“The Art of Marking the Industry with DMS” podcast invites you to learn more about the personalized support and guidance offered by the DMS sales and technical teams. Learn more about the evaluation steps involved in choosing a solution tailored to the customer’s needs and its plant. Listen to the DMS’s podcast on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Here’s an overview of the topics covered in the third episode:
Acquiring a simple inkjet printer to produce a batch number may seem easy enough: a copy-pasted quote sent by email. DMS Marking Coding limits this kind of practice and doesn’t restrict itself to prices that can be viewed online. Why? Because the Quebec-based company offers genuine, personalized support and is committed to being there for its customers.
DMS wants to work with business partners who want to grow with them. A solution that seems simple, like setting up a small conveyor, could evolve into a project that can be adapted to a more significant production line in a few months or years. DMS Marking Coding anticipates its customers’ future and looks forward to a lasting collaboration.
Schedule an appointment with a DMS representative
When a potential customer contacts DMS Marking Coding for personalized support and assistance, the situation is handled by a representative specialized in the same field. The contact initiative is generally motivated by the customer’s interest in a specific product from DMS.
The first consultation usually takes place online. The representative then talks to the customer to learn more about the plant, project, business objectives, etc. During this meeting, the representative discusses aspects such as the budget, explains the steps in the process, and outlines a timeline for realizing the project in question. At the end of this first meeting, the DMS representative can clearly define the next step.
“We’re looking for customer partners. We want to help companies grow.” — Melissa Audette, President
Tailor-made solutions thanks to technical testing
This phase involves carrying out print tests on the product. This step is essential, as customers often don’t reveal all their needs during the first contact. The sales representative learns more about the customer’s processes throughout the discussions. Print tests take place in our laboratory in the DMS Academy facility. The DMS Marking Coding technical team performs various tests to validate criteria such as adhesion and drying time. It also carries out quality tests according to customer specifications. These tests create tangible samples to be presented to the customer for validation.
This is a crucial step in the personalized support process, as it verifies technical feasibility according to the customer’s needs and ensures customer satisfaction throughout.
Visit the production plant for an in-depth analysis
A plant visit is an opportunity for the DMS team to discover the facilities and validate the environmental conditions: temperatures, available space, current operations, etc. It also enables to check and validate specific details on site, such as the presence of washing processes, humidity levels, potentially frequent product changes, and other factors.
DMS Marking Coding calls this visit the “site survey”. This can be done by a technical team member, who sees the environment differently than the sales representatives. They focus on technical details for a personalized and specialized approach. This immersion allows DMS to observe the customer’s reactions in its working environment. Then, the DMS representative talks to the plant manager and operators to deepen the analysis. Sometimes, elements not mentioned or forgotten out of habit may emerge, contributing to a better understanding of the customer’s needs.
This proactive approach is reassuring for the customer, as it demonstrates the DMS team’s commitment and interest in their business and creates a bond of collaboration.
A communication with the IT team prior to installation
Once the customer decides to go ahead, the DMS team orders the equipment and schedules virtual appointments to communicate with the customer’s technical and IT team. This approach aims to understand the technical implications before installation. Often, when equipment is to be integrated into production lines, this raises questions about network connections, security, passwords and firewalls. These discussions help to understand technical and security requirements better.
The ultimate goal for DMS is the success of the project. The Quebec-based company seeks to satisfy its customers by offering them the solution best suited to their needs. To achieve this, DMS’s technical and sales teams encourage customers to think about their projects and actual needs. So, when the technician arrives for installation, they know the environment, the exact measurements, and all the physical preparation of the components (brackets, supports, etc.) is ready to guarantee smooth deployment.
“The aim behind all this is that I want to make a success of it.” — Melissa Audette, President
Train staff with new software
Since each equipment is supplied with message creation software, training is required to ensure a good understanding by the customer’s operational team. This requires a full day of installation by a DMS technician, including tests and demonstrations to the customer on maintenance and message creation. Training occurs in a live environment, right on the production plant site.
A virtual component to ease the transition
DMS has also included a virtual session for training. It’s recorded, and a link is sent to the customer to serve as a future training resource in case of an operator change, recruit integration or subsequent upgrades. The customer can, therefore, invite participants of their choice to follow this virtual training.
This approach has improved information retention, adherence and understanding of the new equipment. To avoid potential frustrations related to the change of habits, DMS accompanies the staff who will have to use the new equipment. This proximity facilitates acceptance of the change and contributes to a smooth, stable transition. In short, this process eases the changeover to the new equipment for employees accustomed to the old equipment while promoting habit change and better adaptation.
The success story of a customer in the food industry
A customer specializing in the production of veg pâté applied its labels by hand, using a standard labeller often used in grocery stores to affix batch numbers and expiry dates. However, these hand-applied labels had removable traceability, creating a risk of detachment and loss. The customer felt increasing pressure from its distributors to meet stringent product traceability standards.
“I […] thank [DMS] for the support […] provided from start to finish, it made all the difference!” — Lahbib Aissaoui, CFO and co-owner of Bio-Bon Inc.
A representative from DMS Marking Coding visited the plant, documented the situation with videos, and examined the processes in place. The production line presented several challenges: distinct work habits on each side of the conveyor, random product placement, a humid environment caused by temperature variations during product heating and cooling, etc. This humidity was a significant concern for traceability and label printing.
The DMS representative performed printing tests with and without humidity and made recommendations. The customer got involved and made changes to its production line by implementing the representative’s advice. In addition, the customer asked to visit the DMS Academy to see the equipment in action for a better understanding. This participation led to a successful equipment changeover for the customer. The client was grateful to DMS for the support provided throughout the process and valued this commitment.
This success story underlines the significant impact of close collaboration between DMS and its customers in solving complex challenges.
Listen to the new DMS’s podcast (in French)
Do you want more details about DMS Marking Coding’s personalized support? Go listen to the third episode of “The Art of Marking the Industry with DMS”, the DMS podcast.
Note: English subtitles can be enabled.