Labels West is a printing company that specializes in self-adhesive labels. They were looking for ways to cut costs and improve efficiency. They implemented CheckMate job tracking software which uses barcodes to track individual jobs through production. This allows them to locate job folders quickly and saves 20 hours of searching time per week, equaling over $15,000 in annual savings. The software also improves customer service by allowing them to accurately track job status.

1. 26 FlexiblePackaging | www.flexpackmag.com september 2012
K
nown for high quality,
multi-color labeling, Labels
West, in business since 1978,
specializes in the production of self
adhesive labels used primarily for
product packaging. The company
prints labels for the food and beverage,
wine, and personal care industries. In a
soft economy, the company was looking
for ways to cut costs without impacting
its ability to serve its customers.
There are hundreds of individual
jobs processing through the Labels
West plant at any one time. Each job
involves several steps, and each step
takes place in a unique location with the
facility. Critical documents (drawing and
specifications, for example) are housed
in a small job folder that travels through
the production process. The company’s
employees were spending several hours
each week searching for these folders
when information needed to be added
or modified, obviously a time-consuming
task that needed to be simplified.
Technology: Production
Production
Tracking Software
Saves Money
Dynamic Systems helps Labels West, a print
manufacturer, track production jobs, save money
and increase customer service with CheckMate
job tracking software.
Finding a Resolution
Labels West began researching job
tracking solutions that use barcode
technology to track its jobs. What they
needed was job data software that is
specially designed for small to mid-
sized fabricators/manufacturers. They
came across and were interested in the
CheckMate tracking system to solve the
search problem and to automate the
job tracking process. Dynamic Systems,
Inc., a Washington software developer,
specializes in data collection, and
installed the job tracking program at
the label converter.
Currently, about 25 employees
actively use the software. A barcode
is printed on the job and is scanned
as it moves into a new location.
Management is able to quickly locate
the job folders using the “search”
Being able to save time using its recently installed job tracking software allows
Labels West to allocate valuable employee time in more important areas, like closely
working with its customers to get labels ready and shipped.

2. 27FlexiblePackaging | www.flexpackmag.comseptember 2012
Labels West
(800) 540-3009; www.labelswest.com/
Dynamic Systems .
(800) 342-3999; www.a-barcode.com
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function of the software. This simple
solution is saving 20 hours per week in
labor for the company, which equates
to over $15,000 annually. The software
was paid for in less than 3 months – a
great ROI.
Great for Customer Service
Besides the labor cost savings,
CheckMate’s reporting allows Labels
West to manage the company’s job
flow – they now know where a job
is and how long it’s been there. It
eliminates the need for employees
to interrupt each other, thus slowing
down production.
Along with improving efficiencies,
they can respond more quickly
and accurately to their customers’
questions about lead-times and
expected complete dates. If a customer
wants to know the status of a job, the
answer is a click away. And knowing
the exact location of a job increases
their customers’ satisfaction.
Job Data includes the ability to
record actual labor, parts and scrap
against the jobs. The system installs on
a Windows based PC, and is very easy
to use.
“I would highly recommend this
solution. It does exactly what it is
supposed to do,” states John Shanley,
owner at Labels West. “We are very
pleased with CheckMate. It installed
easily, is stable and the technical
support is excellent.” FP