Graham Packaging Replaces Loftware Print Server (LPS) With SENTINEL

Consistent Labeling & Smarter Spending: Graham Packaging Replaces Loftware Print Server (LPS) With TEKLYNX SENTINEL

TOPICS: PRINT AUTOMATION, ПРОМЫШЛЕННОЕ ПРОИЗВОДСТВО

Graham Packaging designs, manufactures, and sells custom and sustainable food, beverage, household, and automotive containers. They’re headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with their flagship manufacturing facility and Graham Recycling Company in York, Pennsylvania. Through efforts at 70 plants across North America, Europe, and South America, Graham Packaging produces more than 16 billion container units each year.

Between their 54 sites in North America, Graham Packaging has hundreds of employees accessing and printing product and inventory labels. Label design specifications are received from both customers and Graham Packaging plant staff. With just one person responsible for designing and managing 60 label templates, the workload was already significant. Label management became even more cumbersome as multiple versions of label designs were distributed and saved on local workstations.

For over 20 years, Graham Packaging primarily used Loftware Label Manager and Loftware Print Server (LPS). However, at the end of 2024, Loftware retired both solutions and started pushing its customers to a cloud-based, more expensive Loftware Spectrum package. This alternative required a lot of up-front customization to continue printing as they were, so Graham Packaging started looking for an alternative label printing automation solution.

Solution

Graham Packaging had LABEL MATRIX and LABELVIEW label design software installed at two of their sites, so naturally TEKLYNX was one of the providers they approached to discuss an LPS alternative. They were also considering Loftware Spectrum and looking into BarTender Automation software. Operational continuity and budget were the major decision factors. They compared the functionality and cost of their current product to various alternatives and saw TEKLYNX as the front-runner to meet their various needs.

After working closely with TEKLYNX Enterprise Sales Executive, Bill McCluskey and Sales Engineer, Robert Lenski to discuss product offerings and a migration strategy, Graham Packaging chose SENTINEL label printing automation solution to replace LPS.

Along the way, Graham Packaging also discovered they were overspending on unused LPS printer seats and were able to consolidate with the help of TEKLYNX, reducing the number of seats and cutting additional costs.

“SENTINEL best met our requirements, having enough similarities to LPS to allow us to continue using our processes, but was more cost-effective,” said Noah Davis, IT Analyst at Graham Packaging.

SENTINEL’s low-code integration method would allow Graham Packaging to maintain existing system architecture without disruption or significant customization. Using the same connections and file drop workflows, they could migrate with little to no changes.

CODESOFT, the label design software for SENTINEL, also has more dynamic programmability of functions, equations, and barcode or variable fields to meet Graham Packaging customer’s complex requirements.

To fit within their existing budget, Graham Packaging purchased a 3-year subscription license of SENTINEL and CODESOFT—a cost-effective option that offers more predictable software costs. They installed SENTINEL on three private servers, each with their own dedicated purpose or location support to streamline software and label management.

“As expected, there were some learning curves, but all were fixable and had strategic or technical solutions,” explained Noah. “The TEKLYNX team was quick to respond with assistance. Once any issues were resolved, our SENTINEL implementation went smoothly.”

Results

With the implementation of SENTINEL, Graham Packaging was able to maintain the consistency and accuracy they wanted in labeling operations. Their MES and SAP ERP systems still drop a file into a watch folder, and SENTINEL reads the file and automatically prints accurate labels to the designated printers. After migrating to SENTINEL, their label error rate stayed below 1%—the same accuracy standard they had come to expect.

Graham Packaging currently prints labels and documents (pick lists, pack lists, bills of material, purchase orders, work orders, manufacturing travelers, etc.) to over 150 devices—including Honeywell models (PM4i, PD42, PM43, PM45), various Zebra printers, and standard office printers. 39 sites operate off the three SENTINEL servers, ensuring 24/7 uninterrupted label printing.

Label designs are modified or created as needed for new customer requirements, and to avoid multiple versions floating around, label files are stored in a centralized location. Customers and Graham Packaging plant staff described the new CODESOFT label designs as, “clearer and more modern,” contributing to a 30% increase in customer satisfaction.

Replacing LPS with SENTINEL resulted in consistent labeling, smarter spending, and positioned Graham Packaging for scalable growth. As customer demand increases, they’ll consider increasing their SENTINEL servers and printer licenses to support more of their existing sites and new or acquired sites.

Reflecting on the process and working with TEKLYNX representatives, Noah commented, “Robert was proactive and informative in responding to questions, architectural designs, and technical concerns, and provides solutions quickly. Bill was proactive and helpful with communications and purchasing. TEKLYNX support responds quickly with troubleshooting basic issues.”

“This project is a great example of how we prioritize our customers,” said Bill. “We worked closely with Noah and the Graham Packaging team to understand their unique needs and identify a solution that aligned with their existing processes, avoided unnecessary costs, and ensured a smooth transition. The collaboration was strong from day one, and we look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting their growth.”

Are you looking to replace an existing solution or add print automation to your labeling process? Request a free demo to see SENTINEL in action.

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