they were sitting on pallets awaiting the next stage of production or fulfilment. Then they wanted to optimise the operation around that. In these circumstances, our Avanti Slingshot MIS system helped them to get a clearer picture of what was happening.

Finding the right technology partner is a step that is loaded with benefits, both in the short and long term, and it goes much further than the product offering that the partner can initially put in place. Printers should aim to partner with a company that can take both a strategic and tactical view: the bigger picture of the company’s growth and development, and the more immediate day-to-day, month-to-month demands that enable a print firm to demonstrate that much-needed fleet of foot.

Ricoh's free, downloadable ebook covers the top ten time-consuming tasks you should automate

Beyond this, the ideal software partner will be open and honest, and capable of undertaking a more wide-ranging systems integrator role. They will recognise when a company already possesses high value systems and tools that can be built upon, and will be prepared to introduce and manage a third-party application integration if their own products do not solve the dilemma.

Being ready for the unknown has become as important as drafting a painstaking strategic plan. The shocks of the last year and a half have made this point forcefully, sparking many printers into bringing workflow and software plans forward. They have discovered that getting the right software application and the right software partner can make a profound difference to a business’s ability to quickly adapt to changing market demands and position itself for profitability and growth.

They need agility, and software can deliver it.

Digital Web to print Pre-media Equipment manufacturers Business
Digital

Printweek welcomes informed debate, but please read our House Rules before posting

Have your say in the Printweek Poll

Related stories

Unlocking automation could be the key to your success

Sponsored

True collaboration is the key to success

Automation will power your New Year

Sponsored

Latest comments

"Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this Jo, and PrintWeek! Please feel free to get in touch with the Howden Print Team to arrange your own Free of Charge Cyber Micro-Penetration Test to help..."
Luke Wildey profile image

View comments for: Printers urged to check exposure to cyber crime

"I never quite understand the statements such as "achieved such a positive outcome for this well-established business". The established business unfortunately failed and no longer exists, a..."
Set Off profile image

View comments for: Peterborough printco sold in pre-pack

"Genuinely sorry to read this."
Mitesh Chouhan profile image

View comments for: Peterborough printco sold in pre-pack



Up next...

Nearly 40% of UK businesses were subjected to a cyber attack or breach in the last year. 
Certification can help

Printers urged to check exposure to cyber crime

News by Jo Francis
21 May 2025
Business
Cassidy: The theme of data is starting to underpin all of Xerox's services
Held at Aston Martin Racing Technology Campus

Xerox highlights power of data at client event

News by Richard Stuart-Turner
21 May 2025
Events
Support for important local event

Fujifilm contributes to Operation Dynamo commemorations

News by Jo Francis
21 May 2025
Wide-format
Standout addition to press hall

Digital Plus bags limited edition Ciervo with DZIA artwork

News by Jo Francis
21 May 2025
Investment & installations
Printweek

Printweek is the premier website for the print industry

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising/Feature List
  • Subscriptions
  • Awards
  • Jobs
  • Reuse permissions
© Copyright 2025 Mark Allen Group
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookie policy
  • Terms & conditions
  • Cookie Settings