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Simplifying approvals is possible

Simplifying approvals with Twona AMS Feedback tool

Releasing a new product at a specific time can be very important for the results,the time factor will always be something to consider. If we are dealing with a deviation that implies a withdrawal from the market, speeding up the changes will be even more critical and always with several departments involved.

The approvals of our packaging materials have been traditionally managed via email in two different ways:

  • Serial process: in sequence you ask for feedback to different stakeholders and when one material is approved the next step can begin consecutively.
  • Parallel process: we ask for feedback to different stakeholders in different departments at the same time.
Photo by Twona

When we talk about approvals there are usually at least 3 departments involved, for example regulatory affairs, marketing, quality or your technical colleagues. As many people we need feedback from,the more difficult the email process becomes.

It is not impossible, but it certainly takes a lot more effort to find, trace and control the process, not to mention the increased probability of errors and the delay it can cause.

How does your company manage approvals among departments? What about when there are external stakeholders involved in the process like a printer?

This is how we handle approvals within our artwork management software (AMS), Twona:

Photo by Twona
  1. Select the file: we select in our system the file from which we need feedback from. The file with unique identifier associated with a single project:
  2. Fill in the form: where we specify the permissions that you can see below, the subject, the recipients and we include our comments to give it context.
  3. Receive email: stakeholders, within our organisation or external users, will receive an email to access the approval screen and give their feedback.
  4. Review file (s): here we can leave comments in the text field or leave sticky notes in the file itself, we can also add files if necessary as well as give our approval or rejection eventually.
  5. Control approvals: in Twona (AMS) there is a direct access in the upper menu to the approvals with the necessary indications to know the status of the process.

Photo by Twona

Once you work this way, there comes a time when you wonder how you were able to manage so many approvals without making mistakes.

Photo by Twona

This is how we manage the packaging materials together with the comparisons tool (X-RAY) and everything offered by the artwork management software, Twona, but that’s another story.

I wonder how you resolve this process today and I invite you to leave us your comments.

Do you miss any relevant information or step for your approvals?

PS: Do you want to give it a try?? www.twonas.com/getapprovals (limited usage applies)

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Top 3 Compliance Risks Involving Packaging (and How to Prevent Them)

Photo by Meriç Dağlı

The packaging world shakes hands with a plethora of different industries; Pharmaceutical, Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Food & Beverage, Cosmetics, etc. Each industry has its own unique working environment, including unique hazards that come with each. But any industry that deals with packaging shares some overlapping risks. Here are the top three compliance risks for packaging, and one potential solution that can take them all on.

The Three Monsters:

1. Recalls

Anyone involved in the packaging world knows the dreaded word “recall.” Some have had the misfortune of dealing with this problem head on, and others have only heard through the grapevine about the steep consequences that must be faced when dealing with a recall.

A recall is peculiar in that one seemingly microscopic misprint can make the difference between a successfully launched product and millions of dollars worth of logistics rollback and untold damage to quality and reputation. The consequences of recalls have short term immediate impact as well as long term ramifications, such as sanctions.

2. Process Risks

A process risk, while often less blunt than a recall, can have more subtle and extended impact, which makes them more dangerous in that they are easier to overlook. Process risks involve a failure to follow established processes. In the packaging world, an example of this could be as simple as skipping a step in the validation process for the design of a new pamphlet.

Photo by UX Indonesia process with postits
Photo by UX Indonesia

When process risks become habitual the potential for heavier risks (such as recalls) increases, productivity can decline, and the quality of output can suffer, overtime causing damage to the bottom lineand more importantly to the vital structures that keep companies afloat.

3. Illegal Practices

The risk of illegal practices is in many ways self explanatory. Everyone would like to believe that their company is immune to such risk, but illegal practices are not exclusively intentional. More often than not illegal practices take place unknowingly and are a result of the mismanagement of processes or resources.

In terms of packaging, unintentional illegal practices can take the shape of mislabelling, mismanagement, and nonobservance of legal requirements.

