Ben Richardson of Vale Labels is full of praise for the integration of the Label Traxx MIS with AE12
Vale Labels has implemented an MIS from Label Traxx, and recently, it further invested in Esko Automation Engine software, with the aim of integrating the two systems via JDF.
Vale Labels Ltd is a family-managed independent small business, established in 1989 and situated in the Vale of Taunton, in Somerset. It currently runs an HP Indigo ws4500 with a Digicon finishing line from AB Graphics.
The investments in the Label Traxx MIS and Esko AE12 were made as the company’s pre-press department was increasingly under pressure to handle an ever-increasing volume of art files.
The integration means that job parameters can be passed from a Label Traxx ticket directly over to AE12. The parameters – which include the customer, the individual products, step and repeat information, rewind direction, equipment that the job will run through, materials and so on – are imported into the AE12 ticket and therefore do not need to be manually re-entered by the pre-press team. The team can then use AE12 to create a proof document for the customer, manage artwork and then ultimately create the stepped files that are sent to the press.
Vale also uses the Label Traxx file planning tools. For HP Indigo jobs, which contain multiple products of varying order quantity, the file planner helps to arrange the layout of those products into different lanes on the press to reduce the quantity of overs being manufactured, whilst minimising the splicing required on a job.
Reaping the benefits
When asked what benefits he had seen from the integration with AE12, pre-press team member, Ben Richardson, said, ‘We have seen increased speed and accuracy when processing repeat jobs through the pre-press department. We have also been able to save a lot of time when setting jobs with multiple products.’
He continued, ‘The main benefit is the added confidence that the integration brings when processing a job through our pre-press department and making it available to print. Hours are saved on repeat jobs as it is no longer necessary to check, and double check, every job for simple ‘slip of the mouse’ operator errors. So long as you’re confident in your Label Traxx data, you can be 99% sure that when you send a repeat job to press, it will be correct.’
Mr Richardson explained that the integration process had been handled efficiently by Label Traxx and Esko on site, and that it worked immediately from day one. He said, ‘It was immediately easy to see flashes of brilliance in the system. The main learning curve lasted about a month, but it was when monthly repeat jobs began to be re-ordered that we really began to see the benefits in processing time.’ After about 10 weeks, the company felt confident enough in the system to reduce time spent checking repeat orders.
The integration has changed the way in which jobs are processed in pre-press dramatically, according to Mr Richardson. He explained, ‘We found that the main area of focus switched from the work we were doing in the design software, to verifying and checking the data that was entered in Label Traxx.’
Due to upgrade
Vale Labels is currently using version 6 of Label Traxx and described the file planning tool as ‘a godsend’ for jobs with multiple products. It is now looking to upgrade to version 7 of the software specifically for the improvements to this tool.
Label Traxx launched version 7 at Labelexpo in September, bringing a number of new enhancements to the system. A new visual scheduling system aids the scheduling of jobs across multiple pieces of equipment and helps to organise common jobs together to reduce makeready times. The tool can group press types together so that the scheduler can group jobs by their key drivers, for example material types for digital jobs or by die for flexo jobs.
It also introduced a new custom-report writing tool. The new version of ‘super reports’ has a revised interface, with new features including zooming of forms and unlimited ‘undo’. It is compatible with all existing super reports, including the hundreds available online for customers to download and customise.
