Maryland, USA – Tharstern has secured a ‘significant’ deal to provide a state-of-the-art management information system to help District Photo, one of the world’s largest direct-to-consumer photo fulfilment operations in the world, set up a new commercial print operation called District Print.

In a move that is central to the huge growth aspirations for the Maryland, USA-headquartered company, installation has now started for the MIS from Tharstern, the global specialist covering the print, packaging and labelling industries.

It will be crucial in automating and integrating different software platforms for the new commercial print operation District Print, which is being launched by District Photo. The Tharstern MIS facilitates the introduction of commercial print work to its plants to maximise production capacity.

Julian Marsh, Director of Commercial Printing, who has moved to Maryland from sister company Harrier LLC in the UK, said: “I’ve worked with Tharstern successfully for different companies for over 25 years. However, for this important project we went out to tender because although they’re the market leading solution in the UK, Tharstern are relatively new to the US market, and we wanted to consider all available options.

“But a really important reason why we chose Tharstern is because its state-of-the-art MIS is fully automated and integrates with all kinds of other software solutions, both back and front end. Tharstern is big enough to have the technology and world-class solutions in place, but small enough to cater for us by giving a customised service and solutions. They tick all the boxes.”

Day-to-day contact is with fast-growing Tharstern USA, which was set up two years ago and already operates across north America, including Canada. It also includes the Tharstern API that automates functions such as product mapping, job specification and submission, imposition, stock management, billing and shipping into a streamlined workflow.

District Print is a new, self-contained, commercial print business that sits within District Photo. This new division utilizes spare production resource to deliver high volume, high quality digital print at exceptionally competitive prices. The Tharstern MIS will be a critical part of District Print’s success.

District Photo’s print platforms are a one-stop shop for high-demand, e-commerce partners. Across the world it deals with up to 200,000 orders a day during peak periods. Its customer base includes retailers and schools needing fast on-demand photos and other products. Walgreens, Walmart, Snapfish and Costco are among District Photo’s partner companies.

“We’re an IT-driven business,” said Mr Marsh. “The Tharstern MIS will have a crucial role in District Print, our new commercial business.”

Lee Ward, Tharstern’s Global Sales Director, said: “Obviously we’re delighted to have won the business of one of the most recognised names in the US market, which also has a major presence across the world. Automated ordering as well as estimating is crucial for companies in a fast-moving business where many different software platforms need to be linked, which is why increasing numbers of companies are turning to Tharstern for their MIS solutions.”

He added: “Our business continues to go from strength to strength. We’re delighted at progress, particularly with the development of our US company. This latest deal is testament to that success.”