Wanted Seeking Management System U.K. Based

[Old but not past it-yet.]

Hi, I think this is mainly aimed at any UK members.
We are a medium sized sign, digital print, engraving & clothing business with upto 15 people. Started more than 40 years ago and Since 2008 we have our own inhouse written MIS software but as this is proving difficult to get updated we had decided to investigate Management Systems. Due to the contracts and high on going costs I am keen to hit the the right choice first time & not buy into a 3 legged donkey. Has anyone possibly any personal experiance in selecting an MOS/MIS if so I would be pleased to hear your comments and what systems are available. We are at the moment looking at Clarity, Print EPS & Glide (Glidenow).

 

[Vassago]

Hard to answer as most will depend on turnover and margin as some can be really expensive. 40k + to start.. There are lots of vendors out there, but you've got to be realistic with expectations.

 

[Old but not past it-yet.]

Hard to answer as most will depend on turnover and margin as some can be really expensive. 40k + to start.. There are lots of vendors out there, but you've got to be realistic with expectations.

Hi yes we understand the costs & our turnover is heading around 1 million UK £'s so we know it's not a cheap buy in. Over the last 30-40 years I have been a great one for avoiding/protecting against ongoing costs (One of the biggest learning curves for start ups I believe) hence why we are still using software we wrote in house in 2008. Subscription based software has been the biggest con ever invented, totally holding back growing companies/enterprises. Even Corel Draw which we hardly ever use now wants subscription payments, their loss we just dumped it, paying Adobe for Creative Cloud is enough so we have stuck with that, anyway Vassago thanks for your comment much appreciated, PB. P.S. You said losts of vendors but I am not finding many in the UK.

 

[Glennw]

We use a system called Panther, it is not print specific but is being developed by a print based business. Well worth a look, we have been beta testing it for 2 years. We are UK based and so are Panther. We are both SW based and found each other after the demise of Tradegecko and great platform that we both used. I can get you contact details if you need them.

 

[Old but not past it-yet.]

Hi Glenn, Please do send wehave only 3 on our list to demo, thanks. PB.

 

[Broome Signs]

hi
we use clarity
very good at quoting and price lists and templates are easy to set up, but its not perfect (remember to set user permissions up)
my main gripes are...
once you invoice a job it disappears off the production work flow
no way of recording payments on account
no way of showing production hours
no way of setting production time lines up
user costs can soon mount up, we put in dedicated section computers that each production department share


phone app is disappointing, just a glorified phone directory

if you find anything better would love to hear about it

 

[Old but not past it-yet.]

hi
we use clarity
very good at quoting and price lists and templates are easy to set up, but its not perfect (remember to set user permissions up)
my main gripes are...
once you invoice a job it disappears off the production work flow
no way of recording payments on account
no way of showing production hours
no way of setting production time lines up
user costs can soon mount up, we put in dedicated section computers that each production department share


phone app is disappointing, just a glorified phone directory

if you find anything better would love to hear about it

Thanks that is just the type of info we need, I will certainly keep you informed, PB.

 

[ColorCrest]

I would be pleased to hear your comments and what systems are available.

Two more viable options at these links...

JobPro Print Industry Solution

JobPro is your best bet, especially an option to purchase their file as open source enabling complete customization by yourself or local hired developers. JobPro runs on the FileMaker platform from Claris, an Apple company. Claris offers perpetual licensing, meaning subscriptions are not absolutely necessary. Using FileMaker as a platform, a shop is free to develop as many apps as they can imagine and can be served via local area network or wide area network. FileMaker Go for the iPad and iPhone is free from Apple's App Store. Oddly, there are far more Windows users of FileMaker than Mac users. Server hardware may be Mac, Windows, or Linux.


ShopVOX

Easy enough to trial, at least.

Good luck!

 

[ColorCrest]

Since 2008 we have our own inhouse written MIS software but as this is proving difficult to get updated

I'm curious to learn more about your efforts and results over time for this.

Also, do you plan to migrate much, or all, data from your existing system to the new?

 

[Broome Signs]

Thanks that is just the type of info we need, I will certainly keep you informed, PB.

just had an update from clarity,
new app out, haven't tested it yet but looks a better, "shop floor app"

​ Download our FREE Shop Floor app that has been developed to streamline operations and enhance communication between teams. Clarity Go’s Shop Floor app provides real time data capture of your production processes resulting in increased productivity and the overall transformation of your shop floor department What is Shop Floor App? The app will give you the ability to; Start, Stop, Complete and place jobs On Hold Visualise the status of all Live jobs Revolutionise your production department from your mobile/tablet

How do I access Clarity Shop Floor? To access Shop Floor you need to have an active licence of Clarity Go Premium. PB

 

[Old but not past it-yet.]

I'm curious to learn more about your efforts and results over time for this.

Also, do you plan to migrate much, or all, data from your existing system to the new?

I'm curious to learn more about your efforts and results over time for this.

Also, do you plan to migrate much, or all, data from your existing system to the new?

Hi to answer the migration question yes, or I can see my team here getting really uptight, although we work through our WORMS (Will leave you to work out the true name) which is our own developed interface used for Job Tracking and entering quotes & Jobs, all the files are viewable though the standard Windows Explorer link, allowing production to store and retrieve designs, the answer was migration or links to are required defineately. Ref to (I'm curious to Learn) Well as this is posted on a UKSIGNBOARDS forum as well as here, I will say the best 2 feeds are from that, (mainly referencing Clarity which is the most used and expensive UK available), as I am uncertain of how these 2 forums work I can't advise you if you can guest to the UK site do so but if not it may be worth your while joining. Pete B.