Tailored Solutions Label Traxx – the most popular print business management software for flexographic narrow web label printers and converters – will introduce a number of innovations at Labelexpo Americas 2010 in Chicago including an iPod app for roll inventory management and direct press data collection, a new feature which is an integral part of Label Traxx Version 5.6, currently in beta testing and scheduled for full release later in 2010.
The iPod app, available only from Tailored Solutions, uses an integrated barcode scanner to manage roll inventory. The app connects in real time with Label Traxx via a wireless network to take inventory, allocate rolls to specific jobs, and edit the roll relocation in Label Traxx. In addition, the app user can check the specifications and inventory details of any roll by simply scanning it with the iPod.
“With the introduction of the Label Traxx iPod app, we continue to simplify inventory management by bringing the latest technologies to Label Traxx users,” Tailored Solutions president Ken Meinhardt observed. “We expect this to be a particularly popular addition to this already powerful and popular label business management system.”
Label Traxx direct press data collection is based on the new Label Traxx Auto Traxx encoder, a bustle wheel encoder which mounts on any press and uses a standard USB connection to record substrate roll identification and the exact length of stock to be charged to a particular job. The Auto Traxx encoder can track as many as three materials at a time, and also records average speeds, labels per hour, and the number of good and substandard labels on each run.
This new direct machine interface further reduces keying and eliminates still another potential source of error in label management. Direct press data collection is particularly useful to HP Indigo and other digital press users, because short run lengths and quick turnarounds typically complicate data acquisition and management. With the Label Traxx Auto Traxx encoder, label printers can increase machine utilisation and significantly reduce data errors.