We took part in the Print21 fair in Zagreb and bring you a short overview of why implementing an ERP system matters, together with an explanation of what to watch out for when deciding on and introducing such a system.
Below is the text taken from the fair organiser's website (Print Magazin), containing all the relevant information, as well as the video you can watch at the bottom of the page.
Printing companies do understand that there is no successful future without digital transformation, but still not to the extent they should. That is why we chose the importance of implementing an ERP solution as the topic of the third workshop held as part of the Print21 fair in Zagreb. Our guest was Mr Josip Zivkovic from Toscana Systems, a company specialised in ERP solutions for printing houses.
To begin with, we asked him what an ERP actually is.
An ERP, he explains, is a set of software tools that bring together information from different departments of a company into one centralised solution, which makes running the business and automating all processes considerably easier. The fact that all data is shared with everyone and that the progress of an order can be followed at any moment and from any place, even from a mobile phone, is extremely important.
However, he advises printing companies to find out properly what they are getting into before deciding on an implementation. Digitalisation is not simple and demands a lot of effort at the beginning, because a suitable solution has to be found and all employees have to be prepared for the implementation. He says it is very important that people do not rush into such a solution, but instead find a partner they can trust and who will meet all their requirements, because this is a long term investment.
"The most important thing is to prepare the employees, because they are usually the ones not ready for the changes being introduced", Mr Zivkovic pointed out.
As for how long the installation takes, that depends on the size of the printing house. For a smaller printing house, around a year is needed for the system to become fully functional, and for larger ones even longer. You will find out more about the benefits of implementation, along with a whole range of useful information, in the recording of the workshop below.