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Solarsoft for Packaging
Graph-Pak Improves Production
Efficiency with Accelerate VantagePoint
CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT
AT-A-GLANCE
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Folding carton manufacturer
Franklin Park, IL, USA
www.graphpak.com
Key Challenges
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Business software that wasn’t
designed for folding carton
manufacturers
Outdated system platform
Complex customer requirements
Solution
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Accelerate VantagePoint World’s leading business software for consumer packaging
manufacturers
Key Benefits
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More flexible estimating with
easy what-if scenario comparisons
Faster & error-free customer
quotations with Integrated Request for Quotation
Improved internal workflow
Increased inventory accuracy
with real-time visibility into onhand inventory
Ability of the system to handle
virtually any materials used at
Graph-Pak
“Virtually anything I can manufacture, I can put into the system; virtually any
materials I can use, I can put into the system. The system can handle it all.
It is so much more flexible than any other system we have seen.”
Dale Hannaford - Director of Production Planning and Purchasing,
Graph-Pak Corporation
A Growing Problem
Graph-Pak, a rapidly growing packaging company, needed a software solution
that would help them cope with their increasingly demanding business needs. After purchasing a new seven-color press and continuing to expand their in-house
die making and CAD departments, Graph-Pak needed to replace their existing
business software that was originally designed for corrugated manufacturers,
with a software solution that would meet the specific needs of their folding carton
operation. “We needed to get away from the world of our legacy software and into
the Windows era,” explains Dale Hannaford, Director of Production Planning and
Purchasing at Graph-Pak.
The Decision
Realizing the need to replace their existing system, Graph-Pak looked into various industry software suppliers, and after hearing about Solarsoft for Packaging
(previously VantagePoint Systems) through their existing software vendor, HRMS
Inc., considered the Accelerate VantagePoint software. “When we looked at the
Accelerate software we were very impressed, especially with its estimating capabilities,” explains Dale. “We visited a Smurfit-Stone plant in Ohio to view the
software in operation and saw that Accelerate met all of the requirements that we
had for a core business system.”
Planning Makes Perfect
The actual implementation process stared off with a challenge: Graph-Pak wanted
to go live with all the Accelerate software modules and upload all information into
the system in one weekend, including $3 million of finished goods. A part of the
project plan was the conversion of all data from the legacy system into an Excel
file, and the data import into the Accelerate system to eliminate as much manual
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data entry as possible. Backed by a well-prepared team
at Graph-Pak and Solarsoft’s experienced personnel, the
implementation process at Graph-Pak ran smoothly and
quickly. “After one week of training and one installation
week, the system was 95% set up,” remarks Dale. “The
next week, after the VantagePoint support team left, the
estimating system was up and running accurately.”
The smooth and successful implementation at Graph-Pak
was largely due to Hannaford’s planning and previous
experience. “I had lots of experience in the industry and
IT, which helped us set the system up quickly,” explains
Dale. Teamwork was the key to a successful implementation process, and a good working relationship was quickly
established between Solarsoft and Graph-Pak. “We were
always exchanging information and bouncing ideas back
and forth,” comments Dale. As users became more familiar with the software, and started to fully utilize its features, Graph-Pak was able to start harnessing the real
business benefits from the change. All the components of
Accelerate have proved to reap various benefits for this
busy packaging company. “Now, big issues are working
well and we are seeing the key benefits of the system,”
and the plant-wide schedule, Graph-Pak has installed a
state-of-the-art system that projects the automated scheduling screen on to the scheduling office wall, enabling all
necessary employees to remain up-to-date, and allowing
efficient planning meetings at the start of each working
day.
“Scheduling is so much easier with Accelerate. You can
tell exactly where a job is at any given time. If a job is
moved, the system indicates all other jobs that were
moved. This really is a huge benefit,” explains Dale. With
the Accelerate software, as soon as an order is scheduled, all the production steps are entered into the system
automatically. If a job is changed, all steps are changed
automatically, and the cost of moving the job is highlighted, considerably reducing wasted time and errors during
the production process.
says Dale.
Computer terminals on the plant floor make for faster and more
accurate real-time data entry.
Business Benefits
The schedule is reflected on the wall for easy visibility during the
daily planning & scheduling meeting.
Scheduled for Success
Graph-Pak is making the most of the Accelerate scheduling module that replaced their old manual planning board
and manual scheduling cards. To improve ease-of-use
and provide instant access to individual order information
As hoped, the software implementation has dramatically
improved production efficiency at Graph-Pak, and the estimating capabilities have impressed the most. “I especially like the estimating module as it is very flexible. Estimates can now be done without creating an item number
for each item, and we can run various what-if scenarios
very easily. We can also use customized quote forms for
each customer,” Dale remarks.
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The quoting process is also much easier with the Integrated Request for Quote module (I-RFQ). The I-RFQ integrates every department involved in the quotation process, allowing for fast and error-free customer quotations
from the moment a quote request is made. The system
allows sales representatives to specify customer order
details on-line, that are then automatically passed to the
estimator who is notified immediately, eliminating any delays and allowing for a speedy and efficient workflow.
Dale also added that inventory control is smoother and
more efficient with Accelerate, “Relieving finished goods
from inventory is automated, whereas previously guys
used to spend two to three hours a day taking tags out of
the finished goods. We also have a much better handle
on raw materials inventory, and allocating raw materials is
much easier and faster, as the system works in real-time,”
he remarked.
As Graph-Pak makes full use of the benefits that a modern packaging-specific core business software system
has brought to their business, they can look to the future,
while continuing to cut workloads and production time.
Accelerate has, unquestionably, simplified and refined
their production process, and never fails to impress with
its varied and impressive features. “Virtually anything I
can manufacture, I can put into the system; virtually any
materials I can use, I can put into the system. The system
can handle all of it. It is so much more flexible than any
other system that we’ve seen,” says Dale.
Paperboard rolls being stored in the Graph-Pak warehouse.
Bar-coded labels enable efficient inventory tracking, and improved inventory accuracy.
A Cultural Change
Solarsoft for Packaging is able to offer almost 24-hour
customer support with offices on the east and west coasts
of North America and in the UK. “Solarsoft dealt with any
software problems after the implementation very quickly
and efficiently. Problems were taken care of immediately
and they did not re-appear,” Dale comments.
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