efficiency – TwonaBlog

May 21, 2024May 17, 2024

Seamless Connectivity: Elevating Packaging Design Efficiency through API Integration

Image: Joshua-sortino-LqKhnDzSF-8-unsplash

If you work in packaging design, you will be familiar with the fact that efficiency is not just a preference—it’s a competitive necessity. As design processes become more complex, you will experience a growing need for seamless connectivity with other systems. This is where the transformative power of API integration enters into the picture, as it elevates packaging design efficiency to new heights.

The Imperative of Connectivity in Packaging Design

The complexity of modern packaging design involves collaboration among diverse stakeholders, integration with workflow systems, and adherence to compliance standards. The traditional siloed approach falls short in meeting the demands of today’s fast-paced design environment. This is where API integration shows up to the party, as technological bridge that connects various components of the design process and enhances overall efficiency.

Understanding API Integration in Packaging Design

1. What is API Integration?

API (Application Programming Interface) integration is the connection between different software applications in a transparent manner. It allows these systems to communicate, share data, and work cohesively without manual intervention.

2. The Role of API in Packaging Design

In the context of packaging design, API integration enables the Artwork Management system to connect with other crucial components of the design workflow. This includes collaboration tools, project management systems, and even external databases.

3. Elevating Efficiency

Why does it become such an important tool? API integration eliminates manual data transfers and the need for multiple platforms. It ensures that data flows effortlessly between systems, reducing the risk of errors and accelerating the design process.

The Impact of API Integration on Packaging Design Efficiency

1. Streamlined Workflow

API integration streamlines the entire design workflow. From initial concept to final approval, the interconnected systems ensure a smooth progression without unnecessary delays.

2. Real-Time Collaboration

Collaborative tools integrated through APIs facilitate real-time communication and feedback. Stakeholders can seamlessly collaborate, providing instant feedback without the need for constant updates or meetings.

3. Version Control Mastery

API integration ensures that version control is centralized and synchronized across all connected systems. This eliminates version conflicts and ensures that all stakeholders are working with the latest design iteration.

4. Compliance Assurance

In industries with strict regulatory requirements, API integration helps in maintaining compliance. Data can be automatically validated and synced with external compliance databases, reducing the risk of errors.

Implementing API Integration in Packaging Design

Ok, I am sold! What do I need to do to get API Integration in place? – you may wonder.

1. Identify Integration Points

Identify key areas in your design workflow where integration with external systems can enhance efficiency. This might include collaboration tools, project management platforms, or databases containing regulatory information.

2. Choose the Right API

Select APIs that align with the needs of your design process. Ensure that they offer the necessary functionalities and are scalable to accommodate future changes in your workflow.

3. Seamless Integration

Work with your IT and design teams to ensure a seamless integration process. Testing and refining the integration are essential to guarantee a smooth workflow.

So, connect, integrate, and witness how the power of API elevates your packaging design efficiency to unprecedented levels.

October 6, 2023March 1, 2024

Forget Email Attachments: Modernizing Packaging Approval with Digital Solutions

Picture this scenario: endless email threads, multiple attachments in several emails as the size limit is reached, wrong attachments sent, lots of back-and-forth to explain that the attachment was wrong and here is the correct one, version confusion… If this is your day-to-day, you can see how it is a recipe for delays, miscommunication, and even the occasional oversight that can have far-reaching consequences.

Thankfully, you can stop that chain of inefficiency and elevate packaging approval processes to new heights of effectiveness—using digital solutions that go beyond the limitations of email attachments.

Rephrase

The Drawbacks of Using Email for Approvals

While email has earned its place for business communication, it proves inefficient when managing essential tasks such as approving packaging designs due to several shortcomings:

1. Disconnected Communication: Keeping track of context and accurately recording changes can be tough due to the scattered nature of email threads.

2. Confusion with version management: The presence of multiple attachments with nearly identical names could breed misunderstanding, chiefly when various editions are being scrutinized at the same time.

3. Sluggish replies: Overfilled inboxes or a surge of incoming emails may result in important messages being missed, leading to holdups in the approval process.

4. Ambiguous Responsibility: Figuring out who has examined or greenlit a design at any moment proves difficult, rendering accountability a fizzy concept.

