"As a customer-focused company, being able to adapt to our clients' requirements and meet their needs is critical. We want to make sure we have exactly what they need when they ask for it—and TEKLYNX CENTRAL makes that happen."
Founded in 1959, Zatkoff Seals & Packings is the largest independent distributor of seals in North America. With over 170 employees at eight locations across the United States, Zatkoff creates nearly 200,000 unique sealing solutions that are used in a variety of industries around the world.
As Zatkoff’s customer base expanded, so did the complexity of its labeling processes. A long-time TEKLYNX customer, Zatkoff had been enjoying the benefits of TEKLYNX LABELVIEW label design solution, which was initially implemented to print labels on bags as part of the unit production process. With printing taking place at multiple sites across the country, Zatkoff used a central server to host the design and printing software. The licensing configuration allowed users to access the software through Citrix terminals and print labels to local printers.
Zatkoff creates true templates that are used across their broad client base. This production method creates an infinite number of label designs that are generated by pulling unique customer data into the template. The information on each label is based on a bill of materials, and users were required to perform visual checks at various stages of the process to ensure the label data was accurate.
As Zatkoff’s product lines increased, the company recognized the need for a higher-tier solution to manage the growing number of label templates. The added complexity in label selection and new design requirements also made restricted access more important than ever. Unauthorized edits and locked files slowed down the production process, but Zatkoff wanted to retain users’ ability to review the label prior to printing to ensure that the correct information was populated in the right template.
Zatkoff’s internal team recognized the need for an enterprise-level labeling solution. “We use internally-developed software to manage our other business processes, and had started to consider developing a simplified printing interface for our users,” said James Kogut of Zatkoff Seals & Packings. TEKLYNX had begun development on an application that offered the features Zatkoff was looking for—a web-based printing interface that integrated with a company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to pull information into a label design—that would ultimately become TEKLYNX CENTRAL, the industry-leading enterprise labeling solution.
Zatkoff wanted to build on their past success using TEKLYNX barcode labeling solutions by implementing TEKLYNX CENTRAL into their overall production process. Zatkoff’s team worked closely with TEKLYNX engineers to refine the robust off-the-shelf features to integrate with their custom ERP system and database structure. “We drew up a list of enhancements that would make the solution ideal for our unique environment,” said Kogut. “TEKLYNX worked to understand our goals and helped make them happen.”
To effectively integrate with Zatkoff’s highly customized internal systems, various modifications were needed to ensure that data was accurately transferred between applications. A dedicated TEKLYNX team set up the test system on its own server so they could troubleshoot and adjust configuration settings without disrupting Zatkoff’s active production environment. This allowed TEKLYNX to work directly on Zatkoff’s servers and create seamless integration points before the application was in use. “TEKLYNX had the attitude of ‘let’s figure this out together and make it work’,” said Kogut. “We worked together to find the best way to use the tool, validate the code and review the screens to make sure everything met our business needs.”
The teams also created a simplified method of adjusting label templates so that Zatkoff can quickly adapt to new customer requests and make design modifications without stopping production. They also created specific rules to display a set of printers based on the user’s location, and adjusted various display settings to simplify label selection. While the system enforces access to printers based on a user’s location, it also lets administrators easily edit these settings for staff outages. “The flexibility of the TEKLYNX CENTRAL enterprise barcode labeling solution helps us make adjustments on the fly while still enforcing the rules,” said Kogut.
The TEKLYNX CENTRAL web print interface prevents edits to label designs from print workstations, which has significantly reduced the number of errors and product returns. Each user sees only templates that are applicable to their location. “Our print users don’t need to modify the files—they just need to print the labels,” said Kogut. “TEKLYNX CENTRAL allows our users to do only what they need to do.” The simplified workflow has enabled Zatkoff’s production team to focus on business-critical work, removing the need for administrative staff to run print jobs and eliminating extraneous steps from the process.
TEKLYNX CENTRAL has allowed Zatkoff to centralize its printing so that lower-volume locations can leverage resources at other sites, streamlining the printing process and allowing the company to have dedicated print facilities. This ensures labels are always printed at the correct job site, thanks to intelligent configuration settings that associate specific templates with user records. The user experience is greatly simplified, which cuts down on erroneous label selection and accelerates the printing process. TEKLYNX native printer drivers also fully integrate with new printer technology, which has helped Zatkoff introduce other efficiency-boosting methods like heat sealing and printing directly onto packaging.
TEKLYNX CENTRAL’s simplified user interface has reduced training time by 50%, not only for seasoned staff members but also for new employees. “Before, we had to show users what not to do by pointing out areas of the screen that they shouldn’t click or edit,” said Kogut. “Now, it’s a straightforward process that is really easy to learn—new employees are able to work independently by lunchtime on their first day.”
As Zatkoff continues to expand its product lines and add new companies to its broad customer base, TEKLYNX CENTRAL helps the production team quickly customize labels to support new requirements. “The results are even better than I had hoped,” said Kogut. “As a customer-focused company, being able to adapt to our clients’ requirements and meet their needs is critical. We want to make sure we have exactly what they need when they ask for it—and TEKLYNX CENTRAL makes that happen.”
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