EFI Pace ERP Implementation - CPS Printing

Client Profile

  • Company: CPS (Mid-Size Printing Firm)
  • Industry: Commercial & Specialty Printing
  • Size: 280 employees ~$42M annual revenue
  • Operations: Digital & offset printing, prepress, finishing, fulfillment, and distribution

Business Challenge

CPS relied on fragmented legacy systems for estimating, job ticketing, scheduling, inventory, and accounting. With production spread across multiple workflows, the absence of real-time visibility led to bottlenecks, inconsistent job costing, redundant data entry, and delays in customer communication. As client expectations for faster turnaround grew, CPS needed a fully integrated print MIS/ERP solution purpose-built for the printing industry.

Project Objectives

  • Deploy EFI Pace ERP to unify Estimating, CRM, Job Management, Scheduling, Inventory, Purchasing, Production, and Accounting.
  • Centralize job data to eliminate duplication and improve accuracy.
  • Enhance planning and throughput with Pace Scheduling and Auto-Plan.
  • Capture actual labor, machine time, and material usage for precise job costing.
  • Improve inventory visibility and control with automated material allocation.
  • Provide sales and customers with real-time job status and approval workflows.

Solution Approach

The project was executed over 7 months using EFI Pace's best-practice methodology: Discovery, Configuration, Data Migration, Integrations, Testing, and Go-Live.

Key Highlights:

  • Standardized estimating templates via Pace Estimating and Best Stock modules.
  • Digital job tickets with automated workflow transitions across prepress, press, and finishing.
  • Pace Scheduling with drag-and-drop calendars for cross-department visibility.
  • Integrations with Fiery RIP, digital presses, CRM, and shipping carriers for automated tracking.
  • Migration of customer files, historical estimates, inventories, open orders, and financial balances.
  • Training of 90 end users across functions, supported by a Pace super-user network.

Results & Outcomes

Operational Improvements

  • On-time delivery increased from 82% → 95%
  • Scheduling and planning time reduced by 45%
  • Material waste decreased by 12%
  • Inventory accuracy improved from 70% → 96%

Financial Impact

  • Job costing variance reduced by 18%
  • Invoicing cycle shortened from 5 days → same-day billing
  • Emergency material purchasing costs reduced by $240K annually

Customer Experience Enhancements

  • Real-time job status available to sales and customer service
  • Faster proof approvals through integrated workflows
  • Greater accuracy and consistency in estimates and job tickets

Executive Summary

The EFI Pace ERP implementation transformed CPS's operations by delivering a unified, industry-specific MIS/ERP platform that automated workflows end-to-end. By replacing manual processes with integrated modules for estimating, scheduling, production, and finance, CPS achieved real-time visibility, accurate job costing, streamlined operations, and enhanced customer service. EFI Pace has positioned CPS for scalable growth, operational excellence, and competitive advantage in the print market.