What causes these risks?

While there are varying factors that enhance the probability of the risks above, it is clear that the three risks share some common threads. Miscommunication is a likely cause in many errors attributed to recalls, process risks, or illegal mishaps, and can be an ill-fated result of disorganization with an individual or team, lack of transparency for the proper parties, or workflow inconsistencies. Time Pressure is another phenomenon that those involved in packaging design are intimately familiar with. The rush to get to the shelf can often mean that safekeeping processes are overlooked and corners are cut to decrease the amount of time it takes to start seeing a return on investment.

Photo by Kenny Eliason Photo of a sand clock
Photo by Kenny Eliason

Completely eliminating these risks may not be possible, but companies can create some mitigation strategies to lower the probability of these occurrences.

One Solution to Rule Them All – Online Artwork Management Tools

While the root causes of compliance risks may seem intimidating at a glance, the good news is that these issues can be prevented with proper support. In today’s technological age there is a wide range of Artwork Management Systems (AMS) that boost communication efficiency and workflow organization through a plethora of verification, workflow management, and proofing tools. By using an AMS, companies are able to support the artwork design process by eliminating old manual processes and lengthy back and forth email exchanges with different parties.

But what really makes an AMS so interesting for organizations? You can find some of the well-known benefits below.

Organize communication and create one source of truth

  • Create one centralized artwork repository containing all versions, which is accessible at any time.
  • Eliminate back and forth email exchanges and communicate about the project within the project itself.
  • Allow for internal and external feedback and approvals, tracking status, comments and confirmations to be accessed in one single place.
  • Record full audit trails of what happens with the project from briefing to print.

Increase workflow visibility

  • Identify & eliminate bottlenecks in your workflow process, see where improvements are needed most.
  • Track KPIs & gain actionable insights, visualize your workflow and prevent process errors.

Streamline approvals

  • Share files of any size, no more inbox limits.
  • Request feedback approvals from internal and external stakeholders on the right version.
  • Return annotated files and attach new ones for changing purposes.
  • Visualize all approvals from one single place.

Give you the power of proofing

  • Gain a clear view of changes in packaging done through different versions (text & graphic) and reduce the need to inspect manually.
  • Red line overlapping documents and also x-ray side by-side comparisons.
  • Download proofing reports.
  • Comment directly on documents, where multi-user notes combine together.

Automate and integrate to eliminate redundant tasks

  • Set automatic notifications.
  • Integrate with other tools to speed up processes.

Do the reasons above sound like something that would make your process easier, and give you the peace of mind that your company requires? If the answer is yes, you may be a good fit for an AMS.

Photo by Twona

Compliance Risks are Nothing to Fear

Compliance risks are an ever present obstacle that anyone in the packaging industry must stay vigilant against. But that doesn’t mean that they are insurmountable. With proper workflow transparency and consistency, compliance risks are easily mitigated. If you’re ever in fear, you can depend on AMS and other solutions to save the day.

Published by Twona: Twona is a multi-faceted packaging specialist company with 20 years of experience in software solutions and packaging design. Twona’s flagship product Twona AMS has helped companies worldwide organize and streamline their packaging design process. You can start a free trial of Twona AMS today by clicking the following link , or request a demo now.

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System Connectivity – inspiration to manage your Artworks

Photo by Stefano Bucciarelli

Nowadays we have tools that help us manage our Artworks. The two major ones being:

  • Artwork Manager – guarantees the correct identification of our Artworks, avoiding duplicity, and respecting fundamental rules for the industry (Good Manufacturing Practice (#GMP) , offers a unique identifier, traceability, archive of all files, … amongst others
  • Quality tool that allows us to review the final product through comparison. These comparisons can be at the graphical level between two artwork versions, or review of a text with the design, i.e. content check.

