AMEND Consulting, First Line Software, and Print Innovation Each Bring Unique Expertise to the Technical and Process Challenges Faced by Label Converters.
Label Traxx, a leading provider of Print MIS/ERP solutions for the labels and flexible packaging segment, today announced it has entered three strategic partnerships to provide a full range of services to the Label Traxx current and future customer base. In addition to the implementation and support services offered by Label Traxx, now customers who need additional resources have a trusted network of partners to choose from.
The organizations include:
• AMEND Consulting is a specialist in manufacturing with a team that has deep expertise in the labels and packaging industry. For label converters looking to establish or improve standard operating procedures, or simply don’t have the resources to undertake their digital transformation - AMEND is the answer.
• First Line Software is a premier consulting firm specialized in software development solutions. With decades of experience in print, manufacturing, and healthcare, they provide services to label converters that allow them to build on top of existing software solutions, integrate, and automate without needing to hire internal software development resources.
• Print Innovation, with a focus on finance and accounting as a strategic driver to cash flow optimization. Print Innovation evaluates and optimizes Print MIS investments via a consultative approach led by industry veterans who understand the unique aspects of print accounting.
In September of 2022, Label Traxx announced the initial phase of its strategic expansion with the integration of the Siteline web-to-print platform and the Batched automated scheduling platform into a unified product suite. This created a fully integrated, end-to-end solution designed specifically for the labels and flexible packaging market. Additional strategic partnerships, such as the ones announced today, provide the company with access to the next level of adjacent skills delivered by partners with proven success in the industry.
“We have been working with these three organizations for some time,” said Rob Mayerson, Label Traxx President. “They have delivered valuable results to our customer base. Leveraging their expertise on an as-needed basis is a more strategic approach to supporting customer growth and automation initiatives.”
Mayerson notes that this is a similar strategy to that employed by ERP solution providers like Microsoft, who assemble a portfolio of strategic partners with specific business process knowledge. “These companies not only fit that bill,” he added, “but they also have an intimate knowledge of Label Traxx and deep access into our product development team. They will help us continue to refine our approach so that we can deliver world-class implementations across the entire spectrum of label converter businesses, from the smallest independent label converter to the largest consolidator. Our goal is to have a set of implementation practices that adapt to the customer’s needs across all aspects of their business requirements: time, cost, and depth of resources required.”
A Focus on Change Management and Operational Excellence with AMEND
AMEND Consulting is a management consulting company, founded by Craig Todd and David Velie in 2005, specializing in the manufacturing space, including print. Today, the company has 100 team members and several practices that help companies achieve operational excellence through business intelligence, data analytics and establishment of effective standard operating procedures.
“Customers go from wanting to get operationally better to being able to measure how much better they are, and then how they can use data to start looking into future improvements,” said Anthony Gerke, a Partner at AMEND. “We believe transformation can’t only involve people, or processes, or metrics. You can’t focus on one or two of these areas. All three pieces work together to create and sustain meaningful changes in organizations.”
A key element of AMEND’s work process is change management. “Change is hard for people,” Gerke added. “If you don’t integrate change management into your transformation efforts, you will fail. We have created a standardized, streamlined playbook to make change a priority and part of the strategy for success.”
AMEND’s first project with a Label Traxx customer was more than eight years ago, supporting the effective use of Label Traxx, as well as, helping the company improve operational efficiency and analytical capability. The company has continued to work with Label Traxx customers on the recommendation of the Label Traxx team where the customer needs help finishing more complex implementations and more on-site support for full process improvements. “Implementing a new ERP system is not a trivial endeavor; it can be a big undertaking,” Gerke explained. “There are risks to the business if they must figure things out on their own. Getting it wrong can have big repercussions while getting it right can have big benefits. Services are deployed on an as-needed basis, which is more cost-effective than having them hire more people.”
Leveraging First Line Software for Software Development Projects
Founded in 2010, First Line Software is a Cambridge, MA-based custom software development company with engineering teams located throughout the world including the US, Central Europe, LATAM, and APAC regions. The company has a staff of more than 450 people and focuses on custom software development and integrations with practices in several different industry sectors, including print. First Line Software’s technical expertise ranges through artificial intelligence, machine learning, data engineering, and cloud technologies, creating opportunities for printers to leverage their full software environment while partnering with First Line.
“We come alongside printers to create custom software solutions, automate processes, or integrate new software packages into their existing environments, enabling them to expand their options without the added overhead of internal staff,” said Nick Antonov, First Line’s Senior Vice President for the Americas. Going outside with an unknown partner can be risky, especially for businesses without internal IT resources. First Line is a trusted partner who has print industry experience and deep technical expertise with Label Traxx. As Label Traxx makes it easier to integrate via its new REST API, First Line Software provides development resources which already understand the critical context of the Label Traxx data model and API.
Print Innovation: Making the Best Finance and Accounting Decisions
Print Innovation’s Jane Mugford has been working with Label Traxx since October 2021. Before founding Print Innovation 10 years ago, she was the Vice President of Technology and Operations for a large Canadian printing company. While her practice spans a wide range of business areas, for Label Traxx, she and her team are primarily focused on helping customers post-implementation with issues around finance and accounting. The accounting and finance areas benefit from a team that understands the complexity of a custom manufacturing process.
“Print accounting has its nuances, my team learned those nuances by working in various print businesses, therefore we understand the challenges because we have lived them.” Comments Jane Mugford, founder, and President of Print Innovation. The Print Innovation team will provide a backstop for printers who need extra help getting started in the finance/accounting areas as well as assisting printers who are going through difficult labor transitions in the critical areas of accounting and finance. Business transformation hits every area of your business, accounting is no exception.
