Cosmo DeNicola Companies News

Friday, February 19, 2021

2021 Connecting the Shop Floor with the Top Floor

Fort Washington, PA - 2020 was a challenging year for many businesses in our country. However, the explosion of online shopping (and subsequent increased demand for packaging) resulted in a renewed focus on improving productivity and increasing uptime for many box makers. This in turn sparked a large demand for our ScoreKeeper Production Monitoring System, for which we installed a record number of new customers (and machine centers) across the country. ScoreKeeper is the most cost-effective, easiest to install, “out of the box” IIoT solution tailored to the packaging industry. Scorekeeper provides a real live view of current production stats alongside detailed date-range analytics of setup, run, and down time. For managers on the go, it offers an intuitive mobile application that can send alerts on a smartphone such as when a machine is down for a specified amount of time. In addition to the large TV displays above machine centers, many plants are opting to put additional TV displays showing the status of multiple machines at once in areas like Maintenance, Production, and General Manager’s offices.

THE YEAR AHEAD

In 2021 we are poised to meet the demand we are already seeing from businesses who want to measure and improve productivity and quality. We will be introducing a new business intelligence reporting and dashboard system for ScoreKeeper that will dramatically enhance the existing reporting system and allow end users to create their own visualizations of production data. We are also enhancing our ScrapTrakker system and launching it in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East (EMEA). ScrapTrakker leverages scales at the baler and allows box plants to track waste by weight and associate it with user-defined reasons. The system compares calculated waste from your financials (what you bought versus what you sold) to what you reported at the scales to help you identify sources of waste and focus improvement efforts on both closing the gap in reporting and fixing the reasons you create waste. We continue to invest in our corrugator production control and quality control systems-PCS and QCS. One such investment is an enhanced reporting system for all reports. All customers on our Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) are eligible for the new reporting system at no additional cost.

We are enthusiastic about the future and look forward to continuing to provide our customers with leading-edge, plant floor automation solutions and services. We come to work every day with one mission—connect the shop floor to the top floor—while delivering the results you demand and deserve.

If you would like to hear more about what Amtech Automation can do for your company, please contact us at sales@amtechautomation.com or visit us at www.amtechautomation.com.

Friday, February 19, 2021

2020 Protecting and Digitally Transforming Clients

Fort Washington, PA - 2020 has been a triumph of a year for businesses in the packaging industry. Not only did they meet the new demands and challenges placed on them by consumers, they have quickly adjusted to business impacts dealt by the pandemic. At Amtech Software, we walked beside our customers and assisted with moving their workforce remote, gaining better control over their costs, improving operational efficiencies, and integrating their systems to drive costs down and improve capacity. As we step into 2021, we are seeing a greater demand from businesses in the packaging industry to manage to address new supply chain challenges, continue to improve operational efficiency, and boost bottom-line performance. We have the solutions ready to help them do just that.

SECURE REMOTE ACCESS

Over the past year our secure, hosting service has significantly grown. The combined solution of our EnCore ERP, Secure Hosting, and Business Continuity Services enables our customers to remotely manage their operations from order to cash and everything in between. A fully integrated solution allows for easy remote access of important modules such as ecommerce, BI tools, and digital workflows for a low touch and minimal maintenance environment.

UPDATED COST MODELS

In 2020, we released our new Automated Performance Costing module which allows our customers to review, fine-tune, adapt their models, evaluate business change impacts, and more…when they see fit. The tool is simple and easy for any business manager to use without the need for complicated spreadsheets or outside consultants. In 2021, this will be the number one tool for our customers to have as they face many changes along the supply chain, volumes, and customer mix.

IMPROVED BUSINESS EFFICIENCY

Businesses are seeing the benefits of leveraging integrated technology that improves timeliness and accuracy of information flow throughout the enterprise. This is where our integrated Corrugator, Converting Scheduling, and Shipment Planning Software combined with Amtech Automation’s ScoreKeeperProduction Monitoring Solution provides the right formula of integration. Customers who have already implemented these solutions are finding greater utilization of machines and improved delivery commitments. Our Intelligent algorithms and automation solutions appropriately balance schedules and increase efficiency at machine centers which greatly improves bottom line performance.