Both tools have evolved over time to improve and cover all possible use cases and maximize processes on a tool level. The next step would be to talk about #connectivity at a few levels:

Photo by Clint Adair
  • Connectivity with external parties – allow third parties (e.g providers, printing companies, clients) to interact with our tools. An example is an #approvals system where we ask for feedback about a specific Artwork. External users can approve/reject these and leave their comments and attach files, completing the review process.
  • Connectivity amongst the different tools we use, a.k.a #integration. This is controlled through automation platforms, from a wide range of programs, which we can make “talk to each other” to generate a specific action. The possibilities are countless, some examples of this potential are: automate your inbox; administer a project; Artchive and make security copies of work ; notifications and alerts; monitoring ; client support; reports, graphics and control panels; web design; accounting and invoicing;

If your current system is isolated from the external world, or you think integration of your applications is possible, this is the time to change your AMS and open your eyes to the sea of possibilities that integration platforms have to offer.

Rafael Cruz Núñez
Artwork Manager
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Kaizen 改 (kai -change) 善 (zen- for the better)

Photo by Connor Ludy - Japanese signs on orange background
Photo by Conor Luddy

Kaizen is no new concept, it is quite an old concept well renowned in the industry, in relation to quality management.

Most sectors nowadays must adapt quickly to a changing environment, in a nearly organic manner. There is that resistance to change nearly inherent to human beings. Once we are used to something, and we are agile in a specific process, it takes a while for us to amold to a change that means learning a new technology, forgetting or unlearning the previous process.

Considering that a new adjustment or process would be beneficial, could it be that adding a new process would be what causes the initial friction?

Photo by Elisa Ventur

How many of the changes you experienced in the last year meant learning to use a new tool or software?

There are possibly workers that can manage their jobs with 2 or 3 tools, buy I would dare to say that most of us use at least 5 or 6. Is that too much? Without too many details, I can count: Task and team manager + internal communication tool + online cloud storage + CRM + ERP + Invoicing system ; Shared document editor + Wiki + Password manager + Video conferencing system + Email + Time tracker + Process automation and workflow management…

So, just working with half of these tools is quite a lot to use on a daily basis, each team would have their own tools to manage and control their processes in the best way possible. Does it mean that we have enough and we cannot absorb any more tool-related changes? I do not have an answer to that but I do not think that is the best approach to the matter. It is, however, the time to reflect on how the process can be simplified, which is why I am taking on the automation of processes or integrations.

Photo by Mathew Schwart

In that search for continuous improvement through change, it could be that we have become obsessed with wanting to use the best tool for everything – the most complete CRM, with a task manager and teams easy and usable; tools to communicate; intuitive invoicing system; and organized resources planning to link operations in different areas, ERP.

Do not get me wrong. Of course, we all want the best for our teams, and we want to provide the best in market tool for each process. But, sometimes, when we study processes from a top perspective, looking at the big picture, maybe the answer is in learning the connection between different tasks to create a sequence and automate as much as possible.

Is tool integration the new Kaizen of our time?

Rafael Cruz Núñez
Artwork Manager
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How we manage our marketing projects

Photo by Twona Image of Twona AMS system showing artwork uploaded and options for artwork details, project, preview and communication with messages
Photo by Twona

A few months ago, we were contacted by the marketing team of one of our Pharmaceutical clients to check if our solution could help them process their work, collaborate, and get approvals in a simpler manner than what they currently do. Our response was that yes, of course it can! You know why we know it? Because we use it ourselves!

In my role as Marketing manager, we use Twona to process our design deliverables. Like in many other companies with a small department, we used to handle everything through Slack/Google Chat or email, and store the files in drive. Since our type of work is very similar to what our clients are using for packaging designs, we also needed a better way to discuss things that are not lost in a myriad of chat messages, approvals of the work, and an organized archive of all the versions and easy tracking of the final approved one.

Using the system has proven a much better way to manage all this process.

