Sentai Software

Printing Labels Every Hour, Every Day

The Challenge: Satisfying Client Needs for High-Volume Printing
Sentai Software provides distribution software to companies across four continents. One of its biggest clients, Hip Interactive, distributes games and videos to Blockbuster, Wal-Mart, and other major retailers, so its label printing requirements are huge. When Hip began to experience significant printing problems, Sentai recognized the need to address the issue immediately. Hip's existing printing application had reached its maximum capacity and Hip needed more. Sentai looked at several options, including the latest versions of two other products. According to Gordon Derk, CIO at Sentai, "All three provided about the same functionality. However, the other applications were PC applications, and we were looking for an industrial-grade solution that would scale to meet future needs.”

Loftware's Server-Based Architecture Delivers
Loftware's true server-based architecture met the challenge. During the evaluation process, Loftware ran 10,000 labels in a single hour. The new system has proved itself in production, as well. "On Hip's biggest day in the first two months, the system output 62,416 labels in a day,” Derk explains. "We can count on Loftware to run 15 hours a day.” Loftware provided an unexpected benefit. Integration took a single day, compared to other label printing applications, which take anywhere from five to seven. "We didn't have to know a lot about the program,” recalls Derk. "We found that our own distribution software, Warehouse TRAC, made a server call specifying the print job, the label template, the printer, and other details like the number of copies. There was no need for programming. It was that simple.”

A Win-Win Situation for Software Provider and Distributor Alike
Hip Interactive has a simple business goal: The distributor has to get thousands of boxes out the door, and every box has to have a label on it. With the previous system, machines would lock up, and label jobs got queued but never printed. Since Sentai didn't track the amount of downtime, there is no way to calculate the cost and time savings that Loftware is providing. The difference is that Loftware runs every hour, every day.

Sentai is also reaping benefits from Loftware. "The installation was quick. We don't have to fuss with it. Reliability is excellent. We're delivering the kind of throughput and service that makes Hip Interactive happy. Plus we can quote Loftware to other clients that have the same demands for compliance and volume,” concludes Derk.

In this win-win situation, Loftware gives Sentai another tool for attracting and satisfying clients and offers Hip Interactive the ability to:

Achieve required throughput with absolutely no issues
Generate labels that meet Canadian MH10 and US UCC-128 specifications
Satisfy retailer demands for industry-standard label compliance
Use labels to drive EDI transactions through ASN (advanced shipping notice) documents
Ensure that its distribution systems can scale to meet ever-growing production