Major Global Charity Chooses Avanti Slingshot Print MIS for Its Direct Mail Initiatives

TORONTO—June 25, 2015—Avanti Computer Systems Limited, a leading provider of print MIS solutions, announced that Our Daily Bread Ministries, a non-denominational, non-profit, global ministry, has gone live with Avanti Slingshot print MIS for real-time visibility into its expanding direct mail initiatives.

The organization’s Grand Rapids, Michigan, print production facility generates 62 million booklets and boasts 72 million impressions, with more than 10 languages, printed in the United States. The Harris M1000 web press consumes 6 million pounds of paper, the Akiyama sheetfed press consumes 11 million sheets of paper, and the HP7000 and HP5500 digital presses consume 6 million sheets of paper.

Each mailing project is made up of individual components like booklets, brochures, address cards and envelopes. Given the breadth of products and the Ministry’s global presence, they needed a solution that could not only manage the printing requirements of the individual items, but provide the production staff a comprehensive, real-time view of the project—including costs—as a whole.

“We had postage stats in a spreadsheet over here; our third-party inserter had its own measurement over there,” said Ron Underwood, supply chain team lead for Our Daily Bread Ministries. “There was no holistic view in terms of management.”

Underwood looked at several print MIS vendors. The organization had history with Avanti, having been an Avanti Classic client since 2006. Our Daily Bread Ministries was impressed by the simplicity and organization of the user interface of Avanti Slingshot, the company’s next-generation platform. The fact that Avanti Slingshot is browser-based was particularly appealing.

“There are tremendous advantages to a browser-based solution," noted Underwood. “The visibility we get by having real-time access to our information from both within—as well as outside—the plant is game-changing.”

The move to Avanti Slingshot lays the foundation for the organization’s plans for improving the efficiency of its mail management processes. The Ministry now has real-time access to all costs, from setup to fulfillment and visibility into where they align to each specific mailing.

“We were confident from the outset that Avanti Slingshot would identify cost-savings opportunities for Our Daily Bread Ministries to analyze and set goals for future growth, retention and membership loyalty,” stated Patrick Bolan, president and CEO, Avanti. “The more ownership they took for the application, and the more they provided feedback, the more Avanti was able to satisfy their objectives.”

Our Daily Bread Ministries valued Avanti’s rich, 30-year history and deep understanding of the print industry. They recognized Avanti’s commitment to product improvement and assistance in getting the most out of the software.

“Other systems were either far behind Avanti or over-engineered,” concluded Underwood. “We could have spent far more on other MIS solutions, yet not received the benefits and personal attention we get from Avanti.”

Read the full case study: www.avantisystems.com/our-daily-bread-calls-avanti-slingshot-a-game-changer

About Avanti
For more than 30 years, Avanti has provided innovative, award-winning print MIS solutions that help print shops and marketing communication organizations automate all facets of their business and cultivate a more meaningful customer relationship. Avanti’s solutions are the most open in the industry; are JDF-certified, fully integrated and extend from Web-to-print through to production and billing.

About Our Daily Bread Ministries
Our Daily Bread Ministries (formerly RBC Ministries), is a non-denominational, non-profit, global ministry with staff and volunteers in over 35 offices working together to distribute more than 60 million resources in 150 countries. Its U.S. headquarters is located in Cascade Township, Michigan, on the southeast side of metro Grand Rapids, and is home to almost 300 full time staff and 100 volunteers. Started in 1938, with a radio program called Detroit Bible Class, its audience has since grown from a small group of dedicated radio listeners to millions of people around the world who use their Bible-based resources.

Source: Avanti.