Core

An essential module in the management of master data

The Core module is the essential part of the Management Information System that contains all the base information which is fundamental for the subsequent modules of Overprint. This includes the Master Data and Purchasing, by which raw materials are imported in the print converting workflow. 

Master Data

Master Data relates to the management of the main elements that provide context about the business. It is the absolute core set of data, without which a business unit cannot operate· these are the customers, suppliers, raw materials, finished products & their technical specs, contacts, leads (potential customers), as well as the equipment specification.

Customers & Suppliers

Customer data comprise the company data, contact persons, invoicing details, and all ERP-related information, which is important in the cases that an ERP integration is required. Pricing policies are also managed, customer-specific price lists are possible, as well as different currencies and currency rates. This means that the system will calculate the pricing at the specific currency and price level to compile the customer’s quotations.

A vast amount of information is managed in the Customer’s Master Data, which caters to the strategic management of customer relationships by the sales teams, as explained further in our CRM tool.

Suppliers are logged similarly in the Master Data, with the possibility to distinguish outsourcing partners. Suppliers with their detailed info are logged into the system, including business terms, financial terms, shipping method, contacts, branches, lead times, and other custom fields.

Raw materials

When it comes to raw materials, our system uses separate views for each type of material – this allows for each material group to host different details in each section. For example, the inks & varnishes view contains fields with regards to the recipes that make the color or their contents (solvent, alcohol, mineral oil-free, etc.) while substrates are registered in a different view where you can log the different sheet sizes/roll widths.

Substrates are logged upon grade, while drilling in more detail the user logs the type of substrate, whether it comes in rolls or sheets, and the dimensions. Each substrate grade will be logged in the different dimensions, i.e., roll widths or sheet sizes. Within the substrate data, pricing is captured, different units of measure, and multiple pricelists are also possible. Each substrate dimension is presented in detail of quantity per pallet, and it is possible to track each pallet through LOT numbers, barcodes, or RFID tags.

Inks and varnishes, including the recipe for special colors, full features, and technical characteristics, may also be logged. Any other materials used in production, ranging from the CTP plates, the die-cut plates, to the packing materials, can all be logged and described as needed. In addition, the usage of materials can be tracked, for example, the usage of die-cut plates or gravure cylinders, planning their maintenance, or when new ones need to be purchased.

Equipment characteristics

The equipment technical characteristics are also added; this immediately populates several specs in every job ticket where the specific press is chosen.

When creating a product, this is uniquely designed for each customer and comprises the Product Technical Specification. Within the product, all production processes are defined and all equipment that will be used is selected.

Custom fields

An important functionality in Overprint MIS with regards to data management is the possibility to add custom fields. The user can add specific information that is not part of the default information that is available by the system. This allows adding fields where the user defines the type of information, i.e., whether it is text or numerical, date, etc., and provides the agility needed for data management.

Purchasing

Creating a purchase order in a few easy steps, choosing the supplier and materials, will create a purchase order requisition that can be distributed to the supplier directly using a standard template of a pdf document or an email depending on the preferred workflow.

This transaction will populate several fields in stock management, i.e., the expected quantities of each material, functionality which allows for effective Materials Management. There is also the option to add approval flows, which can differ based on the user, material, supplier, etc.

Several suppliers can be used per product, as well as different price lists which can be scaled, depending on the ordered quantities. In addition, since the products can contain different units of measure, the system will immediately provide conversion of the pricing depending on whether the materials will be ordered in sheets, kilograms, square meters, etc. This conversion is immediately available during the creation of the purchase order.