Bomark Ink Makes Boxes Look Better
Cartons, corrugated boxes, and cardboard containers throughout the Los Angeles area carry messages printed with Bomark Ink-especially those with vibrant colors, bold graphics, and high-quality display work. Since 1961, Bomark has provided water-based inks and coatings to the flexographic packaging and corrugated box industries. It was the first ink company in the country to own and operate a fully computerized dispensing system, and also the first to install a fully operational business system in its box plant.
Bomark offers more than just “stock ink.” Its labs prepare special color blends to customers’ exact specifications using sophisticated matching techniques. And Bomark is fast. Orders are normally delivered in less than four hours after they come in.
Getting the Right System Mix
As early as 1986, Bomark realized the importance of automating all of its systems through networked PCs. The existing AS400- based business software did little to manage manufacturing or arehousing operations, could not store formulas or prepare batch tickets, and required half of the company’s work to be done by hand.
Then Bomark’s executives discovered Platinum for DOS and Batchmaster software and became an early adopter. Batchmaster is a process manufacturing application that ties production data directly into financial data. The company upgraded to Sage PFW ERP.
The Synergy of Efficiency
The Sage PFW system has automated both the accounting and process manufacturing functions at Bomark Ink. When a customer calls in an order, the system calculates the weight of each pigment that will be required using preprogrammed formulas. Ingredients are dispensed by machine at the plant for perfect color matches and accurate quantities of product. This is no simple task. Besides determining amounts of powders, liquids, and resins, each formula must also account for properties like density and specific gravity.
“Before implementing our Sage PFW system, we worked on a waste ratio of between 3 and 5 percent. Now waste is so minimal we are not concerned with it.”
“We have almost no mistakes now, since the computer does everything for us, and much greater consistency between batches,” explains Lori Haight, Bomark’s office manager. “Before implementing our Sage PFW system, we worked on a waste ratio of between three and five percent. Now waste is so minimal, we are not concerned with it.”
Sage PFW provides an end-to-end system for Bomark’s manufacturing operations. After an order is entered into the system, a sales order and batch ticket are created. The ink goes into production, and inventory is relieved as soon as the product is finished. After a QC check, a closed ticket prompts an automatic release from inventory. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) documents are printed, too, and sent when the product ships, so customers are in full compliance with OSHA requirements.
“The MSDS module is a big one for us,” Haight says. “The government makes us do a separate safety sheet for each color. I can’t even calculate the number of hours the module has saved us. Plus, we’re now safe from the heavy fines OSHA can levy for poor record-keeping. Our customers can request a detailed report if they get audited by OSHA. We can run a year-end summary for them, too, so they don’t have to keep their own records. We never could have provided this service without the new system.”
Haight also appreciates how the Sage PFW Purchasing Pro module interfaces with inventory. Raw materials are logged into inventory by product code. When it’s time to create a purchase order, the system pulls data in vendor files from the Accounts Payable module, eliminating redundant entries. Efficiencies have allowed Bomark Ink to triple its sales yet maintain a stable number of employees in the accounting group.
“I’ve looked at a couple of other software packages over the years,” says Haight. “But there’s nothing as intense and powerful as what we have now with Sage PFW. The system is amazingly user-friendly, yet also has the capabilities to do very complex accounting. It’s exactly what we need.”
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