Five year after the installation of a 12 colour offset press Saint-Paul invests in a modern MIS

It looks like a cart before the horse scenario, the decision by print shop Saint-Paul to acquire a modern MIS. The French/Swiss printer, the first in the world with a 12 colour KBA Rapida 106, hopes to be able to connect the three locations with the complete Management Information System. The system will not only connect the administrations, but also the digital workflow. The Complete Optimus Dash MIS has all possibly IDF options, planning tools, a cloud module for access to mobile devices, an interface to the financial bookkeeping and a customer relation module with all client data.

It will not be a simple task for the 55 employees in the Fribourg, Bulle and Estavayer-le-Lac locations to access this complex system. Perhaps that is the reason why it has taken five years to decide on the investment. I think that, when the system is working by the end of the year the ROI will be higher than that of the 12 colour Rapida

Read more about this investment in the press release below.

Press release

Long Rapida 106 followed by a modern MIS from KBA-Sheetfed

Complete Optimus Dash MIS for use at three locations
Investment decision clinched by multi-language capabilities, intuitive handling and flexible templates
Implementation by the end of the year
The Saint-Paul printing facility in Fribourg/Switzerland already shared the trade news headlines with KBA back in 2012, when it took delivery of a twelve-colour Rapida 106 in a new trend-setting configuration. At that time, the eight-colour perfector press with additional coaters and intermediate drying towers was the only one of its kind in Switzerland. It is used to print high-quality commercial products with inline finishing, and enables four colours and a coating to be applied to both sides of the sheet in a single pass.

Left to right: Thomas Burri (director, Saint-Paul), Dany Gaberthüel (Print Assist AG) and Markus Bauknecht (project manager) (1)

Recently, St. Paul Holding followed this up with an investment in a modern management information system. After intensive evaluation together with KBA and its Swiss subsidiary Print Assist, the decision team opted for the Complete Optimus Dash MIS sold by KBA. Alongside the inherent benefits of the system, it was the excellent service offered by Print Assist/KBA and absolute satisfaction with the Rapida 106 which sealed the choice for the Saint-Paul group, which not only operates its own printing plant, but also holds interests in various other companies in the print and media branch.

The fully-featured Complete Optimus Dash MIS comprises the basic system, JDF functionality, a planning chart, the Cloud Mobile module for mobile access to all data, an interface to financial accounting, and a CRM module. The MIS is to be used by 55 staff members at three locations in Switzerland. The three business units of the Saint-Paul group in Fribourg, Bulle (Glasson Print Bulle) and Estavayer-le-Lac (Centre d’Impression de la Broye) will thus be able to work integrally with their central customer base.

With its high flexibility, the Optimus Dash MIS from KBA-Sheetfed was an ideal choice for the printing operations of the Saint-Paul group (2)
One important point in favour of the Optimus Dash system offered by KBA-Sheetfed was the philosophy based on lean management processes. It supports multiple languages, which is an absolute prerequisite in Switzerland, and provides highly flexible templates for calculations and order processing. Intuitive handling was another factor which underpinned the investment decision. The administrators can also adapt the Optimus system to any corporate changes or to future production challenges, without Saint-Paul being dependent on a single supplier.

After the kick-off in spring 2017, the MIS is expected to be fully implemented by the end of the year and can then go live on 1st January 2018.