The Digital Leap: What Modern Approvals Demand

Fortunately, there are digital solutions that tackle the challenges of packaging approvals. These solutions offer a range of features that revolutionize the approval process:

1. Collaborative Workspace: Imagine a virtual space where stakeholders can congregate, review designs, provide feedback, and hold discussions—all within a single, organized platform.

2. Version Tracking: A digital system maintains a comprehensive history of design versions, enabling easy comparison and minimizing errors caused by outdated versions.

3. Transparent Approval Paths: Digital solutions allow you to define and visualize approval paths clearly, ensuring designs navigate through the correct channels without bottlenecks.

4. Automated Reminders: Say goodbye to chasing approvals. Automated notifications ensure that reviewers are prompted at the right time, reducing approval cycle times. You can also choose to send manual reminders.

5. Accountability and Audit Trails: Each action is recorded, creating an audit trail that clarifies who did what, when, and why—an essential feature for compliance-driven industries.

The Transformative Impact: Efficiency and Precision Redefined

Do you need to hear about the advantages of using such a digital solution ?

1. Streamlined Workflows: With collaborative workspaces, design reviews become intuitive and streamlined, eliminating the confusion associated with email chains.

2. Rapid Turnaround: Design approvals take less time, enhancing your ability to bring products to market swiftly and seize new opportunities.

3. Improved Accuracy: Version control hiccups and miscommunications become a thing of the past, reducing the chances of errors slipping through the cracks.

4. Compliance : Industries subject to regulations can breathe easier knowing that an accountable, traceable process is in place.

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So, are you ready to leave the era of email attachments behind and embark on a journey towards efficient, compliant, and precise packaging approvals?

If you are, please give a try to our approvals solution and then, contact us to help you implement it for your team.

February 17, 2023

The battle between designers and clients

Effective communication is crucial for the success of any well thought through design project, more so in packaging design for highly regulated ventures such as pharmaceuticals and food. One of the key aspects in the field related to the communication between designers and clients, which can be very challenging at times, particularly when it comes to the approval of designs. This challenge is particularly relevant when tracking multiple design versions. Read on as we explore the key challenges and discuss the benefits of implementing a digital design approval process.

The Challenges

The lack of clarity in the feedback provided by clients is one of the biggest challenges (and pains that designers have to suffer) in the approval process. Designers may create a design that meets the client’s requirements (in principle), only to receive feedback that is not clear, ambiguous and difficult to follow. This can lead to a frustrating back-and-forth process, usually by email, that wastes time and may not lead to a satisfactory outcome.

In any design process, it is unlikely that the first version will be approved and multiple iteration are usually needed. The designer may create several different iterations to explore different ideas and make changes based on client feedback. It can be challenging to keep track of all these files, which can result in confusion and mistakes. The larger the number of version, the higher the risk of introducing a mistake that is eventually printed.

The benefits of a digital approval tool

Many designers have turned in the past few years to digital design approval processes. With a digital process, designers can present their designs to clients in a clear and organized way, making it easier for clients to provide feedback and streamlining the overall design workflow. The digitalisation of the approval process also allows for tracking multiple versions of a design, which helps eveyone stay on the same page.

Some of the benefits of a digital approval tool are:

It can save time. Instead of going back and forth through email or in-person meetings, the digital process allows for quick and easy communication between designer and client. This can help speed up the approval process, which is essential when working on tight deadlines. It also keeps all the information in one single place. This is called: Single Source of Truth.
It can help reduce errors and misunderstandings. By presenting designs in a clear and organized way, the designer can reduce the risk of miscommunication and ensure that the client understands the design and any changes that are made. Visibility is essential in an effective communication channel.

A digital process can definitely help improve the overall quality of the design while reducing miss-communication risks and providing a streamline workflow . By allowing for easy collaboration and feedback, all stakeholders can access true and accurate information regarding the designs.

Are you using a Digital Approval System? If not, what are you waiting for?

January 31, 2023

Human resources vs non-human resources

Currently, there are several countries in Europe experimenting with shorter working weeks. If you are not familiar with it, we are talking about reducing work days to 4 days a week. The other option, very well established in Scandinavian countries like Sweden, is to reduce the number of daily hours to 6 hours per day, instead of 8.

