Does anyone have experience with SAP or other inventory tracking program?

[JCPenfold]

They're putting in this SAP program. It sounds like I'm going to have account for every single plate, i.e. how many plates were used on each job, how many are wasted due to errors or machinery malfunction (my Trendsetter keeps dropping them and Kodak is making me jump through hoops). Anyone else have to deal with this kind of program, and if so, how much of a pain in my @$$ will it be?

[Stiv]

Been using one for 12 years now.

Here's the dealio - it is useful for inventory tracking as long as you charge the material and the material is added when received.

It is a PITA to get used to. You will have to look up 100's or more material codes to charge. For wasted material we would charge to job #666 or some other code you will need to make that is used for waste.

We have a code for everything, quite literally thousands of codes. I would suggest to the poor soul making material codes to start with Pressroom materials begin with a 2XXXXX, Bindery as 3XXXXX, Prepress as 4XXXXX - this way it is a little easier for the person making the material codes to keep them organized. If a material code is 49667 you would know that it is a prepress material. You could use letters to start the code also.

PM me if you want more specific examples.

[JCPenfold]

I'll mention this to our inventory manager.

The crazy part is that it doesn't sound like I'm entering my own inventory and usage into the system. I think I'll have to keep a log of everything I use and give it to the inventory manager to enter in. It seems like a huge potential for error if you ask me.

[gnubler]

Why do people want to create more paperwork? How bureaucratic...

[Duffy]

I'll mention this to our inventory manager.

The crazy part is that it doesn't sound like I'm entering my own inventory and usage into the system. I think I'll have to keep a log of everything I use and give it to the inventory manager to enter in. It seems like a huge potential for error if you ask me.

Hard to imagine the data integrity at that point.  Like Stiv, I had to enter everything at our terminal and wish we had thought of the system he mentioned prior to implementing.  Ours was just a huge DB that keep growing as items are added.  PITA!

[t-pat]

we use Monarch, which has inventory items we are supposed to charge for. There is the ability to limit codes to specific groups, like in my list I only see prepress materials.

[Slappy]

I'll mention this to our inventory manager.

The crazy part is that it doesn't sound like I'm entering my own inventory and usage into the system. I think I'll have to keep a log of everything I use and give it to the inventory manager to enter in. It seems like a huge potential for error if you ask me.

How large of a shop are you, roughly? They implemented SAP at my Wife's previous ad agency & it was a huge cluster, mostly because it's made for a manufacturing environment and agencies anything but that. Sounds like it's also horrifically expensive so for a smallish printer, I can't imagine the cost is easily absorbed.

[JCPenfold]

I would guess-timate that there are probably 50 or so people here between the lottery & security printing divisions, including pressmen, bindery, packers, quality control, office staff, etc.

I would consider it to be a larger manufacturing printshop, and it's also a division of an international corporation.