Avanti Computer Systems

Gerlinde Williams has been waiting a long time for a graphic arts management information system. “I’ve been wanting this for 10 years,” says Williams, administrator of Central Printing for the State of Oklahoma. After putting up with an internally created job ticketing and billing program for years (with a flawed estimating function), her 22-employee print and mail operation got its big break when the IT department decided not to continue supporting the old program. She immediately thought of Avanti Computer Systems, having seen the Canadian company’s exhibits at in-plant conferences. Avanti won the bid and is in the process of installing its Graphic Arts Management

I WAS amazed to learn that only 42 percent of in-plants have shop management software. I then got down from my high horse and remembered the not-so-distant past when the shop that I manage was part of that statistic. Like many small in-plants we had a homegrown system that relied upon Microsoft Excel, carbonless forms, chalkboards and the memory of our employees. While it sufficed for years, the two-day drudgery of generating the end-of-the-month chargeback reports for our controller’s office was reason alone for me to begin investigating management information systems (MIS), knowing in the back of my mind that we couldn’t afford

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has implemented Avanti’s Print MIS software to manage its Washington, D.C.-based printing operation.  “Avanti has a great deal of expertise in helping government print facilities streamline their workflow and provide added value to their customers,” says Patrick Bolan, president and CEO of Avanti Computer Systems. “We are excited to be involved in helping the GPO take their operation to the next level.”  The U.S. Government Printing Office is the Federal Government’s primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published U.S. Government information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of hundreds

A glimpse of the excitement and bustle of Graph Expo, with interviews of some of the in-plant managers in attendance.

So much is happening at Ohio State University these days that it might be easier to ask “what’s not new?” The 71-employee operation has consolidated several departments under a new name, upgraded its digital printing equipment and added a state-of-the-art print management system. Under the new name UniPrint, the Columbus, Ohio-based in-plant has brought together printing services, copying, document imaging/addressing and the copier lease program. Copying has been moved into the offset facility, and its old space is now a customer service center. “We gained a synergy by having all of our production in one location,” notes Jeff Dible, assistant director. Those production capabilities have been enhanced

RECENT RESEARCH suggests that just over 40 percent of in-plants use some form of print shop management software or management information system (MIS). If you’re one of the other 60 percent, perhaps it’s time for you to consider joining them. Obviously, this depends on the work you do, your customer mix and the level of management and planning/analysis capabilities you need. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these systems. The Pros 1. Print shop MIS systems can significantly automate, speed up and organize almost every business and production management role in your shop, whether it’s large or small, litho or copier-based. Depending

JOHN HURT spoke quite candidly when he addressed the crowd at April’s IPMA conference. The International Publishing Management Association has gone through some hard times, he said. Membership and conference attendance has declined, and a lack of clear business and recruitment policies have hindered growth. All that is changing now, continued Hurt, IPMA’s international president. Not only did this year’s IPMA conference in Las Vegas draw an increase in attendees over last year, it generated a profit for the first time in years. The association’s cash flow has been positive for more than six months, he added, its sponsorships are increasing, it has enacted

Avanti Computer Systems has acquired Parsec, a move that brings together two of the print industry’s leading providers of business management software. Their combined customer base exceeds 750 installations. “Our new larger company with more resources will be in a better position to respond to an ever-changing industry, providing the best possible service to all of our customers,” says Patrick Bolan, president and CEO of Avanti. All current Parsec employees will become members of the Avanti team.

Print management solutions are crucial to an in-plant's health and longevity. By Gretchen A. Peck "The only way a printer can hope to survive long-term is to improve efficiency, take costs out of the process, and create a market differentiation that ensures some level of competitive advantage," insists Gerald Walsh, director of product marketing at EFI, in Foster City, Calif. Today's print management information systems (MIS), he says, provide the foundation for addressing these competitive challenges. "In fact, with today's realities of high competition and tight margins, a good MIS isn't an option for printers; it's an absolute necessity," he adds.

Ditch that peg board. Computer management systems are the best way to track and schedule jobs—as well as collect data to justify your in-plant. Up until a few years ago, Mike Kalstein took a very hands-on approach to managing. "We tracked jobs manually using a production board, moving pegs around," admits Kalstein, in-plant manager for the California State University at Sacramento. That peg board has gone the way of the slide rule, replaced by a modern computer management system, which the shop uses to track its approximately 1,000 jobs per year. And Kalstein wouldn't go back for the world. Computer management