Estimating & margin
Estimating will build the cost of each quote line from material, setup, plates or dies, expected waste, press time, finishing, subcontract work and freight, and show the margin at each quantity break.
- A production route for each label, with digital and flexo compared at the same quantity.
- Estimator adjustments recorded with a reason.
- A margin floor, with overrides by authorised staff.
- Estimated cost compared with recorded actuals when the job is complete.
Draws on: Material and tooling data, press and finishing rates, and production actuals.
Materials & roll inventory
Materials and roll inventory will record each roll from receipt to use, with its supplier reference, lot, width and length, and show stock reserved for jobs apart from stock on hand.
- A material catalogue with facestock, adhesive and liner details and supplier references.
- Die and plate records linked to the labels that use them.
- Partial rolls that keep their lot and remaining length when they go back to stores.
- Splits, consumption, returns and adjustments recorded as transactions, each adjustment with a reason.
- Material substitutions sent to a named reviewer for approval.
Draws on: The label library, for the material and tooling each label specifies.
Production planning
Production planning will place jobs on press and finishing calendars, hold back jobs missing an approved proof, material or tooling, and show which jobs move when a rush order goes in.
- Readiness checks for an approved proof, reserved material and tooling before a job is scheduled.
- Separate calendars for presses and finishing equipment, with setup and run times.
- Batches of compatible work, with the orders each batch delays.
- The affected jobs and dates listed before staff accept a change and give the customer a new date.
Draws on: Materials and roll inventory, press and finishing rates, and production feedback from the floor.
Quality & traceability
Quality and traceability will record setup, run time, downtime, waste and inspections for each run, and link the run to the material lot and artwork revision it used.
- Operator entry of setup, run, downtime and waste, with a reason for each stoppage and waste figure.
- Inspection records attached to the run.
- Hold and quarantine status for material or finished labels under investigation.
- Corrective actions recorded with the investigation that led to them.
- A trace from a finished label back to its run, material lot and approved revision.
Draws on: Materials and roll inventory for lot records, and the label library for revisions.
Connected packaging
Connected packaging will manage the product identifiers and variable data printed as codes on labels, and control where each code leads and who can change it.
- Product identifiers linked to the label revision that carries them.
- Approved variable-data sets attached to a job and checked for duplicates and sequence gaps before printing.
- Code destinations with a named owner and a log of every change.
- Scan counts by code and destination for the brand team.
Draws on: The label library, for product identity and revisions.