Studio operations And Software

The client is one of the leading distributors of promotional merchandise (Both in the UK and US) with a turnover of $250 mil.
All their orders need the creation of production ready artwork.
Powerweave has been helping them in the creation of production ready artwork since the last 6 years, and on days have processed over 200 pieces of art for them.
Client sends us orders at the end of the day, and all work is completed before they come to work the next morning.
We have built a strong understanding of their business and this has allowed us to provide more value added services.
Now migrated to becoming their preferred partner on the technology front and worked with them in creating complex solutions for the web and intranet:
- Animated flip catalogue on the web for 800+ products with virtual sampling
- Corporate store creation and management solution on the web
- Intranet application for management of customer art assets

Broad Based Services

The client is a premier supplier of promotional products in USA with a turnover of $50 mil and they process over 400 orders a day.
They process close to 400 orders a day.
- Each order needs production ready artwork & a proof to be created.
- Each order they receive is entered into their customized ERP system.
Powerweave initially worked as a studio backup for them to meet peaks.
Powerweave has built a strong understanding of their business and now manages the following real-time offshore.
- Enter the orders directly into their ERP system
- Create the artwork and the proofs to be sent to the clients
- Create virtual samples for them to assist in their sales pitches
- On an average we process over 300 orders for them daily
Powerweave has now setup a dedicated offshore development team to assist their in-house IT team.

How it Works

Leading Auction House Catalog Studio Operation

Overview:

This Auction House is the world's leading art business - a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766, this Auction House conducted the greatest auctions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and today remains a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. The Auction House has 85 offices in 43 countries and 14 salerooms around the world including London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Dubai and Hong Kong.

Problem:

The work involves making clipping paths (cutouts / silhouettes) around the images that they print in their catalogs, populating/laying out catalogs and display online on their website. Their in-house studios work towards achieving these goals. However, this non-core functioning activity was sapping them off their resources that could be better utilized for marketing driven and high level studio activities.

Type of Customers/Subscribers:

Customers for the Auction House vary from rich to big business tycoons.

Solution:

The solution was to provide this prepress service of clipping path and ensure that the studio was free of this non-core repetitive activity. Also the other studio work that consumed a lot of time was making catalog layouts. Part of this work needed to be transferred to offshore studio to help cost benefits to their overall in-house studios.

Implementation of Solution:

Powerweave was sought by the Auction House to provide this solution. Initially before the work was to begin, trials to match the process were undertaken. These trials went for 2 months and regular clipping path work was seamlessly integrated. New server based technology for file transfer was used to ensure coordinated transfers took place. The web file transfer technology MassTransit is a legacy system with the Auction House the only system used to transfer files over continents and different offices over the world.

This was a simple 3-step process -

Receive Files: Powerweave received files over MassTransit and the webbased transfer system generated automatic mails to both parties ensuring auto-communication.
Clipping Paths: Studio Powerweave works to the guidelines set for each clipping path and executes them to perfection.
Uploading Files: Powerweave then sends back the files to the Auction House via MassTransit to be used for catalogs and web.

Though this process may look simplified, however, the intricate details that were followed helped gain understanding of the clients work and strict guidelines.

Catalog Page Make-up

Receiving Files: The files for page make up were sent via MassTransit.
Layout: Powerweave followed the instructions to the last minute detail to ensure that the service was impeccable.
Finished Files: Powerweave then transferred the files back through MassTransit. In all cases of page make-up none of the files are returned back because the work was found to be accurate and to the set standards.

The most important factor was time. Since India is 5.30 hours ahead of UK, it has a tactical advantage of delivering before the client is in office in the morning. This advantage was utilized completely and projects delivered without loosing on stringent deadlines.

The daily communication and operations were managed between single point of contact at Powerweave and RMM. This allows clear communication and less disparity in understanding instructions, further honing an error free work.

Results:

The direct result of this was reduced costs and accurate work. This allowed to client to focus more on its other marketing and management efforts knowing fully that an outsourced studio was just like working in-house.
Powerweave has successfully migrated the image management and prepress process offshore to manage about 500,000 images annually. Powerweave has moved and migrated to the next level of catalogue page creation using a combination of custom data and image workflow tools. About 80,000 pages are published annually.
We are now working with them in implementing the technology and setting up the services to publish print catalogues on the web and digitally from a common data repository.

Premier Supplier Based in NYCross media catalog solution - 2005

With AWS's total catalog solution, the supplier has been able to seamlessly integrate their print, cd, and web catalog. This has helped them bring down costs by up to 35%.

The client is a premier supplier of promotional products and premiums, with a focus on writing instruments, based out of New York. They have an annual turnover of over $6 million. Their business is completely dependent on tradeshows and catalogs. Most of their raw material is sourced from places like China in order to keep costs as low as possible. All printing, processing, shipping and customer support is done out of their office/factory in New York.

