User Report Appenzeller

The time savings in costing are enormous, says Criscillo: “Jobs can now be entered at least twice as fast.” This is partly because uTraxx comes with a preconfigured costing structure that can be easily adjusted. Based on available materials and production paths, the system checks all possible variants by automatically imposing and calculating the costs. Artificial intelligence performs this in seconds – always delivering the same result for the same job.

The system is intuitive to use. Criscillo himself, who has no programming knowledge, can now independently adjust service catalogues and test them in the staging environment before activating them. Two new employees, both formerly in production and with no experience in internal operations, were trained within just a few days. “They picked it up very quickly because the system is simple and logically structured,” says Criscillo. Ordering materials is now also much faster – “one click and the email with the attached order is generated, including the supplier’s address and a standard message.” Overall, staff satisfaction with the uTraxx ERP system is high. Of course, there are always small things that can still be optimised.

As the next major step in automation, an electronic job ticket is currently being introduced and integrated into production planning. Prepress has already been connected via a newly developed interface from uTraxx, as has the financial accounting system. Integration of production via JDF is planned for a later stage, and supplier integration is not currently a priority. “Interfaces are always critical,” says Simone Criscillo. At the moment, the webshop takes priority. The B2B solution for customers – allowing them to design, calculate, and reorder standard products such as business cards – is expected to be managed via uTraxx as soon as possible. For now, a separate third-party webshop solution is in use.

“We take it one step at a time. As soon as one solution is running smoothly, we move on to the next project,” says Simone Criscillo. The goal is to avoid overwhelming staff and to keep the costs of further development within reason. So far, that approach has worked very well, he says about the collaboration with uTraxx: “We’ve always felt taken seriously, and we’ve managed to find a good solution every time.”

A dialogue on equal footing, flexibility, speed, and consistent quality – that’s exactly what Appenzeller Druckerei expects of itself as well. “That’s what we offer our customers too,” says Criscillo. And included free of charge: the “hard-working Appenzell spirit – lived every day.”

Operating under the umbrella of Druckerei Appenzeller Volksfreund Genossenschaft, Appenzeller Druckerei is headquartered in Herisau with additional locations in Appenzell and Wattwil. With around 80 employees, it is one of the largest printing companies in Eastern Switzerland. The company was formed through the merger of the commercial printing divisions of several long-established firms, including Appenzeller Volksfreund, Appenzeller Medienhaus, Bischofberger Druck AG, and Kunz-Druck & Co AG.