Management Information System is today an integral part of any organization and printers are also not anew to this fact. There are many software solutions available today that ease print management and help printers to integrate print operations. EFI is one such company that has an array of Print MIS systems and ERP software for both printing and packaging companies. Talking to ME Printer- Robert Petyt, sales manager for software products at EFI explained about the importance of MIS solutions. “I think that a good MIS system would always help to do the same amount of work with lesser amount of people. Starting from the enquiry of a job to a web to print order, the production process has now become a seamless affair.”
“Here in the Gulf region we have done around 12 installations, which include different types of software and direct to print solutions. Our major projects were done for Asia Packaging in Saudi Arabia, a company in Qatar, Emirates Printing Press and Atlas Printing Press in UAE,” he added.
Detailing about their products, Robert said, “EFI has the strength or the capability to develop its own software, and through the acquisitions that the company has done over the past years, it has not only increased its value in the market place but has also elevated its skill and knowledge level in providing print solutions.”
Robert said that though the MIS systems have multi-lingual options they are yet to develop a fully Arabic version. Explaining about the EFI Radius software, which suits label, folding carton, flexible packaging and print companies, Robert said, “We have various version of the Radius ERP software that can be used right by a copy centre to a multinational company. Over the years, Radius has grown to be a number one packaging solution. Its capability to integrate with various pre press tools enables it to produce multiple products. The software can also be used for commercial applications as well.”
While asked about the trends in the Gulf region, Robert observed, “I am now learning more about the diverse markets within the UAE and the Gulf region. I think that the market here is growing in a lot of areas, and people are eager to embrace newer technologies. In Europe I have seen many companies trying to integrate value added services to print, so I think that cross media is the biggest buzz word now. Customers in the Gulf region are also now more interested to try cross media tools.”
He added, “In the Middle East region Giffin Graphics has been the reseller of EFI for over a period of time and they help us to sell EFI software solutions. Apart from the Middle East we are also extending our reach into the Indian market. If you look at the recent statistics available from the market, you can see that packaging is still on the rise and any MIS manufacturer should definitely look on developing their packaging options.”
Talking about their ecommerc and web to print software, Robert added, “We look forward to provide value added services to our clients and have solutions such as Digital Store Front and Online Print Solutions (OPS) that makes the verification of a job possible at any given time and from anywhere. The Digital Store Front is a flexible, web to print eCommerce software that offers shorter production cycles, and that lets print buyers order, edit and preview their job specifications on a single page. It can be used for printing personalized products and for complex and direct marketing initiatives.”
“The Online Print Solution is an advanced web based solution that helps printers to provide personalized services with value added options like email blasts and text messages. We also have the newer version of the PrintSmith Vision management software that offers powerful estimating, point-of-sale, account management, production management, receivables and sales analysis tools within a single, easy-to-use application,” concluded Robert.
