News

Jonathan Marriott, commercial services manager at Lonsdale Print Solutions, reveals how he’s saved time by automating admin

What does the system do?
Shuttleworth’s MIS controls all of our admin procedures, from estimating through to production and on to invoicing and stock management. Everything is connected through it.

Why did you choose this particular system?
Because of the quality of the system combined with Shuttleworth’s reputation in the marketplace.

Did you look at any other similar machines?
Yes, we closely evaluated the MIS offerings from both Optimus and Tharstern, which both had their advantages. But we felt that Shuttleworth’s professionalism, experience and overall expertise gave them the edge.

Why did you make the purchase?
Our old system was being pushed to the limit of its capabilities and we needed to upgrade to an adaptable system that we could tailor to our needs.

What features do you particularly like?
We liked the ability to integrate with web front ends and third-party products using XML. We also liked the ability to tailor the screens and print templates to suit our machines and processes.

Is there anything that you dislike?
The standard reporting probably hasn’t kept up with the rest of the developments to the system, but this is overcome by the ability to access the Shuttleworth database through Microsoft Excel and write our own bespoke reports, so this is not really an issue.
 
How reliable is it?
It is incredibly reliable. The only time it crashes is when something else fails, such as our power, network or hardware, or when the PCs go down.

What’s the quality like?
Excellent.

How easy is it to use?
Most people were comfortable with it before we went live. By the end of the first month we were experiencing very few questions about it from our staff.

How much time or money has it saved?
We have been able to retrain our old estimators to do other jobs within the company and are now able to do so much more with the same number of heads, so it’s really helped us to be more productive. The MIS enables us to automate many processes and this has helped to improve a lot of administrative procedures with the additional time it has freed up.

Has it won you any new work?
An MIS won’t win you new work, but what I can say is that we would have lost existing customers if we didn’t have it.

Would you say that it offers value for money?
Yes, without question.

Were there any difficulties experienced during the installation or after?
The implementation process was six months of consultancy, development and training. You need a project manager to drive it through and time needs to be dedicated to it. Shuttleworth was excellent throughout the whole process.

What about the pre and after-sale service?
No issues at all. The support team are all very good and Shuttleworth’s user group and development meetings are extremely useful.

Who do you think the machine is right for?
Any printer, from the two-man operation right up to the £100m plus. The system is so flexible that it can suit anyone.

CONCLUSION
User’s verdict   
Speed    ????
Quality    ?????
Reliability    ?????
Value for money    ????
Supplier’s Response    
Shuttleworth joint managing director Paul Deane says: “It is important that a business has a clear view of what it is that they want to achieve with their MIS. Lonsdale have that and have been able to implement that vision. The business benefit for them is that they can quickly and easily review any machine downtime, or how long their production processes are taking and within minutes can review their actual costs of production. An MIS is a very powerful business tool, and working in partnership with an MIS supplier who can demonstrate that they understand your requirements will always pay dividends.”
Price    
On application
Contact    
Shuttleworth 01536 316316