For the sceptics, no, this model it is not only possible for countries of a certain size:

Iceland: between 2015 to 2019, Iceland conducted the world’s largest pilot of a 35 to 36-hour workweek (cut down from the traditional 40 hours) without any calls for a commensurate cut in pay.
Belgium: in February, Belgian employees won the right to perform a full workweek in four days instead of the usual five without loss of salary.
UK: Companies in the UK that have run a six-month trial of the four-day workweek are now planning on making the shorter workweek permanent, after hailing the experiment as “extremely successful”.
Germany: is home to one of the shortest average working weeks in Europe. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the average working week is 34.2 hours. Last year, IG Metall, the country’s largest trade union, called for shorter working weeks, arguing it would help retain jobs and avoid layoffs.
Spain: in December Spain launched a pilot programme of a four-day working week.

This work philosophy is not just a fancy European experiment.

In Japan, it’s the larger companies that are venturing into this territory, following the Japanese government’s announcement in 2021 of a plan to achieve a better work-life balance across the nation. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, 81 employees working for the consumer goods giant Unilever are currently taking part in a year-long trial of a four-day workweek at full pay.

According to a survey by cloud-software vendor Qualtrics, a whopping 92 percent of US workers are in favour of the shortened workweek.

The employees surveyed cited improved mental health and increased productivity as the perceived benefits.

In Canada, research from global employment agency Indeed found that 41 per cent of Canadian employers are considering alternative hybrid schedules and new work styles, following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indeed’s survey of 1,000 employers of office workers in Canada found that 51 per cent of large companies with 500+ employees would be “likely to implement 4-day workweeks”.

On the opposite side you can find the case of Spain, where many employees work longer than specified in their employment contracts, quite often for free. Yes, I know that if you are a workaholic you wouldn’t see any problem, that’s fine as long as it is your choice.

Actually, the number of hours worked after hours was so high that a specific law was created to track the time, yes, I know, welcome to the seventies. From that moment on, by law, all employees must fill up a form indicating their arrival and end time of their work day – luckily, there is software for it, we are not talking about the punching machine you see on movies to make holes at the entrance of your workplace!

I am not going to comment on who controls that information, if there really is someone who reviews it or if something has changed.

I personally work 6 hours a day. This schedule was put in place after a month-long pilot that we did 2 years ago, when we confirmed that the work could be done efficiently with the same quality of service, and every employee could benefit from a better work-life balance. Not taking the step is a matter of blindness.

Could it be more interesting to have a happy employee working 6 hours than a non efficient one 10 hours in the office?

So, can we talk about the non-human resources?

In the case of Spain, what is at fault here? Employees for not rebelling to this situation, employers expecting these crazy hours? Is this an example of a chicken and egg situation?

What do you think?

July 22, 2022January 24, 2023

Add (this) AMS to your life

Are you involved in Artwork Packaging Design?

If you’re reading this you and your team probably manage thousands of artworks a year: from packaging, to labels, to digital assets, you name it. Between emails, phone calls, reminders, artworks with change requests, new design specifications, and last minute jobs, there’s no doubt you have a busy work day.

If all the above makes you feel stressed it could be because you have not found the right system to help you with all of your workload … YET.

With that in mind I would like you to take a look at Twona AMS, a highly customizable Artwork Management System which is simple and easy to use, and can be integrated with other tools to automate your workflow, all without you having to be a coding expert.

With Twona AMS you will find a one stop shop for your design process, from beginning to end. So what can you expect from Twona AMS?

Twona AMS can provide you with…

Tailored workflows
A complete overview of you and your team’s workload
The ability to allocate time and resources accordingly
A way to oversee the complete process of a project from one single location
A tool to collaborate with your team, add messages, and leave notes
Quality assurance tools, such as graphic and content comparison directly from your job request
A way to share documents and get artwork approvals internally or from external parties
The ability to keep version control and history of all your files
Automation of tasks that can be repetitive
Integration with other applications already used in your organization to avoid duplication of activities

If this sounds lovely, you don’t need to wait any longer to regain control of your workflow and increase your efficiency.

Checking our website is free, and getting yourself a license is too!

You can start today with no obligation.