Product category:
Packaging, Conveyors and Materials Transfer
News Release from: Image Computer Systems | Subject: Ensign print control software
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 April 2003
Local POS material printing for cost
savings
Musgrave Group, the largest food distributor in Ireland, is soon to complete the roll-out of advanced print control software for point-of-sale materials to all SuperValu and Centra stores in Ireland
The software, which is developed by Image Computer Systems, enables stores to print their own signs, tickets and general promotional material Previously, all this material would have been printed and supplied by Musgrave offices in Belfast and Cork
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 11 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The company expects to achieve significant cost-savings by eliminating the over-supply of materials, and the stores will benefit considerably from the flexibility of being able to handle local promotions very quickly and easily.
Musgrave took the strategic decision to upgrade support for its SuperValu and Centra stores about a year ago.
Having previously engaged the services of Image Computer Systems on a consultancy basis, the company was already aware of the benefits of EnSign print control software, and judged that its ease of operation made it ideal for in-store use.
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Under the terms of a major order for Image, Musgrave purchased and installed 211 site licences in its SuperValu store base (178 SuperValu stores in the Republic and 33 in Northern Ireland).
A further 387 licences have also been purchased for its Centra chain (327 Centra stores in the Republic and 60 in Northern Ireland), which will be installed in the coming months.
According to Des O'Mahony, SuperValu Brand Manager for Musgrave SuperValu-Centra, "Moving to decentralised printing transforms the expensive promotional material supply process from push to pull, which is inherently much more efficient.
Store managers also gain the flexibility to react dynamically to local trading conditions, by employing the user-friendly software to create their own signs - all of which project an aesthetic and consistent brand image".
The overall system architecture and project implementation currently varies slightly between the two store chains and either side of the border.
For SuperValu stores in Northern Ireland, the main database in the Musgrave Belfast facility outputs all pricing data in Excel spreadsheet format, which is transmitted to PCs in all stores in the province on a weekly basis, via modems and the public switched telephone network.
Store personnel then merge this data with standard templates for promotional material that are held on the PC, and print out whatever they require; the EnSign software automatically handles all text styling and positioning issues.
The stock material is held by the Musgrave warehouse system, and ordered by the store on an ad hoc basis.
A similar approach is used for the Centra chain in Northern Ireland, but the pricing data is distributed to the stores once a week in the form of a booklet.
The store personnel then simply key in the appropriate data prior to printing.
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