Label Traxx, a provider of print MIS/ERP solutions for the label and flexible packaging segments, has announced the intent to merge with its two key partners: Siteline (web-to-print and sales portal/CRM) and Batched (automated scheduling and capacity planning). This merger will create the industry’s only fully integrated, end-to-end production solution designed specifically for the labels and flexible packaging market, Label Traxx says.

Label Traxx representatives will be available to discuss this merger at Labelexpo Americas 2022, scheduled for September 13-15, 2022, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention center in Chicago, IL. Label Traxx will be located in Booth 5920 at the show.

For the last six years, Label Traxx has collaborated with Siteline to develop and deploy a web-to-print solution that enables label customers and distributors to reorder, approve artwork, pay invoices, and manage their label product catalogs online. Siteline’s software integrates seamlessly with Label Traxx to provide a modern customer experience while maintaining Label Traxx as the system of record. Customer experience with this integration has reduced the time jobs spend in customer service by two days or more, resulting in jobs getting to press faster.

For the last three years, Label Traxx has collaborated with Batched to develop and deploy production optimization solutions specifically targeting the needs of label printers, including automated scheduling, capacity planning and operational dashboards. The Batched solution enables production teams to thrive under the pressures of supply chain constraints, the growing demand for short run digital, and shorter turnaround times along with more traditional, long run flexo operations. This integration allows production operations to more efficiently schedule and manage increasingly complex, multi-step production environments.

“We are approaching our 30th year in business, and over the last six years we have cultivated partners to accelerate our innovation. Now it’s time to consolidate the portfolio and the teams to bring a well-coordinated and seamless solution to the industry,” says Ken Meinhardt, Label Traxx co-founder.

The shared history and ethos of these companies make this merger a culmination of many years of partnership. All three solutions have roots back to ILS Labels of Ohio and its former owner, Jay Dollries. Label Traxx and ILS collaborated on their traditional flexo workflows, as well as support for each new HP Indigo press, and Siteline and Batched were solutions built to meet ILS Labels’ evolving and growing business needs.

Label Traxx, Siteline, and Batched have similar cultures, believing that software that delivers a return on investment is built iteratively with the customer, not theoretically by committees several steps removed from the customer’s reality.

Traditionally, web-to-print as a solution segment in the print industry has either focused on direct-to-consumer applications (B2C) or specific solutions for customers who have large catalogs that need to be ordered by large groups of people (e.g., franchises, sales teams, resellers). Siteline is a web-to-print solution designed specifically for the current customers of labels and packaging printers. These brands exchange hundreds of emails daily with their labels and packaging partners, which can cause confusion, errors and delays. Siteline is specifically designed to improve how label buyers interact with printers, consolidating these communications into a single view.

“I have been in the commercial web-to-print space for 25 years,” comments Jennifer Matt, Siteline’s founder. “In 2017, I immersed myself in the label segment with Steve Smith, founder of Lightning Labels and Wizard Labels. My company helped evolve Wizard Labels from a prototype to a scalable B2C solution as well as integrating it to Label Traxx at ILS. I saw the need for a specific solution to address the tremendous labor required in customer service as well as the need for an online portal for existing B2B customers. Siteline is designed to provide customers convenient online access which results in jobs on press days faster using less labor.”

Label converting is more than just printing, it can involve three, four, five, and sometimes six different machines in a single order. Scheduling at any scale has exceeded the capacity of even the most skilled and tenured employees. Schedulers deserve a set of tools that enable them to thrive under these complex situations.

“Batched is focused on deploying tools to support the operations and supply chain functions of the label printer,” Matt Murphy of Batched states. “We started with automating the scheduling process and have since added capacity planning and operational dashboards. These dashboards allow the printer to literally measure their ROI daily. Our roots are in the shop floor, and we know how important it is for software to make the lives of our customers easier, as well as add real value and profit back into the business.”

For the last year, Label Traxx, Batched, and Siteline have been working diligently to consolidate operations across sales, support, professional services, and product development. This consolidation results in a unified approach to supporting existing customers, building a team that has complementary skills sets. The unified solution includes the Label Traxx trusted system of record using a data model built over the last three decades in collaboration with some 500 global customers. Siteline provides the front-end web application for optimizing the front office, and Batched provides the web application for optimizing the production floor.

The ownership/leadership group will consist of Ken Meinhardt (Label Traxx), Jennifer Matt (Siteline), and Matt Murphy (Batched), with no outside investors. Rob Mayerson will lead day-to-day activities and the consolidation of operations as president. “Label customers of all sizes are participating in rapid consolidation,” Mayerson notes. “We are investing in the ability to service growing organizations with the upcoming release of Label Traxx Enterprise, which will support multi-site operations. Siteline and Batched are tightly integrated into Label Traxx while at the same time ‘loosely coupled’ to Label Traxx which means that in mixed ERP environments, Siteline and Batched will be able to work across the Enterprise. The new REST API from Label Traxx will extend the ability to connect Label Traxx to external systems.”

“Label Traxx is looking forward to this new step in its journey to provide a best in class, end-to-end, solution for its customers,” Meinhardt adds.