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EFI Launches Small Business Edition of Its Radius ERP Software for Packaging Companies

Thursday 14. April 2011 - EFI Adds Business Process Management for Corrugated Packaging in New Radius 12.2 Enterprise Software Release

EFI (Nasdaq:EFII), a world leader in customer-focused printing and packaging industry innovation, today launched a new version of its Radius packaging MIS/ERP solution targeted at the small-to-medium business segment. The software is an entry-level, fully integrated automation solution ideal for single-site label, flexible packaging, converting and folding carton companies.
Built on the powerful Radius Enterprise Edition used by larger packaging companies, the new EFI Radius Small Business Edition comes with a standard suite of modules designed with a streamlined user interface to ensure smaller companies can quickly and easily use the software to improve efficiencies and simplify workflows.
“We’ve taken our market-leading Radius enterprise solution used by larger companies and adapted it to the unique needs of the small-to-medium business market, enabling more packaging companies to benefit from a world class solution specifically designed to integrate and manage their unique business processes,” said David Taylor, general manager of EFI Radius. “Smaller, single-site packaging organizations have been asking for a more entry-level version of our ERP system to take their operations to the next level, and we’re excited to fill this need for them.”
Modules in the Small Business Edition include Estimating, Tooling Management, Inventory, Purchasing, Scheduling, Shop Floor Data Collection and DMI (Direct Machine Interface), accounting, and the unique one-stop Order Manager. With the goal of making the system as efficient as possible, the Order Manager module is a single source location to obtain and perform job level processes, from production estimates to shipping and everything in between, without having to access multiple modules.
New Radius Enterprise Version Launched with Strong Corrugated Support
Besides this portfolio expansion, today EFI released an updated version of its Enterprise edition of Radius, with the addition of estimating for corrugated packaging, capabilities to handle complex carton processing, and integration with Esko Artwork.
The latest version includes a new Estimating Module for corrugated carton production. A new approach to estimating corrugated cartons, Radius Enterprise now allows the user to define the various container styles, tooling, flutes and types that are unique to corrugated cartons. This provides the user with a method of constructing relatively simple representations of the sets they are producing, and allows them to break up the sets into manageable, logical units.
AllpakTrojan, a high-end commercial printing and innovative packaging solution provider in Renton, Wash., recently became the first user of the Corrugated Module. “Our corrugated carton facility went live on Radius with the new Corrugated Module in January,” said Drew Sanders, IT manager. “Before Radius, we struggled with the workflow for our highly complex jobs. Now, not only have we streamlined the processes from estimating to production in our corrugated facility, we have streamlined our interplant communication and workflow as well, bringing the full power and flexibility of Radius to our entire organization. Many of our jobs run between our carton and corrugated facilities, which previously created a lot of administrative overhead. Now the processing of a job is seamless between plants because Radius transfers work from one plant to the other.”
In addition, the new complex carton features include improvements to the system workflow to enhance handling of complex assembled and unassembled multi-part cartons, as well as estimating enhancements and simplification of order and billing for these multi-part cartons.
Also with the new version release, there is now a JDF interface between EFI Radius and Esko Artwork’s pre-press system called Automation Engine (AE), available now for self-adhesive labels. When jobs are created in Radius, the information is passed to AE for pre-press operations and down through the workflow, and job details are passed back into Radius to update the records accordingly. This streamlines the workflow, greatly reduces errors, and improves productivity.
EFI Radius is a powerful ERP software platform designed to enable end-to-end, integrated business process management from order inquiry to cash receipt for label, flexible packaging, converting and folding carton businesses. EFI Radius offers a high degree of flexibility to manage the unique requirements of printing and packaging companies to help them optimize and automate their sales estimating; production planning; scheduling; materials management; shop floor data collection; job costing; and time attendance. It also offers comprehensive and intuitive reporting and business intelligence capabilities.