Overview
Any large organization produces paper to manage processes and fulfill its goals. For manufacturers, documents such as pick tickets, invoices, purchase orders, checks and reports keep the manufacturing process moving and efficient. Lost print jobs or inefficient document delivery results in lost revenue and damaging backlogs to time-sensitive deliveries.
Fortunately, LBM Systems’ UNIX, Linux, Windows and AS/400 laser forms, print queue management and output management software is used at many manufacturing facilities to reduce costs, ensure document delivery and streamline document-based processes.
Customer Examples
Laser Forms and Output Management to Printers, Fax and Digital Output Objects
A major supplier of lumber and building materials implemented AXIAR Format to eliminate the need for costly and inefficient forms DIMMs and improved document delivery by dynamically routing forms output to printers, faxes and digital output objects from a single application print request. Ensured delivery capabilities of AXIAR Deliver (which reroute jobs to backup printers in the event of printer hardware errors) eliminate work stoppages due to form printing errors. Prior to AXIAR, there were an average of two print production stoppages per week, causing lost print jobs and customer/warehouse backlogs to occur. In addition, centralized print queue management with AXIAR Deliver gives UNIX personnel a global view of the printing environment and allows rapid troubleshooting of printer errors. The combination of AXIAR Format’s UNIX laser form printing and AXIAR Deliver’s UNIX print queue management capabilities reduced form printing help desk calls an estimated 50%.
Manufacturing Processes Accelerated
Keeping retail shelves stocked with apparel is critical for a major manufacturer of brand-name apparel. LBM software is used to generate purchase orders and invoices quickly and efficiently, significantly accelerating mission-critical processes such as purchasing fabric and collecting funds. LBM software formats and delivers ERP output in real-time, closing the gap between supplier, manufacturer, retail stores and consumers.
Output Management
Customer purchases of a major grain producer’s products are based on access to the latest product quality information. A nationwide sales force needs access to reports as soon as they are available. Rather than waiting for paper output, LBM software formats and delivers output to a secure website that allows authorized personnel to view vital data using a browser.
Enterprise Print Queue Management
The aging legacy print queue management system at Air Products and Chemicals was no longer capable of handling new business demands. LBM Systems’ software drastically reduced costs associated with managing an enterprise-wide printing environment by migrating to Windows servers. A significant ROI was quickly achieved through faster system-wide updates, reduced user training needs, lowered server hardware costs and improved stability.
Print Barcodes on any Document/Printer
A large manufacturer uses AXIAR Format to create barcodes for bin tags and pick tickets. AXIAR reads the incoming data stream, converts the data to barcode fonts and prints the barcodes on the appropriate PCL (laser) or barcode-label printer (for example, Zebra printers), depending on the job parameters. Since AXIAR intelligently routes output, print jobs no longer need to be segmented at the application source. In addition, AXIAR Deliver’s auto failover capabilities ensure delivery of pick tickets regardless of availability of the originally-intended printer, eliminating the risk of slowdowns due to ‘lost’ print jobs.
Government Standards Compliance
Working with the United States Federal government requires strict adherence to many document standards. A major defense and aerospace corporation adheres to these standards by merging accounting application data with LBM Systems’ output formatting software to guarantee consistent and accurate data and overlay merging, resulting in compliant documents. Network batch output runs are easily managed from a central source, improving the speed at which documents are created and reducing printing errors. Output moves seamlessly from application to finished document with the assurance that standards are met.
Local Control of Mainframe Output
Offsite mainframe output generates critical documents for remote offices of one of the largest defense and aerospace manufacturers in the US, but the LAN recipients of the documents had no way to manage their output on their network. LBM Systems’ software was implemented to enable local user control over mainframe output without requiring extensive mainframe personnel support. Now, mainframe output is delivered, routed, printed and viewed online locally in a Windows environment, freeing mainframe personnel with “lost print job” tracking and empowering local personnel to manage their own output.
Intelligent Data Formatting
Fast and efficient order processing is critical for a leading manufacturer of aircraft batteries and other parts vital for aircraft operation. LBM Systems’ software eased form creation process by automatically formatting application data, intelligently merging data with overlays and delivering the completed form to the appropriate printer based on data-driven delivery criteria. Now, data driven processes deliver output to printers internationally without the need for manual intervention, accelerating critical order-to-shipment processes.
Corporate Branding Compliance
Being an industry leader gives a major forestry corporation’s name and logo significant brand equity. LBM software helps this corporation maintain strict logo and layout compliance across the network by centralizing control over electronic overlays and formatting commands. Invoices, purchase orders and pick tickets are all consistently formatted and accurately generated across the network using LBM Systems’ software.
References and many other examples available upon request.