SYSTEM INTEGRATION

Looking forward, we are continuing to develop in the areas of digital integration. With our open API structure, we offer integration with other platforms to enhance day-to-day workflows for our customers. Whether it is integration with Esko’s WebCenter to drive sales and design collaboration or integration between the sheet plant and sheet feeder with real-time updates, we deliver seamless connectivity enhancing operational efficiency and performance.

For more information about how to improve your operations contact: sales@amtechsoftware.com or visit us at www.amtechsoftware.com

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Pandemic Driving E Commerce Tech Upgrades

Fort Washington, PA - Recent restrictions on in person shopping has driven people to order online. The eCommerce impact has been growth in packaging industry volumes and shipping container diversity. Early on the packaging industry was deemed “essential” with many plants working around the clock to satisfy customer needs. The good news was that our customers and the industry were busy while many industries were slowing or shutting down. However, the surge led to complex scheduling and nightmarish logistics challenges. Fortunately for our customers Amtechs acquisition of the former Avista Solutions company in 2018 formed the basis of recent development projects for the creation of more efficient scheduling of the corrugator and converting operations. The new systems improved both the cost and operational efficiencies of plants and simultaneously required enhancements for shipping planning and logistics. “ I am so proud that we were able to accommodate two recent high volume customers with the implementation of our new Automated Advanced Converting Scheduling & Shipment planning modules. They are both excited and relieved with the prospects of meeting their customer’s needs”, stated Chairman Cosmo DeNicola.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Amtech Winning the Competitive Landscape

Fort Washington, PA - Recent sales success has led to 3 companies replacing their existing systems with Amtech’s Encore cloud based ERP system. The three 3 major companies on the West Coast, Midwest and Latin America all saw the benefit of moving to the cloud to enhance remote workers and cyber security. Another major advantage of moving systems off premises are varying access restrictions being implemented due to the pandemic that restrict system maintenance, disaster planning and data backups. All three companies were looking for a comprehensive, all in one solution that had a robust set of applications to handle everything from brown box to Digital printing.

” Its always exciting to obtain a new customer but it’s especially pleasing when they make the decision that its worth the effort to upgrade from their legacy system”, stated Amtech president Darren Artillio. The implementations have commenced and are expected to be complete by Q2 2021

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Amtech Software Releases Automated Cost Modeling Tool

Fort Washington, PA - With market conditions drastically changing and supply chains fluxing, it is vital for owners and mangers to be able to continually evaluate and quickly update their cost models.

Inaccurate Costing Leads to Lost Business and Profits

With market conditions drastically changing and supply chains fluxing, it is vital for business owners and managers to be able to continually evaluate and quickly update their cost models. By keeping costing accurate with regular reviews, businesses will remain competitive and profitable.

This impactful tool provides our customers the ability to:

Quickly Adjust to Market/Volume Conditions
Utilize Flexible Cost Allocation Methods
Compare Multiple Models
Generate Profitable & Competitive Quotes
Identify & Eliminate Bad Business
Take Control of Costs

Wether our customer is utilizing EnCore or Imaginera, owners and managers can become the resident costing expert for their business.

To schedule a demo contact: Tracy Rowland-trowland@amtechsoftware.com

To learn more visit: Amtech Automated Performance Costing Solution

Monday, September 14, 2020

Amtech Reschedules 2020 User Conference

FORT WASHINGTON, PA- Due to the unfortunate circumstances that have surrounded the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtech Software has rescheduled the 2020 User Conference scheduled to take place this coming May.

