WORKFLOW AUTOMATION
FOR MERCHANDISE
Flexible dye-sub, DTO & laser etching solutions
ZenSmart for Merchandise: Making production simple
ZenSmart Merchandise is designed to handle the quantity and complexity of merchandise manufacturing workflows, no matter how many SKU’s in your range. Varied substrates, different print techniques, complex jigs – they are all elegantly handled as recipes and rules in your platform. Simply barcode scan your work to move it along workflow regardless of whether it’s a single coffee mug or a complex corporate SWAG order.
Work is scheduled, routed and controlled all the way to final shipping. Each step is tracked in real time with barcode scanning, and performance data collection. AI-powered analytics identify inefficiencies, helping you manufacture to Service Level at Least Cost.
7-step automation
- Connect your e-commerce or web to print stores direct into production, even direct connect to client sites
- Queue and batch to optimize grouping and release
- Form batches to time or quantity limits and automate picking
- Auto print to dye-sub, UV, digital or screen-CTS
- Route by job barcode, accessorize by barcode scan
- Fail with a scan to reprint, perfect cost tracking
- Barcode scan to ship with least-cost carrier selection
Onboard big SKU ranges with AI powered ease
AI-Start learns your products and product mappings to speed implementation.
Smart pick lists with many thermal label styles
Pick lists are aligned with batches. Many thermal label styles available from mini labels for mugs to rich labels with artwork images.
Easily create complex impositions even for high density jigs
Create super efficient impositions with rich cut pattern support to enable optimized auto-cutting.
Keep on top of consumption and real world cost
Every unit of manufacture counts down inventory. BOM attaches cost details against each order, and if there is a fail it gets added to cost as well.
Handle many different machines and workflows with ease
Handle large numbers of workflows with ease. Business rules and barcode scanning elegantly moves work to the right place at the right time.
Optimize shipping with business rule driven item combine
Take shipping to the next level with smart combine to optimized cubic and weight rules and select shipping by least cost - all 100% automated.
ZenSmart Merchandise How it works
Merch specific features and functions created to power your business forward
1
Integrate with your own MIS or any Shopify, ShipStation, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Etsy or Amazon store
Features
- ZenSmart AI-Start connects to your order source and automatically imports, synchronizes and connects products to how you manufacture
- Teach ZenSmart once how to manufacture and it will seamlessly implement every other SKU
- 1 or 1,000, connect as many stores as you need
- Connect any existing internal MIS rapidly with AI-Start
- Library of existing product flows included
Which means
- Rapid go live
- Pathways to grow your business
All merch orders automatically stream into product and due date queues, grouping together items that should be manufactured together
2
Features
- Enables orders across brands and channels to be combined into a single order stream
- Work is queued together that it makes sense to manufacture together
- Queue work up by any combination of fields – product, date, region, VIP’s – all under your control with 1-click
Which means
- Run your site to peak efficiency by grouping work with efficiency
- No manual grouping of work, saving labor cost
3
Orders are automatically imposed according to your imposition recipes. Define cut marks, add text, barcodes - with total freedom
Features
- Big library of batch sheets, job sheets and merchandise imposition layouts included
- Create new impositions by selecting design options to form new recipes
- Support for complex dies and jigs used in merchandise and giftware
- Seamless handling of flat, cylindrical or artwork requiring warping
- Define how barcodes and text appear – either in the imposition safe space or co-printed on thermal labels
Which means
- Embed your impositions in workflow reducing labor cost
- Standardizes impositions
- Reduces burden on specialty staff
Queues are closed according to your business rules to form smart batches. Send to any device with a click.
4
Features
- Batches are formed automatically driven by time, quantity or other rules to form perfect batches
- Select press-finishing option just-in-time
- If a press or cut device fails – easily swap work to another workflow
- When batches are closed aligned picking lists, thermal labels and work tickets are created – all automatically
Which means
- If you lose a press or finishing device you have the ability to swap work to another press-finishing workflow with a single click
- Move work around a press fleet with drag and drop
- Prevent wrong workflows being selected
- Cut labor costs
5
Printed items move onto wrapping, etching, pressing - whatever your workflow requires all driven by your workflow definition
Features
- Easy to use scan apps make work as easy to process as a barcode scan
- Staff are instructed where to send the completed work all driven by your workflow rules
- Strict time recording of which machines and staff performed the work
Which means
- Every item, every action totally tracked
- Your business rules are embedded in how you run your business
- Fast onboarding of staff
If there are quality issues, a simple QA scan automatically sends a unit for re-make with perfect tracking
6
Features
- A simple barcode scan fails any defective item
- Failed items auto-batch according to your rules
- Machine and person responsibility for all fails are clearly visible
- Set budgetary limits for fails
Which means
- Strictly control fail levels
- Find the source of fails easily
- Improve procedures to cut costs
7
Group items across orders or product types to drive your ship costs down
Features
- Combine items even across product groups that can ship together with a simple barcode scan
- Add accessories at this stage or at Shipping – all driven by your rules
- Simple scan to ship with smart least cost ship logic
- Large number of existing shipping integrations
Which means
- Reduce shipping costs
- Track dispatch staff performance
- Never miss a ship date target
Setup with ease, administer with minimal effort
Part of running a great workflow
automation platform is controlling how you
manufacture and how you adapt to changes
and innovation in your organization.
ZenSmart has a sophisticated set of tools
and easy to use interfaces to make
implementation easy and then adapt your
implementation over time.
