In today’s increasingly competitive printing industry, effective costing is crucial. Precise calculation makes it possible to determine the costs for print jobs and set appropriate prices. Only in this way print companies can offer their services competitively and work profitably at the same time. The calculation of orders is the basis for the margin. It is the linchpin for success. Only those who take a very close look here, readjust and optimise, can withstand the constantly growing price pressure.
Calculation - the basis for a good margin
Calculations in print companies involve numerous factors. These include material costs (paper, ink, colours and other consumables), personnel costs, machine costs and machine running times. All of these influence the total price of a print job. They must be carefully calculated and weighed up against each other.
Modern costing software helps to carry out the calculations efficiently and accurately. All cost factors relevant to the print job are entered into the software to automatically calculate the total costs.
In advanter, the calculation can also be used to simulate various scenarios for the realisation of the order. This allows the calculation to be perfectly optimised for the maximum margin. After all, even the smallest adjustments can have an impact on the profitability of the overall project.
Calculation optimised for special requirements
The jobs in a print company are very diverse. But they all have one thing in common: they have to be done quickly. This often leaves far too little time for detailed costing. Clearly, the better the digital support works and is customised to the company’s requirements and the type of job, the faster and more efficient the costing can be.
Calculation in standard daily business – quick & easy
When requesting standard orders, things have to move particularly quickly right from the start. This is why standard products are defined as “sets” in advanter. The relevant items required to produce the requested standard product are already assigned to the product as a “set”.
The set “Exhibition backwall on Dekotex” for example includes the parameters required for the production of the product: UV printing, CNC cutting and finishing with hemstitching, etc.:
In our second example, the “Roll-up” set contains the items data set-up, printing on PVC tarpaulin, cutting and roll-up:
The items in the sets are labelled with the corresponding monetary values. This allows you to see exactly how the final price is made up in the item overview. Dimensions and quantities can be customised
To calculate standard products, simply select the requested sets and adjust the dimensions and quantities. advanter automatically calculates the selected parameters and creates the corresponding quotation items.
The schedule for the upcoming production is automatically created when the quotation items are defined: the order of the quotation items defines the optimum sequence for production.
In addition, when the final costing items are stored, the required materials are reserved in the warehouse for the production of this order. In the event of non-availability, appropriate feedback is provided.
Calculation of customised products - sophisticated and individual
It is not uncommon for special requirements to supplement the standard daily business. Or completely new projects according to innovative and individual customer requirements are on the agenda.
The individual parameters of the sets can be customised in advanter in order to optimise calculations. All relevant items of the sets can be adjusted and readjusted via the item list in the order: Do you need an additional 30 mm hemstitch for the back of the knife, for example? No problem! Everything can be adjusted directly via the editing icon at the relevant position. A window opens with a wide range of options for customising the processing methods and formats:
Other information about the packaging or product can also be added here.
The parameters for the calculation are adjusted and advanter automatically converts the modified target format into the appropriate print and cutting formats. Always optimised for the best possible benefit: minimum material costs and minimum waste.
You can display all the details for each item and customise them according to your requirements:
Margin optimisation? Always possible!
The fine-tuning of each individual offer item is crucial for optimising your margin.
The areas of material, printing time and ink consumption are displayed in the calculation for individual, changeable items in the set:
All parameters are stored with formulas. The monetary values are calculated according to the new entries. The costs for each individual item are clearly visualised. Further information on waste, efficiency, time and consumption costs are clearly shown.
For comparison: at the bottom of the picture you can see the effect of changing the orientation on the costs and duration of the project. If you rotate the formats and thus change the orientation of the motive on the print surface, the benefits change:
It quickly becomes clear that the change in orientation increases production time and waste immensely. The efficiency of the order decreases.
Initially, advanter always suggests the optimum production direction.
Even if a fixed price has already been agreed with the customer, advanter can be used to calculate each individual item for production in detail and usually optimise it. A clear plus for your margin!
Panel Calculation in advanter
advanter offers further optimisation options for printing on aluminium plates:
When selecting the relevant sets for the job, the available plates are displayed directly. Sorted according to their efficiency in terms of material utilisation.
A comparison can now be made: which plates make the best possible use of the material? What costs are incurred with which formats? And: Which are actually available in the warehouse?
Once the required panels have been selected, the items are transferred directly to the calculation and the order. The selected materials are reserved in the warehouse and assigned to the order.
Conclusion
The smallest parameters can have a major impact, especially with large print runs. The consequence of a missing or inaccurate calculation is almost always a lower margin and therefore an unused opportunity to optimise production.
Sometimes even the smallest adjustments can increase your profit. Because the opportunity to improve your margin can be found in every single order!
How can we support you?
Experience in a personal online live demo how you can use advanter in your business and also optimise your processes. We will be happy to support you in focussing on the big picture or even the smallest details.
Further topics from our blog
advanter special – data handling in print companies
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Process optimisation in the printing industry – benefits of ERP software for large format & digital printing
With an ERP solution, you can map your individual business process completely digitally.
ERP in large format printing – advanter 6 in use at DCP Digitaldruck & Profiltechnik GmbH
Since 2016, advanter has been supporting the operational processes at DCP. Integrated. In all areas of the company.