The new dates are May 23-26, 2021. It will still take place at the beautiful Wyndham Grand Resort Bonnett Creek in Orlando, Florida. Mark your calendars now for a conference full of intensive training, informative sessions, peer networking opportunities, and an exclusive fireworks viewing event hosted at Disney’s Epcot Center. Details will be coming in the next few months so please visit www.amtechuserconference.com for more information or contact: Tracy Rowland trowland@amtechsoftware.com.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Amtech Software Customers Prepared for COVID-19

COVID-19 has taught us many things. Including the need to be agile to meet the needs of an expanding supply chain and surging demand.

FORT WASHINGTON, PA- Amtech Software Customers Prepared for COVID-19

Unfortunately, thanks to COVID-19, the concept of Box plants without walls has gone from a futuristic idea to being critical for survival.

COVID-19 has taught us many things. Including the need to be agile to meet the needs of an expanding supply chain and surging demand. In addition, it taught us that our office staff, customers, production, and sales teams need to collaborate online, be mobilized, untethered to on-premise computers, and have full access to real-time data stored in The Cloud.

Delivering sophisticated packaging (whether digital or brown) while meeting clients’ needs requires systems that are fully INTEGRATED not just INTERFACED. For years the Packaging Industry has met the needs of the emerging e-Commerce industry while themselves escaping from the consumer online revolution. I have always questioned why we can order almost anything online 24/7 (while in our pajamas) without any intervention, but if we need packaging it takes a team of people to follow-up and multiple interfaced systems just to initiate the process. Instead of just being an observer, we went to work!

At Amtech we devoted 100,000-man hours creating new and TRANSFORMATIONAL business applications that are hosted in the Amtech Cloud. They provide our customers:

Online and fully integrated Customer Service Portals with 24/7 collaboration from inquiry to invoicing
Paperless Workflows with integrated dynamic scheduling from quoting to invoicing
Hosting Services that get clients out of the IT business with included cyber security and managed network services
Remote Workforce tools that let you hire the best and brightest with access to the national talent pool, not just your area
Realtime Data and Controls for recording and enhancing productivity with digital sensors

Quite simply, we have the technology NOW to provide “Amazon-like” capabilities that take advantage of Apple devices and Google data.

Obviously, during the current viral scare companies are hesitant to initiate projects.
However, most advances can be done incrementally. Forget years and months... great things can be implemented in weeks, days and hours. Examples are everywhere. Banks had 10 days to create their PPP SBA Portal, the Federal Government only had weeks to develop systems to distribute and track millions of stimulus checks. It can be done, plus the best time may be while your administrative workforce is remote and has availability.

Knock down the walls......

For more information contact:

Darren Artillio
President, Amtech Software
dartillio@amtechsoftware.com

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Futura Services Responds to Customer Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic

Organizations are changing how they do business. COVID-19 has quickly shown us this in a few short weeks.

FORT WASHINGTON, PA- Futura Services Quickly Responds to Customer Needs During COVID-19 Pandemic

Organizations are changing how they do business. COVID-19 has quickly shown us this in a few short weeks. From quarantines to government stimulus, organizations are fundamentally having to change how they operate. For a lot of packaging businesses, production has increased forcing the need to quickly scale. For other businesses it means having to be more creative, efficient, and adaptive.

Futura is no stranger to helping businesses adjust to changes like this. For over 40 years we have been deploying proven solutions that support today’s new business world. If you don’t have the right solutions in place…now is the time to get ahead.

FUTURA SERVICES DELIVERS AGILE SOLUTIONS

Quick transition in-office workers to remote workers in 24-48 hours
Deliver network and data security solutions to protect against the recent uptick in breeches and ransomware
Ensure maximum availability of systems with our cloud hosting solutions built for the packaging industry
Secure, web-based platform for easy remote worker access
Portals which allow customers to place orders/re-orders online
Elimination of paper-based workflows into organized electronic workflows for quick, online access

Whether you are a Futura customer or not, don’t let the fear of the unknown keep you from being wildly successful in this new economy. This new way of doing business isn’t going to happen sometime in the new future. It is happening now! Get ahead and stay ahead.

For more information contact:

Dominic Sambucci, President of Futura Services: dsambucci@futuraservices.net