Customer stories


Stevenson, The Color Company

Ohio-based printing and prepress firm tracks jobs from start to finish with FileMaker Pro 8 database systems.

Stevenson, The Color Company provides a full range of printing and prepress services to large-scale clients nationwide. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Stevenson meets vital graphic-arts needs for such major firms as the Kroger supermarket chain, Macy's, and Office Max. And throughout the company, FileMaker Pro 8 ensures efficient, reliable tracking of every ongoing job.


Business Challenge

Job after job, client after client, the crew at Stevenson is always on the move. From initial consultations to preparation of artwork to layouts and color separations, to making of the plates and running of the final product, every step of every task must be carefully documented and accurately tracked.  "Our company data management needs are huge," declares IT manager Geoffrey Vetter.  "Our system needs to handle job order tracking, time tracking, employees, companies and contacts, material inventories, paper inventories, finished goods inventories, shipping, purchase orders, and payroll. And some of that information needs to be publishable to our website for our customers."

A few years back, Stevenson depended on a hodgepodge of recordkeeping systems to document all its vital data. It was a system rife with frustration, wasted time, and duplication of effort. "Data had to be entered multiple times just to start a job in the plant," recalls Geoffrey. "These multiple entries caused a lot of mistakes."

FileMaker Pro changed all that, consolidating that jumble of data into a single, plant-wide system. And now, the advanced features of FileMaker Pro 8 make daily information-processing tasks even easier.


Successful Solution

All the job-tracking, inventory management, and office functions handled through the prior assortment of methods now combine into a single, powerful, ever-growing FileMaker Pro 8 database, made available from one end of the plant to the other via FileMaker Pro Server. "Because FileMaker Pro 8 has huge data capabilities as well as a powerful server, we are able to build this huge solution that grows larger every day," Geoffrey enthuses, Originally built in FileMaker Pro 6, the solution was restructured from the ground up for FileMaker Pro 7 – ensuring a smooth transition to FileMaker Pro 8.

Nine separate workgroups take advantage of the system's power, and practically everyone in the plant finds reason to use it at one time or another. At present, the solution consists of 11 files, over 100 tables – and over 200,000 individual records. "And that's not to say it's finished," emphasizes Geoffrey. "It's always changing, always being updated – and thanks to FileMaker Pro 8, that's easy.


Customer Benefits

From top to bottom, from drawing board to printing press to shipping dock, FileMaker Pro 8 follows every Stevenson job. "With FileMaker Pro 8, everyone is able to access real time data on one modern system," Geoffrey notes. "Paperwork can be regenerated if it's lost, and inventories are always up to date – and all this in one system!"

Constant updating of the solution to reflect ever-shifting demands on the company's data requires development tools that enhance the process without added complexity, and the array of functions in FileMaker Pro 8 are vital to keeping the Color Company's solution ahead of the curve. "Tabs, tooltips, multiple parameters and multiple tables per file all contribute to the speed and ease of developing in FileMaker Pro 8," says Geoffrey. "The Relationship Graph in FileMaker Pro 8 helps us improve development time and gets rid of unneeded fields and calculations. With such features as multiple key relationships and two-way relationships, this is one of the best features of FileMaker Pro 8."

The results are visible every day at Stevenson – with more efficient and effective employees leading directly to more satisfied customers. "We're starting to attract new customers because we can offer FileMaker Pro development to them," Geoffrey points out. "Our customers also benefit from our website, where they can view and track shipments and their inventory. And since we can track our data like never before, our customers have the benefit of working with a very efficient company!"


"Our system needs to handle job order tracking, time tracking, employees, companies and contacts, material inventories, paper inventories, finished goods inventories, shipping, purchase orders, and payroll. [...] Because FileMaker Pro 8 has huge data capabilities as well as a powerful server, we are able to build this huge solution that grows larger every day."

-- Geoffrey Vetter, IT Manager, Stevenson, The Color Company



Contact information

Contact Info for Customer:

Geoffrey Vetter
IT Manager
Stevenson, The Color Company
513-321-7500
gvetter@stevensoncolor.com
http://www.stevensoncolor.com


Filemaker Contact:

Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com


Overview
  • Provider of complete prepress and color printing services, including separations, plate making, color corrections, and proofing.
  • Based in Cincinnati, OH
  • Graphic Services
Industry
  • Small Business
Solutions
  • FileMaker Pro 8 job-tracking databases provide full documentation of all work, as well as inventory management and internal office functions.
Benefits
  • FileMaker Pro system replaces cumbersome, antiquated and inefficient recordkeeping methods.
  • Enhanced data sharing capabilities of FileMaker Pro 8 allow easy access to solution throughout the company via FileMaker Pro Server.
  • The Relationship Graph in FileMaker Pro 8 simplifies development by eliminating superfluous fields and calculations.