The issues at hand and the solution provided by AWS:

The client prints up to 90,000 catalogs annually, which are then distributed at trade shows or mailed out to their resellers/distributors/sales representatives. They also have a web version of their catalog which needs to be updated regularly.
The promotional industry is an extremely cost sensitive market and price differentials of even 2 to 5% can sway the order in someone else's favour. The client had a severe need to cut costs, and yet maintain the same standards of quality and efficiency in all they do. In addition to the print catalogs, a lot of resource and time was going in processes which are not a part of the client's core business. These are:

Catalog design and development

AWS created templates for the multiple pages and linked this to the content management system. The catalog was published across 3 types of media – Print, Web and CD. All the 3 catalogs were linked to the same system.

Print Print - The 2005 print catalog was designed, proofed, printed and delivered from our tie-ups in Canada (85,000 copies). The whole cycle including data, photography, design and print was completed in 6 weeks. To meet the urgent needs of the first trade show, 5000 copies were delivered within one week of printing.

CD – AWS created a unique flappable CD rom catalog which allowed users to browse through the catalog on a specially created cd. The CD allows users to zoom into the product of their choice, email relevant details to anyone they might need to inform, print product details and also inquire directly for more info/samples. The CD catalog was completed in 10 days!

Web Web - The new website is designed to promote its wide range of products, many of which are highly innovative and quite complex. And the aim of the website is to have a simple site that avoids complex, cluttered and confusing pages, so that it is easy for visitors to comprehend and navigate. Careful use of graphics communicates important messages to visitors. AWS also developed an innovative online product locator designed to help users choose the right product. The site is administered using a bespoke and control panel. This solution allows the site administrators to easily manage the presentation and publishing of existing and new products and content.

WebSite Creation and Maintenance: The client's complete business is catalog driven - The catalogs are a combination of web and print catalogs. The website development was earlier an outsourced activity from the client to a local provider. AWS took the relationship with the client a step further by providing them with a more cost effective solution which met their business needs.
The solution AWS has provided places the complete control of the website in the client's hands and allows them to update and maintain the website (including order procurement, quote requests, sample requests, product updating, and product additions/removals) on their own without any technical know how. This has enabled the client to send out product details including images and prices at the click of a button, schedule marketing programs and offers and have them online on the website within less than an hour. The website has in effect become an enabler to the business rather than just a support mechanism

Artwork: Each order requires production ready artwork to ensure that the imprint is done correctly. Generally, the artwork comes from the client in a variety of formats/shapes/sizes - most of the time not conforming to the requirements of their print/production facility. Every artwork on an average takes up to 45 minutes of valuable resource time.
AWS worked out a method, whereby each artwork file being sent would be copied on to our studio in India. We then check each file received for conformance to their print and production requirements. Each artwork is then recreated or retouched to meet the requirements (of file format, size, resolution, colors). AWS has over a period of time started managing all their artworks. This has enabled the client to free resource for other needs and reduce overheads on artwork

Back Office Order processing and Artwork Management: As a promotional product supplier, the client had a unique problem -
90% of the distributors send Purchase Orders by fax and artwork by email. To make matters worse imagine this scenario -

PO is faxed first and art is emailed later
The faxed PO may not have all the necessary information that is critical to process the order
E mailed art may or may not meet the specified production guidelines
Is the quantity and ordered item in stock or not and can be processed within the stipulated time
As a result Customer Service Executives are busy calling distributors for missing information, asking them to mail camera ready art or fixing the art they have sent.
The Result – Iterations. Too much time and effort is being spent in processing the order. Orders get cancelled or lost due to delays and process glitches.

Our Solution

AWS worked out a complete content, design, catalog management and print solution for Premier Supplier Based in NY.

Data Management

Data - One of the main issues at Premier Supplier Based in NY was the multiple sources from which data had to be gathered – old records, hardcopies, and OEM source documents. Power Weave created a customized content management system which became the central data repository for all products (linked to inventory). This makes it the single common point for the Catalog team, Management, Warehouse, Customer Service Executive and Production to operate from.

Images - All product photography and retouching was done by AWS and all images were stored in the same content management system, linked real time to the product data. This enabled the data team and the design team to work independently, and yet be linked to the same data at all times.

AWS's unique combined offering has enabled the client to

Provide a much faster response and better service to their distributors
Reduce iterations leading to greater customer satisfaction.
Get all their processes on-line making it visible to all concerned departments. This has helped them improve efficiency, increase co-ordination.
As a result people work in a better informed environment
Reduce costly investments in people, training, infrastructure, software & hardware.
Achieve great savings directly affecting their bottom line. Savings in the first year have touched 35% as compared to their costs in the previous year!

The President of the company has this to say about our service:

I have been using Artwork Services for over one year, and find that it has been much more efficient than doing touch-up work in house. The cost and time it takes for us to do it in house are much higher, so by sending it to Artwork Services, we are able to save money and be more efficient by freeing up our art department to do other jobs. We are also using their Supplier Solution to speed the processing of orders and artwork, which is enabling us to ship faster and more accurately.