PMA Solutions has processed more than $40 million of work through a portal that puts print management in the hands of direct clients.
National business services manager Natasha Ankus told ProPrint that the system, called iSSD, was opened up to clients in June after launching internally last year.
She said PMA and its New Zealand business, Trio, had together used iSSD to process more than $40 million of print on both sides of the Tasman, with more than 36,000 jobs passing through the system annually.
Sydney-based PMA Solutions started developing iSSD in 2008, said Ankus.
"PMA recognised that a range of clients want to do it themselves. We believed we could use our expertise in independent sourcing to produce a system that enabled clients to manage their suppliers, access the best in pricing, and manage all their print requirements – from design to delivery."
Ankus said the efficiencies in the system had delivered average savings of about 30% to clients and also created extra work for suppliers.
The system guides clients through product builds and requests all the details suppliers need to provide accurate quotes, she said.
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"But the real smarts are in the back end, where the system will intuitively select the most appropriate supplier from PMA’s accredited supplier base to produce the requirement – eliminating the waste of time in asking non-suitable suppliers to quote, in turn ensuring the user receives the best price, from the most appropriate supplier," she said.
"If the client would like to utilise their own preferred supplier base, this is not a problem. Suppliers can be added to the supplier list and the system can be utilised to ensure transparency of cost."
Ankus told ProPrint that PMA wanted to increase its list of iSSD suppliers, which currently includes 70 printers from Australia and New Zealand and "a number of offshore printers".
"The emphasis of the system is on tendering each requirement every time to ensure the best market rate on that day," she said.
"Whether through the use of PMA’s accredited suppliers or the client’s own suppliers, the system’s ability to request quotes from the most suitable manufacturer ensures the best costs are received – and in many instances, the cost difference is up to 50%," she said.
"It is important to note, iSSD encourages suppliers to put forward their best price, but encourages a fair price. PMA partners with its suppliers to form long-term partnerships in delivering the best service to our clients."
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