  • Everyone in the team has access to it, and can find the latest version of a logo, a linkedin graphic or a brochure. Our project structure and naming convention help with this, even if the file itself would be called something generic, it is easy to find it with the search functionality.
  • We created a simple project workflow that fits our needs as a small team. Now, I get an overview of all the open projects, which ones are for review, or need attention, and can manage and rearrange the priorities better.
  • There are clear deadlines and assignment of responsibilities.
  • When the team is low on work, they can easily take older, less priority projects without these being forgotten, and without losing time.
  • Everyone involved gets notifications when something comes their way, so either to take a look at the information before a briefing meeting/discussion, or to go review the uploaded designs.
  • All communication related to a project and all files linked to it are in one place, so if we want to go back to something, it is always available.
  • Creating new design requests based on earlier files is much faster now, without having to re-attach all files to an email or include links. Also we can hide attachments that are no longer relevant, avoiding risk of using the wrong information.
  • We have no limitation on what to store so also high resolution and raw files can be included, in case someone else needs to work on those later.
  • We are able to send files safely for review through the tool to external parties such as partners or printers, always knowing that we are choosing the right files.
  • As we can leave annotations in the files, or attach other documents, the designers know what to change, and anyone (this is our choice) can access the feedback, so if a person is sick, someone else can take up the work without much of an issue as all the files are there, and all the notes/changes requested are also included in one place.
  • We can review that all changes requested have been made, or that the printer has not introduced anything strange when sending the final print proof, by using the native comparison tool.

Moreover, the team is happy with using Twona AMS for our own marketing projects, and it was a quick and simple transition for us.

We have made small adjustments as we progressed and introduced different types of projects, to be able to put projects on hold, or make material available for our partners, amongst others.

If you are considering a more organized way to manage your communication and collaboration around marketing projects, check out Twona and see if it can be of help for your team too!

Zuriñe García
Marketing
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3 simple automations to make your process easier

Photo by Twona Image depicts a tree-shaped process, showing how when a project is created in Twona AMS, certain actions can be automated like snd a slack message, add a google calendar event or update some KPIs in google Studio.
Photo by Twona

Having an effective process is a major goal of most organizations. We know to reach that goal, you use other systems that support or extend your design management processes. And that is fine! Twona AMS ticks many boxes towards achieving effectiveness, and if you implement some of these tips you may be able to reach that goal even faster.

Transferring data within the system or across systems without having to manually do so – sounds good, does it not?

1. Automatic version status update when project stages changes

Imagine that your team has reviewed a document version and has added comments to it. This actually means that the version reviewed is rejected, and a new one will need to be created. You can decide to manually mark it as such before you move the project to the team responsible for the needed changes, or better yet you can build a rule in Twona AMS that will do this for you.

Here is an example of a similar rule.

Photo by Twona

You may need to adjust this to your internal naming, and you may have a specific use case for a different action. If you need some help to build this, just make sure to contact us!

2. Create a Trello/Monday/Asana card/task when a project reaches a specific milestone

Does your company use some of these popular project management systems ? Then it may be clever to automate the creation of a card when a design is completed and ready to launch so that marketing can start creating their campaigns, or so that the design team can receive the feedback on the design and create a new version (if we want to follow the previous example).

Using the power of Zapier, we are able to integrate Twona AMS with these tools and connect two worlds with just a few clicks.

You can use the predefined workflow for Trello (or other tool you use), or create your own.

Photo by Twona

3. Notify users when a project reaches a specific status

Some users may need to be alerted when a project is ready for them to take action, such as creating a design based on the briefing, reviewing and approving, or collecting extra information.

If the user does not keep Twona AMS open at all times, you may want to create a notification to inform them that there is an action for them to complete. Notify your users where THEY are most likely to see it. You can choose to do it to a Slack channel, a Google Chat (Room) and/or a good old email.

Photo by Twona

These are just a few ideas of how you can automate your process and become more efficient. If you have any other ideas, or suggestions, make sure to share those with me!

Zuriñe García
Marketing
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My experience in managing Packaging Artworks

Photo by Felipe Furtado - table with postit notes and markers. Experience briefing and process steps
Photo by Felipe Furtado

I have been working over 15 years in the packaging industry, particularly all related to Regulatory affairs.

