Tag: BEL software

Overprint MIS integration with Esko’s Automation Engine

Published: 15 May 2023

When it comes to integrations with other systems, bel’s team of business consultants could not find a better opportunity than to integrate Overprint MIS with Esko’s Automation Engine. The implemented solution involves a 2-point integration with Esko Automation Engine, the first with the prepress and the second with the production process.

Overprint MIS being the core management system within an organization generates the codification by which the products and orders are logged and communicated within the company’s organizational structure. The integration allows the interaction of Overprint MIS and Esko Automation Engine via Automation Engine’s Connect, enabling the sharing of data within the whole organization.

 

Workflow of Overprint integration with Esko Automation Engine

 

Which is the functionality of the solution

Overprint MIS communicates the job’s technical specifications to Automation Engine, where a prepress job is created using the very same data. Alongside, the product is also created within Esko Automation Engine using the codification sourced by Overprint. This means that job creation in Automation Engine can be initiated from within the MIS. The data comprises the product number, description, customer information, and product specs such as the number of colors, die-cut plate number, substrate information, etc. The prepress department works on the same data set as the customer service team and the same information is moved forward to the production floor.

Following the approval of artwork, the job ticket generated in Overprint MIS is also submitted to the Layout module of Esko Automation Engine where the Step & Repeat (S&R) is performed. This functionality can apply to both a single-product job or a job containing several products, a job that is created using the Orders Ganging functionality in Overprint MIS. In the latter case, there will be more than one product in the same job ticket. The information transmitted is the product(-s) ID, product type(-s), quantities per product type, die-cut plate info, customer service information, and other metadata. This info will be matched to the product that was created in Esko Automation Engine by the previous integration step. After the S&R is performed, a production job is created and sent to the production department for printing. The production job is designed with a predefined structure and job parameters, according to the needs of production.

 

Benefits delivered with the integration

  • Automation with the minimum of user intervention eliminates the need to input data manually into Esko Automation Engine; this further streamlines and automates the overall job processing, which in turn increases efficiency.
  • Eliminates errors from manual entries.
  • Use of one point of reference enables the seamless interaction among customer service, prepress, and production departments.
  • Linking MIS job tickets with Esko Automation Engine products increases productivity and responsiveness, and eventually, it helps provide better customer service and satisfaction.
  • Higher productivity will increase your organization’s overall production capacity.

 

This integration is opening up a wealth of opportunities for our customer base. Overprint MIS supporting all industry segments and any production line within the same platform means the integration solution can be scaled to any environment.

 

 

Gold distinction at the Packaging Awards 2022

Published: 12 Jul 2022

bel has won another Gold award, this time at the Packaging Awards 2022 organized by Boussias Communications, which validates the innovation that Overprint MIS provides by the utilization of technology and the added value it brings to the supply chain of products’ packaging.

At the awards ceremony which took place on Thursday, July 7, the top packages of the year were awarded, as nominated by the judging committee, for their innovation in design, the materials used, the technology used, and the processes, which add value to the entire packaging chain of a product.

“bel, responding to market trends and the needs of its customers in Greece and abroad who have been trusting the company for more than 20 years, presents the new functionality in Overprint that covers the traceability of raw materials and finished products using portable terminals and advanced systems of data collection from production and warehouse sites, thus ensuring its customers the assurance of quality and safety standards”, says Konstantinos Spyropoulos, Global Sales & Business Development Director of bel.

bel received the Gold award for Overprint’s integrated solution on Data Collection and Traceability in the category of Production management systems and quality control in printing.

The safety and quality of food and pharma require a reliable traceability system from printing and packaging companies. Built with innate agility and extensive data management capabilities, Overprint MIS provides different ways to log material consumption and waste in production, either manually or through automated data collection terminals on the production floor.

Traceability is achieved via management by LOT numbers, barcodes and/or RFID tags, and through data collection devices that replace the way data is logged and verified, with quality assurance and automation in warehouse and logistics processes. Automation can be achieved by applying Industry 4.0 and JDF standards to the print lifecycle.

By leveraging the capabilities of the internet, continuous connectivity and information exchange are enabled. The digitization of processes and workflows allows a business to exchange information more efficiently, empowering the interaction between people and equipment. This increases overall efficiency, enabling service delivery at speed, ease of access, and convenience.

The derived benefits of the integrated solution on Data Collection and Traceability provided by Overprint MIS, are increased production efficiency, elimination of bottlenecks and human errors, increased quality, and savings of time and manpower.

The solution is in operation at print and packaging companies that own Overprint MIS.

Implementation of Overprint MIS at the University of West Attica

Published: 14 Apr 2022

The implementation of Overprint MIS at the Hellenic Graphic-Media Research Lab – GRAPHMEDLAB of the University of West Attica opens up new opportunities. Following an open tender for the supply of a management and print production planning system – graphic arts MIS software, bel was selected for the supply, implementation, and training of Overprint.

bel is a pioneer, Greek producer of specialized software and services and integrated IT solutions, servicing with absolute consistency and quality since 1998 the printing and packaging industry in the Greek and global market.

The Hellenic Graphic-Media Research Lab – GRAPHMEDLAB develops initiatives and collaborations in the wider field of science and technology of graphic arts, printing, and packaging with all relevant communities and industry bodies in Greece and abroad.

The implementation of the integrated Overprint MIS system completes a range of material-technical infrastructure meeting the research and educational needs of the laboratory, providing additional benefits, such as:

  • the practical application of integrated management of print production, in the individual production stages (prepress, printing, finishing – bookbinding and carton packaging), as implemented in all industries (either commercial printing, publishing, carton packaging, labels, or paper cups),
  • the education and familiarization of students with the modern standards and new technologies (such as Industry 4.0, automated data collection and processing, Internet of Things (IoT), and Machine Learning) used in the industry, thus preparing them for the labor market, and
  • new opportunities for research collaborations in the context of digital transformation and industry development.

“We are pleased that Overprint MIS was chosen by the University of West Attica, a system that has been established in the Greek market, and that we contribute to the development and modernization of the pathway of the Graphic Arts Technology. We believe that the important know-how we possess, will benefit both in educational and research level”, says Konstantinos Spyropoulos, Global Sales & Business Development Director of bel.

“The implementation of bel’s system – that is designed and produced in Greece, allows the development of close cooperation between the educational units and especially the pathway of the Graphic Arts Technology through our research laboratory, with the innovative applications and technologies that exist in the industry segments and the printing and packaging industry. The familiarization of the students of the graphic arts, printing and packaging science with the modern technologies and systems applied in our companies is absolutely necessary, so that our new graduates of Graphic Arts Technology, are well prepared for their successful entry into the labor market after completing their studies.

In addition, the implementation and operation of the system will allow the development and promotion of research and innovation in the fields of holistic transformation of the Greek converters and producers with the use of modern digital applications at many levels, as well as in the context of digital transformation,” says Dr. Anastasios E. Politis, Director of the Laboratory of Graphic Arts Technology and Visual Communication Media – GRAPHMEDLAB of UniWA.