Kingston Carton, which manufactures a wide range of printed and plain folding cartons, will install Tharstern Primo, including the latest version of Estimate Pro, in the summer.

The new system is expected to be installed in June and will initially run alongside Kingston’s own MIS, which was developed specifically for the company, before replacing it.

Kingston Carton production manager Alan Smith said: “The Primo system comes with a lot more whistles and bells that just aren’t available on our own system.”

The MIS will be used to track real-time data on the production of cartons to improve management of customer stock and will enable the company to go paperless on the shopfloor.

“We have a lot of 12-month contracts and this will make the monthly picking process much easier to support quality of service,” added Smith.

According to Tharstern the order includes a comprehensive set of modules to support the fulfilment side of the business, including sales order processing, multi-location stock, bill of materials, barcode stock scanning and production scheduling linked up with shopfloor data terminals.

“We did look at other systems and some came close, but this was the one that was most suitable. It offered the best overall package,” said Smith.

Kingston operates two six-colour Manroland Roland 700-series presses, a 706 LV and a 706 DirectDrive.

The latest version of Estimate Pro includes built-in support for Esko’s ArtiosCAD Cad-X product and provides seamless integration between the two products, according to Tharstern.

Smith described the cost of the investment as “substantial” and said it would also require the installation of new computer equipment.

Kingston supplies folding cartons to a wide variety of market sectors, including food, engineering and automotive, healthcare and pet care. The company has been graded ‘A’ according to the BRC/IoP packaging standard.

The company has a turnover of around £8m and employs between 50 and 60 staff.