In all this time, despite the regulatory changes that have influenced formats, texts, graphics … variations, the day to day process of Artwork creation for packaging materials has remained quite stable.

What has changed, and exponentially, are the tools that help us manage the creation and review of Artworks, both on the process side, and on the quality side.

If you have been around in this industry for a while, you probably remember a lot more paper. Paper to start an Artwork, paper to manage the changes, paper to check that the reviews were made, and paper to add it to the archive.

How much paper do you have right now on your table?

You probably have things stored on the intranet, or maybe even on the cloud. This means that it does not matter where you are, or where you are, you are able to check or execute any work you need remotely. Think about how some companies have suffered when they were not able to function normally without being physically in the office.

Nowadays, most seem to have this storing function under control. But this is just a part. In order to have a final document to store (wherever it is) , you need a process of information collection, design creation, review, approvals, checks and changes and version control, until you end up with the final material.

How do YOU manage all this process?

Many handle it via email, mixing external tools to share large files because their email capacity is limited. Possibly, you also use a spreadsheet to track open processes, but without any traceability or automatic control of “where” each Artwork is at each moment.

That was me also around 2005.

And this is how Twona AMS was born, our Artwork Management System. It was developed around the same needs that your team may have. We did not want to “suffer” more, and we knew there were better ways to manage all those processes within a single tool.

One of the biggest advantages of using Twona, to my own view, has always been the increase in visibility. Visibility of all the projects we were handling; but also, of all the information related to a new design/change, all in one single place.

Thanks to this, we are able to manage priorities with agility, distribute work in a more balanced manner, and we avoid generating bottle necks when a colleague is out of the office. This has all resulted in faster turnaround of Artworks.

Additionally, we can send a request for review directly from the tool, internally and externally, and see all comments, messages or additional documents all in one single screen. This helps tremendously with the editing process and with reducing the number of iterations needed before we can consider an Artwork as ready for print.

We, as well as our clients, also use some quality tools to review Artworks – these are embedded in Twona and accessible with just a click. But I will talk more about this in another moment, not to take much of your time.

If my post has triggered your curiosity and want to know how an Artwork Management System in the cloud works, or think that there may be some processes susceptible of improvement within your team, access this link to get more info or ask for a demo.

Rafael Cruz Núñez
Artwork Manager
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Add (this) AMS to your life

Are you involved in Artwork Packaging Design?

Photo by Twona

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.

Zuriñe García
Marketing
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The importance of a Digital Workflow

Photo by Kanhaiya Sharma on Unsplash Photo of a white staircase, meaning steps, workflow.
Photo by Kanhaiya Sharma 

Leveraging digital tools on the workplace might seem a topic of 1980, but believe or not, a significant portion of professional packaging related companies still manage their process manually (think emails or even paper trails).

Let me point out some of the fundamental key points on the importance of a proper digital workflow for managing the design of packaging materials for pharmaceutical products:

  • A proper digital workflow allows for efficient collaboration and communication among the design team, production team, and stakeholders.
  • It also helps to ensure that the final product meets regulatory requirements and guidelines, as well as brand standards.
  • Utilizing digital tools, such as design software and project management platforms, can greatly improve the accuracy and speed of the design process.
  • The use of digital mockups and automated proofing can also aid in the identification of potential issues before going into production, saving both time and costs.

One thing that can be helpful is to use a digital asset management platform to keep all design files, including images, text, and vector graphics, in one central location. This makes it easy for team members to find what they need and for the team to collaborate on the same version of the design.

On a side note, “Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance”

So, as a quick summary: proper digital workflow is essential for managing the design of packaging materials for pharmaceutical products. It allows for efficient collaboration, ensures regulatory compliance, and helps to minimize errors and costs.

If you’re looking to improve your packaging design process, we invite you to contact the team at twonas.com and we’d be more than happy to help you out.

Rafael Cruz Núñez
Artwork Manager