Wallace Computer Services--The King of TPM
With every sale there is a "paper trail." The demand for printed materials such as receipts, invoices and promotional material increases with every transaction. That is why financial institutions, Fortune 500 companies and retail giants are turning to Wallace Computer Services—the provider of Total Print Management (TPM)—to help them implement and execute their sales and retail operations by ensuring that invoices, tracking labels and promotional literature support each purchase efficiently.
Wallace, a 92-year-old company with sales of nearly $1.6 billion, is one of North America's largest fully integrated printing companies. To execute TPM, Wallace strategically audits every variable that relates to the printing and distribution of materials, including inventory management, job tracking and distribution logistics. The company then recommends and executes strategic solutions.
"The actual printing typically consists of only 15 percent of the total printing costs," states Mike Keim, vice president of engineering research and new market development at Wallace. "The bulk of printing costs are often overlooked. For example, stagnant inventory and ordering jobs too early or too late drive up costs. By strategically managing every phase of a company's printing requirements, Wallace effectively reduces total printing costs."
Online Tracking
A key component of TPM is the Wallace Integration Network (@WIN), a digital asset management and customer service system. @WIN enables customers to track every phase of printing from any location via the Internet, and permits them to electronically manage printing files and assets.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. was Wallace's first customer. Wallace began printing for Sears in 1908 and continues to perform some of the same work it did back in the early 1900s, such as printing packing slips and order forms. Today, Wallace prints a full range of products for Sears, including forms, pamphlets, brochures, signage and cash register tapes. In fact, for the last four years Sears has honored Wallace by selecting the company as a "Partner in Progress."
This award is given to recognize quality and excellence among Sears' vendors. @WIN helped Sears achieve 20 percent savings in printing costs by improving efficiencies in shipping, distribution, storage and order entry.
"Wallace goes above and beyond just being our printer," states a Sears' spokesperson. "They are constantly offering innovative management solutions to our printing needs. Wallace partners with Sears at a higher level than other vendors. This helps provide us with vital information on how to best manage our printing needs."
Today, with the e-commerce boom, online shopping is growing at significant rates. From "free rural delivery" to "e-commerce," the buzz words certainly have changed. Ironically, though, no matter how the transaction is made, there continues to be a need to support purchases with printed forms, labels and promotional materials.
"While most news coverage and discussions related to e-commerce focus on the use of the Internet to electronically order products, it is often the process of accurately and rapidly fulfilling these orders that ensures success," Keim notes. "Before the Internet, many businesses, such as catalog companies, set up sophisticated fulfillment operations that could rapidly take credit card orders over an '800' number and ship out purchased goods without delay. E-commerce has accelerated the process since secured credit card purchases over the Internet are now immediate."
However, success goes beyond the transaction. True success is making certain that the proper forms, labels and promotional literature accompany each order. "As part of Total Print Management," continues Keim, "Wallace must be one step ahead of our customers. This means managing these critical print components so that orders ship just-in-time."
Wallace recognized early on that growth in its core forms and labels business was being driven by the computer age. To stay ahead of the e-commerce wave, the company made considerable capital investments like its purchase of multiple RDP Marathon 380V variable-size web offset printing presses. The specially designed, multicolor RDP presses are strategically located throughout the United States to serve regional and national customers. Each 380V press prints in excess of 430,000,000 forms a year. The print units run jumbo rolls, five days a week, 24 hours a day, at speeds up to 1,800 fpm.
Double the Production
The RDP 380V presses were designed to more than double the output of traditional forms presses. Instead of running single forms up to 18˝, these units have the capability of producing forms on webs of up to 381⁄2˝ wide. This enables Wallace to produce 18˝ forms side-by-side. The extra width and speed are vital in keeping up with the print demand being generated by e-commerce. In addition, the presses can handle a wide range of substrates. This allows them to produce a greater variety of products.
The presses can be equipped with special add-on components that include units for coating, pattern perforation and UV drying, as well as traditional finishing stations for punching, perforating, rewinding, sheeting and folding. In addition, each 380V includes the Smart*Set press control system. The Windows-based system provides remote control of all press functions, meaning quicker makeready and washup. In addition, the system includes job storage and retrieval.
"Just as Wallace has always been very responsive to our customers' needs, we partner with our vendors in the same way," states Keim. "RDP listened and reviewed our needs and then designed these new, high-output printing systems accordingly," he continues.
As the volume of business transactions explodes via both the Internet and traditional business outlets, the need for Total Print Management will become more critical. Major corporations, as well as emerging businesses, will need to apply strategic procedures and tactics to better manage their total printing costs of forms, labels and promotional materials. Through Wallace's leadership in TPM, companies can realize a stronger bottom line.
- Places:
- North America