Web-to-Print Increases Volume and Value at Hunter Engineering

After years of using an antiquated in-house system for online orders, Mike Barnes, manager of Print and Mail Services for Hunter Engineering in Bridgeton, Missouri, had enough.

“Everyone hated it,” Barnes says. “There was absolutely no tracking. There was no way we could tell anybody how many of a particular brochure had been ordered, or who was ordering the brochure.”

Barnes explains that the only thing the system provided was a slip of paper that had the recipient’s name on it and the details of what they wanted.

Mike Barnes

So, Barnes decided the time had come for an upgrade.

“I felt it was time to update that and bring us ... into the 21st century, and enable reporting and other features that came along with it,” Barnes says.

In late 2023, the in-plant installed a Web-to-print system from Propago. And now, a year later, Barnes couldn’t be happier with the results. His shop’s volume has increased by 50%, he says. Clients, too, are pleased, he adds.

“Part of the benefits are the feedback we get from the customers, which are [company] sales reps. They love the new interface because previously all they had was a text description of something that they could click on,” Barnes says.

With the new system, customers can download the entire brochure to preview their order, they receive confirmation emails, they can track their orders, and most importantly, they can customize their brochures.

“Our customers are absolutely loving that feature,” Barnes remarks.

Thanks to the new system, the in-plant can bring previously outsourced jobs in-house.

“Our stationery was all printed outside previously, business cards, that kind of thing. This has enabled us to bring them in because I built a template on the Web-to-print system so that everybody now creates their own business card,” Barnes says.

Print-Ready PDF

Before the new system was installed, Barnes explains that the shop had a text form that customers would fill out, the shop would process it, and then it would be sent out to a vendor to be printed. But now, the system gives them a PDF that’s print ready, and everything can be done in-house.

Sometimes, making the leap to a Web-to-print system can be daunting. But Barnes explains that because his team did its due diligence and research, the whole process was smooth.

“We knew exactly what was needed of us upfront and the company we selected knew what we needed,” he says. “From contract signing to launch, the whole process took 91 days.”

Bombarded With Orders

The only hiccup the in-plant faced was initially being bombarded with orders because everyone was so excited about the new system. Learning the software and adjusting the workflow were part of the learning curve, he says.

“There’s a matter of actually doing an electronic thing rather than just looking at a piece of paper, and throwing it in a box,” Barnes says. “It took us probably about a week to get that sorted out and figure out exactly how the system worked. But since then, it’s been completely smooth."

And because it’s gone so smoothly, Barnes says this investment has greatly increased his in-plant’s value to Hunter Engineering.

“It really has done a lot for us because everybody can see what we’ve done. It’s all out there for everybody to go look at. Everybody within the company loves it, and the feedback from the top is always positive,” Barnes says.

For any in-plants that haven’t made the leap to a Web-to-print system yet, Barnes has some sage words of advice.

“It’s absolutely worth it, it really is,” he says. “The ROI is fantastic. Just make sure to do your homework and figure out exactly what you need.

“Talk to all of the vendors,” he adds. “There isn’t a single bad one out there; they’re all great at what they do. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit for your in-plant.”