London creative production house Screaming Colour is targeting business growth after becoming the latest company to choose an MIS system from Tharstern.
Having been involved in high-end digital printing for more than 20 years, Screaming Colour has earned an enviable reputation for producing stunning short run print jobs with a high added value factor, through the use of such innovative techniques as digital laser cutting, digital print enhancement and digital foiling. This burgeoning reputation and technological competence is seeing Screaming Colour’s services become more attractive to an increasingly broad range of market sectors and brands, many of whom demand larger runs of creative and complex printed items.
Such an evolution has put pressure on the firm’s existing MIS system, according to Managing Director Iain Moring: “Quite simply, our existing MIS is not sophisticated enough to allow us to progress as we believe we must over the coming years. We used to be very focused on short run work – five or ten beautiful boxes or books. We still do that and it’s very important to us, but we now have runs of 500 or a thousand on these sorts of projects. Therefore, planning and integration of processes is much more important than it was. It has become a big challenge to ensure our factory is running as efficiently as possible.”
Screaming Colour researched the market before viewing a demonstration of the Tharstern MIS at a Dscoop event in Dublin in 2015. “It was obvious that the software was very interesting and the people we met were very knowledgeable and very easy to communicate with,” said Mr Moring. He continued: “The big thing is they understand that every digital printer is different, and that what we need is going to be bespoke. Another reason we chose Tharstern is that they have the resources and experience necessary for the successful implementation and ongoing support of such a business-critical system. We felt Tharstern was the market leader.”
The Tharstern MIS, which will include CRM, scheduling and electronic job bags, will be installed in phases at Screaming Colour, enabling staff to get accustomed to using their new tool. Over time, the flow of information the new MIS delivers will help to streamline what is far from a standard printing operation. Such is the diverse nature of jobs that the company produces that historic data about each job is rarely available. Tharstern’s MIS will help Screaming Colour to refine its production processes and improve efficiency.
“The ability to put your finger on your progress with a job at any one time is more and more important,” said Mr Moring. “We have a lot of information that’s currently in very skilled people’s heads, and we’ve got to get to that information much more quickly. That’s what Tharstern will allows us to do.”
Keith McMurtrie, Tharstern Managing Director, added: “We’re delighted to help Screaming Colour realise the next crucial stages in their growth. This is one of the UK’s freshest-thinking and fastest-rising digital printing operations, with a unique range of services to offer. As they continue to break new ground, the Tharstern MIS will provide the clarity and control they need to achieve the perfect mix of innovation and efficiency.”
Tharstern, the pioneering specialist software house, was formed more than 30 years ago. It launched into America last year and has a total of 7,000 users of its MIS and workflow solutions. Tharstern is trusted by over 600 UK print businesses and more than 50 in Australasia.
