Customer spotlight

At-a-glanceGreeting card & consumer •packaging producerUnited Kingdom•www.hallmarkcards.com•

Key ChallengesManual estimating done by using •spreadsheetsDifficulties maintaining correct •costing manuallySystem dependent on individuals •and their knowledge

SolutionAccelerate VantagePoint - The •Complete Integrated Business Software Solution for Consumer Packaging Manufacturers

Key BenefitsAbility to estimate complex •products easilyImproved costing control for multi-•component jobsIncreased visibility into •manufacturing workflowAccess to ‘what-if’ cost •comparisons on the flyIntegrated system with other •software solutions being used atHallmark•

pKg-0809

hallmarK Cards taKes advantage of aCCelerate software for retail paCKaging operations

Page 1

the aBilitY to estimate our various produCts, But speCifiCallY aBilitY to handle the intriCate miXed sheeting, was KeY to our seleCtion of a software supplier.Additionally, we had a very tight deadline for implementation and needed to work with a product that handled the complexities of the production process. Having reviewed several solutions, the Accelerate estimating software was the clear choice.Sharon Thackray - Head of FinanceHallmark Cards Plc

CONTACT SOLARSOFT FOR A SOFTWARE dEmONSTRATiON

solarsoft vanCouver1.604.685.4209

solarsoft ChiCago1.630.834.0600

sales.packaging@solarsoft.com www.solarsoft.com/packaging

The Business Challenge When Hallmark Cards Plc, the UK subsidiary of the world’s largest pro-ducer of greeting cards, was looking for an integrated estimating system to replace their old spreadsheets, they knew they would be faced with a daunting task. With thousands of designs of varying shapes and sizes, and a market that is particularly cost conscious, the need for an accurate cost estimate was of paramount importance. “Like a lot of companies, we had developed a complex spread-sheet that was becoming ever more cumbersome and difficult to maintain” explained Sharon Thackray, Head of Finance, Hallmark. “When the author and main user of the software moved into another role, we knew we would be faced with problems, and needed to find a system that could be easily used and maintained by our team of estimators.”

Complex Estimating Made Easy Manufacturing everything from cards and envelopes to wrapping paper and bows, the estimating process at Hall-mark is particularly complex. The prod-ucts themselves include a combination of manufactured and bought-in items, and involve various layouts and print forms. Finding an estimating solution that would meet these requirements, with little or no modification, was the challenge. “The ability to estimate our various products, but specifically han-dle the intricate mixed sheeting, was key to our selection of a software sup-plier,” continued Thackray. “Addition-ally, we had a very tight deadline for

implementation and needed to work with a product that handled the com-plexities of the production process. Having reviewed several solutions, the Accelerate VantagePoint™ estimating software was the clear choice.”

The SolutionAlready operating in many fold-ing carton operations, where mixed sheets and combination layouts are the norm, the Accelerate estimating module is part of the integrated busi-ness software, specifically designed for the paperboard converting indus-try. Using a Windows interface, the system has been designed for ease of use, even for the most complex of estimates. With a ‘look and feel’ similar to products such as Word and Excel, the learning curve for training is very much reduced, as the user defined ‘wizard’ workflow enables the estima-tor to follow a process, particular to the estimate in hand – be it a simple card, or a complex product set of cards, envelopes and boxes. Being able to instantly breakdown the costs of an estimate, between fixed and variable — direct and indirect — was seen as essential to the Hallmark installation. Furthermore, the ability

to identify the individual costs associ-ated with a single component on a multi-component layout was absolutely necessary, given the extensive use of combination layouts by the company. These were standard features of the Accelerate solution. “The ability to see a visual representation of our products and manufacturing workflow, within the estimating system, is a big benefit”, added Thackray. “It is so logical. We can drill down to the detail for immedi-ate access to the cost calculations, and make decisions and what-if com-parisons ‘on the fly’.”

The Accelerate estimating system has also been designed to integrate with other corporate ERP systems (such as SAP, Oracle Manufacturing, People-Soft, etc.) or as part of the overall Accelerate VantagePoint manage-ment information system. At Hallmark Cards, the estimating software inte-grates with the company’s corporate PeopleSoft/JD Edwards and Data 3 ERP systems, passing information about the estimate – bill of material, routing, waste and costs – to the ERP system for the manufacturing parts of the workflow. Given the tight deadline, the rapid implementation of the system was a necessity.

“All-in-all the installation went more smoothly than expected,” observed Thackray. “We were very focused on meeting the deadlines set out in our project plan, and managed to go-live on target, within two months of starting the project. We are now in an excel-lent position to take advantage of the software and gain extra leverage dur-ing our busy summer period.”

Page 2

Greeting cards produced at Hallmark.