The Saint-Paul printing facility in Fribourg/Switzerland already shared the trade news headlines with KBA back in 2012, when it took delivery of a twelve-colour Rapida 106 in a new trend-setting configuration. At that time, the eight-colour perfector press with additional coaters and intermediate drying towers was the only one of its kind in Switzerland. It is used to print high-quality commercial products with inline finishing, and enables four colours and a coating to be applied to both sides of the sheet in a single pass.  

Recently, St. Paul Holding followed this up with an investment in a modern management information system. After intensive evaluation together with KBA and its Swiss subsidiary Print Assist, the decision team opted for the Complete Optimus Dash MIS sold by KBA. Alongside the inherent benefits of the system, it was the excellent service offered by Print Assist/KBA and absolute satisfaction with the Rapida 106 which sealed the choice for the Saint-Paul group, which not only operates its own printing plant, but also holds interests in various other companies in the print and media branch.  

The fully-featured Complete Optimus Dash MIS comprises the basic system, JDF functionality, a planning chart, the Cloud Mobile module for mobile access to all data, an interface to financial accounting, and a CRM module. The MIS is to be used by 55 staff members at three locations in Switzerland. The three business units of the Saint-Paul group in Fribourg, Bulle (Glasson Print Bulle) and Estavayer-le-Lac (Centre d’Impression de la Broye) will thus be able to work integrally with their central customer base.  

One important point in favour of the Optimus Dash system offered by KBA-Sheetfed was the philosophy based on lean management processes. It supports multiple languages, which is an absolute prerequisite in Switzerland, and provides highly flexible templates for calculations and order processing. Intuitive handling was another factor which underpinned the investment decision. The administrators can also adapt the Optimus system to any corporate changes or to future production challenges, without Saint-Paul being dependent on a single supplier.

After the kick-off in spring 2017, the MIS is expected to be fully implemented by the end of the year and can then go live on 1st January 2018.