Connect your order source and let AI-Start onboard your products
Features
- Learns all your products, product meta-data from any of the existing order integrations (Shopify, Deconetwork, Printavo and many more)
- Enables super-fast addition of any new proprietary order source
- Adds all your SKU-product workflow combinations automatically
- Define a product map and AI-Start can learn what other products should use that production method and automatically implement it
Which means
- Add “big” ranges automatically
- Add a new product easily
- Go live in as little as 1-day
No matter the number of workflows in your merch range, Flow Designer enables change with a single click.
Features
- Create new product workflows with just a few clicks
- Amend workflows by simple drag and drop
- UV-LED, Laser & etching, Dye-Sublimation, Vinyl and Screen CTS workflows are all pre-loaded – adjust to your unique requirements
- No matter the number of merchandise workflows, they are all driven by simple rules
- Switch jobs from Dye-Sub to UV-LED to Laser Engraving all automatically
Which means
- Route work automatically
- Reduce labor costs
- Make changes to workflow with no headaches
No need to send to an external imposition solution with ZenSmart Imposition Designer
Features
- Design any page layout
- Build your recipes for each production type
- Auto generate batch and job sheets
Which means
- No need for an external imposition app
- Automate directly to UV-LED, Laser & etching, Dye-Sublimation, Vinyl and Screen CTS devices
- CTS, Epilog, Epson, Brother, Mimaki plus many fully integrated out of the box
Least cost business rules are easy to define in Ship Designer
Features
- Rich library of integrations with Fedex, UPS, Royal Mail, DPD, DHL, ShipStation, Shipcaddie and many more
- Run live reverse auctions to find least cost ship options
- Automated order inclusion reminders
- Automated change rules by date
Which means
- Cut your shipping costs
- Shipping becomes a 1-scan operation – no knowledge required just automated business rules followed
- Cut labor costs
- Onboard new staff fast
Every scan, every process creates data. Data that defines the who, what, where and when of manufacture.
It provides the foundation for incredible insight, insight to solve problems, insight to take your business to the next level, insight to drive profit
Gain powerful understanding with integrated BI tools
Take team performance to the next level through the power of information
Features
- Easy to modify – make relevant dashboards even for small teams in your business
- Optimized for cheap web-tv’s
- Automatically refresh – everyone gets the latest data
Which means
- Keeps everyone continuously informed
- Powerful impact on culture
- Enables management by walking around
Never let an order miss its deadline with WIP Panel
Features
- Powerful view of everything in production
- Filter for different products or attributes, instantly see what is overdue and due today
- Filter for items “stuck” taking too long at any workflow stage
Which means
- Total performance oversight
- Never let an item go over service level
- Cut your costs and keep your customers happier
- Outperform your competition
The answers are at your fingertips with AI-Insight
Features
- AI powered chatbot
- Ask “any” question – questions about people, VIPs, SLA performance, machine downtime – anything at all
- Fully conversational
Which means
- Instant access to the info you have to know about
- Easy to use – don’t build a report – just ask a question
FAQ
How does ZenSmart handle kitting, personalization, and SKU complexity in merchandising workflows?
In ZenSmart everything is a rule and the rules are driven by your data. So if either the order or the SKU has kitting defined then that is included within the Flow that defines how that product is made and combined to form the finished order.
What tools does ZenSmart offer to manage seasonal peaks and forecasting challenges?
ZenSmart enables the identification of ordering patterns through enabling insight by many different parameters. Examine your demand trends by substrate, print method, color, options, geography – anything that describes the characteristics of an order can be reported on and charted for trend analysis or output for deep modelling. This can then be combined with rich production performance and fail data to marry demand with productivity to drive capacity planning.
Can ZenSmart reduce labor and ship costs in high-mix, low-volume giftware production like SWAG?
Yes, that is one of the core goals of the platform. The trick in personalised, custom and low MOQ production is to manufacture short run work using long run manufacturing techniques to take maximum cost out of your business. ZenSmart queues, batches and flows work through your factory to an optimum flow even when its a complex multi component order like in SWAG.
How does ZenSmart improve responsiveness to short product lifecycle trends in merchandise?
Yes, ZenSmart understands the attributes of an order to a very fine level of detail,. So its a powerful reporting solution to be able to spot trends. Also as it is a unit of 1 manufacturing solution at its core, it also means you can aggressively reduce down your inventory requirements. Lastly ZenSmart supports full Bill of Materials and so it has fine control over the consumption of inputs in your facility. This data can be pushed back upstream into your ERP or Inventory systems.
What benefits does ZenSmart bring to inventory and logistics management for personalized products?
As ZenSmart has full Bill of Materials and picking systems support, it has highly granular tracking of what is being used in production, this lifts stock and consumables usage accuracy. From a logistics perspective ZenSmart has sophisticated combine rules so that orders with components with different cubic characteristics can only combine when they meet your shipping rules and then least cost selection algorithms ensure you always get the best price possible for your freight.
Find out how ZenSmart can create a smart, flexible manufacturing automation outcome for your business with big reduction to your costs.... or just get some advice!
Let's Talk 🙂
Whether you’re just exploring automation, looking for advice, or ready to book a ZenSmart appointment – we’re always up for a chat. Reach out and let’s talk.
Our Purpose
We have delivered print on demand automation solutions that have made a profound difference to some of the largest and most diverse factories in the world. Our vision is to make this capability available to all print on demand sites, from photo to merchandise, apparel to giftware – and sites from big to small, without the big up-front price tag. Your success will be our success.
Our details
Pictureworks Group Pty Ltd
ABN 28 119 011 933
trading as ZenSmart and ZenWorks LLC, a Delaware Corporation
Head Office:
Level 2 / 696 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
AUSTRALIA
sales@zensmart.ai
