ManageArtworks vs Collaboration Platforms

By collaboration platforms, we are referring to the information management and website-building solutions out there that excel in storing, organizing and sharing information including documents with users spread across geographies within an organization.

By definition, these platforms are ideal for collaboration with:

1. Great social features that let you post, share, converse, follow and like – yes, these platforms are no less than your microblogging sites.
2. Sophisticated community setup – discussion on topics, advanced search capability, voting, content categorization and the ability to track complete history.
3. Format-agnostic document library.

So you have spent a truckload to use this collaboration platform. And then a quite different business requirement is thrown at you – a seamless, automated packaging artwork management system.

Do organizations need an artwork management system if they are already using a collaboration platform?

The answer is YES! The website-building solutions cannot (and is not expected to) replace an artwork management system.

Now that you know what a collaboration platform can do, let us understand what is expected from an artwork management system.

This system should be able to store, proof-read, route through a workflow, share, manage the meta-data and lifecycle of an artwork and its associated records/documents (like Key Lines / Cutter Guides, Printing Specification, Source Files, Briefs, Print Proofs etc.)

What does this artwork management system do that cannot be done by other collaboration platforms?

• Proof-read:
  1. Check colors, separations
  2. Advanced options like PDF pre-flight
  3. Check layers, fonts
  4. Decode Barcodes and Braille
  5. Compare two different versions of an artwork to identify the differences
  6. Compare the input text vs. artwork to identify the text differences
• Identification of artworks impacted:
  1. When a key-line drawing changes
  2. When a printing specification changes
  3. When a change in regulation changes the text matter
• Advanced Versioning:
  1. Segregate the commercial, obsolete, “awaiting obsoleting” artworks
  2. Manage offer packs, commercial packs, submission packs

• Pack Project Management:
  1. Manage Projects, SKUs
  2. Initiate and manage workflows for Brand/Private Label/Contract Manufacturing
  3. Collate the required data, documents, decisions required to create an artwork
• Workflows and Routing:
  1. Configurable workflows & routing for different types of projects like NPD, artwork revisions, etc.
• Reporting and Metrics:
  1. Analysis based on KPIs that allows you to identify bottlenecks in the workflow
  2. Monitor status of projects, causes for rework and ensure that your artworks are released on time
• Integrations with:
  1. ERP – to fetch product and SKU information and also use artwork approval status to control vendor PO release
  2. DMS/DAM – to export files
  3. QMS – for change management
  4. e-Commerce Sites – to release only the latest approved artworks

Last but not the least, publish artworks and maintain versions in the asset library. Yes, this library is equipped with advanced search capabilities as well.

Hope it is apparent now that it is erroneous and unjustified to compare a website-builder with an artwork management system like ManageArtworks that is built with a singular purpose by a dedicated team of specialists who understand the artwork processes across industry segments.

Courtesy: Shiva Subramanian. S, Product Manager at ManageArtworks.