Reprographic
Systems
3
Problem Definition and Objectives
“When considering our eBusiness strategy, we had two main objectives
– how could we retain one of our key staff members who was relocating
to Wexford and how could we better deliver our product”, stated
Greene. Discussions about an eBusiness strategy started in early 2000
and, during those discussions, 3 areas of focus were identified:
-
Development of an eProofing program, providing proofs via email
thus reducing costs and dramatically reducing lead times on jobs.
- Development
of an eWorking strategy to be more flexible by allowing key staff
to work remotely.
- Building
a web site allowing customers the option of ordering jobs online,
standardising the ordering process and reducing the amount of
re-keying that had to be done in the office when paper orders
were received.
To
date, and as outlined in Fig 3.1, all proofing of documents had
been done using a hard copy printout that was produced and sent
to the printer who would pass it on to their client for sign-off
(and proofs often had to be signed off by a number of people within
an organisation). Once signed off, the proof was sent back to the
printer and back to Reprographic Systems for production. Often,
if changes had to be made, this process was repeated, adding days
onto production times. This method also meant that it was impossible
to work with clients outside of Ireland as the lead times were just
far too long.
Similarly, much of the ordering process was hardcopy with printers
ordering jobs using hard copy forms developed by them. Imagine orders
being submitted on 25 different order forms with different layouts
and different information! These forms were often hand written and
had to be keyed into the system when received by Reprographic Systems.
If incorrectly entered the first time (maybe reading and entering
a 1 instead of a 7), the order had to be re-keyed, creating duplication
and more work for office staff.
Another key objective was identifying a way the company could retain
one of its key staff members, a graphics operator who had been with
the company for 5 years and was keen to move to Wexford. Given the
current client/server setup on their Barco design software this
was impossible as the only way an operator could get access to the
software was through the office network.
|
