CPS Group has started training on an Avanti Slingshot CRM/MIS supplied by Ricoh at its factory in Caerphilly, calling this “a substantial investment for the business”.
The new system is replacing an MIS that was largely built in-house and has been superseded, especially as the business has embarked on a a reinvestment programme. “We have needed to update and streamline the MIS system,” says business development manager Darren Roberts.
The new technology will handle everything from estimating to invoicing, scheduling and progress chasing, job onboarding and proofing to directing the job to the queue to produce plates or to the Fiery Rips for digital printing.
Currently CPS has a pair of Ricoh machines as part of a fleet of five digital presses and most recently installed an XL75 to replace older Speedmaster. As well as litho and small format digital, CPS has large format inkjet. Avanti will link these as well as providing a future proof technology for the business, says Roberts.
The system is to be implemented over the coming months with training already underway on the first of the modules to go live. The company will unlock further features as the team becomes confident and comfortable with successive modules. Eventually this will pave the way for automation in the business so that incoming files are processed and delivered in print ready form to either digital or litho presses without intervention.
“It’s a game changer for the business,” says Roberts. “Slingshot will hold all data about the business, using shopfloor data collection and presenting real time information that eventually will allow customers to track progress of their job through an online portal.
“It will hold all client information about customers, profitability of any job, and will integrate into Sage for the accounts. We can examine a job by how long it took to produce, we can use it to see whether we have any spare capacity and assign jobs from one press to another.
“We believe this will give us the information we need to run the business and it’s part of the ongoing investment in the business.”
Jason Naylor, senior software sales specialist at Ricoh UK, says: “CPS are committed to working with us and taking everything on board and understand how it will develop over the long term. Avanti Slingshot is vendor agnostic, connecting to almost any digital press not only Ricoh and to Caldera to large format inkjet and to Prinect, with out of the box connectivity.”
CPS has established itself as a specialist supplier to the furniture and furnishings market working for both manufacturers and retailers, becoming a one-stop shop for these businesses. with small and large format digital, litho and flexo for labels.
