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My name is Geert Van Damme, Managing Director of CERM. We are building and implementing an MIS software for labels and packaging converters: We think industry-specific and product-oriented. Our software connects to many industry partners and has become the backbone for every stakeholder of the print shop.

By Geert Van Damme, CERM & Morten B. Reitoft INKISH

Morten B. Reitoft: One-time CERM was an independent company, then it became part of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, and now CERM is again an independent company. What is the more fun, from your perspective?

Geert Van Damme: Although we have no negative experience working together with the Heidelberg team, we were never the core product sold or developed. MIS was just one item on the list of 100 products, sold together with 'heavy metal' equipment as a minor part of a big deal. So, when MIS became too hard to sell, it was simply left out.

Now, we can focus on our product, MIS, without any interference.

Morten B. Reitoft: You and I have met at a couple of webinars, and I have to be honest, been positively surprised about the appreciation you get from customers. Why do you think customers are so happy with CERM?

Geert Van Damme: I appreciated very much your initiative to involve our customers. They are our best salesmen, and this is how it should be. Making our customers happy is what we try to do in several ways.

First of all, our software works, and it offers solutions to many issues of our customer group. 400 'lookalike' printshops use it all over the world. We are not just a new kid on the block, showing off his new tattoos. We do not need tattoos, and we don't need to show off. We get the work done: fast & good.

Secondly, because we reinvest almost all our money in continuous improvement, we listen to new trends and integrate them into new releases. So our customers, even those who started 30 years ago, still have a state-of-the-art solution. They do not need to rebuild or replace their MIS every ten years; they just need to follow our incremental upgrades.

Thirdly, many of our experienced specialists are coming out of the print shops. They did the printer's job before they joined us. That makes it easier to understand each other.

Morten B. Reitoft: Developing software is, of course, about developing solutions that solve problems - but with your focus on narrow-web/labels, how focused do you need to be successful - and is your solution suitable for other verticals?

Geert Van Damme: We will be launching our 'Packaging' solution within the coming weeks, focusing on Folding Carton and Rigid boxes. We have two beta customers' live', two are almost using the full software, and we will welcome new customers soon. This simple change to a near-market took us three years, just because of the very detailed technical focus on the products, the typical industry processes, and the specific interfaces to partners within this segment. Our MIS will increase the productivity of Packaging converters in a very interesting way!

This is the only way to avoid a lengthy implementation at customers like with a 'generic ERP' software, where consultants need to re-write the processes over and over again for every individual install. We always install exactly the same complete workflow; we just change a set of parameters (like the list of substrates or tools used by the printer).

Morten B. Reitoft: IoT, web-to-print, AI, and all the other technologies we see - at least as headlines in the industry - how vital is a technology like the one mentioned in your opinion?

Geert Van Damme: It will become as crucial as any other technological evolution we've known. Before we had 'Windows,' we could only use one application at a time on a computer. Before we had email, we had to print and telefax. Smartphones and 4G only appeared somewhat more than a decade ago. Today nobody can imagine living without this technology. And tomorrow will bring more interesting new things.

As Darwin said: 'it is the ability to adapt to change that makes species survive.' This is true for all printshops, as well as for their suppliers like us!

Morten B. Reitoft: The packaging/flexible market seems to continue being a growth market; how do CERM support customers' growth? Not just from a technical perspective, but also understanding their challenges, their support needs, etc.?

Geert Van Damme: Our specialists in the field are on-site at printers daily. They come back with what they have observed. We try to recognize trends, and we try to develop solutions that save money and time for our customers.

Our standard software package evolves, and all our customers follow this evolution in regular updates. This formula makes our solution easier to implement and to support than any tailor-made development. We always consider ourselves as delivering 80 % of the solution for 20 % of the cost.

Morten B. Reitoft: Being an independent company again - does that limit your partner potentials, or does it give you more options in the future?

Geert Van Damme: It is easier to talk to 'everyone' today. Heidelberg's competitors became less reluctant since the MBO, to be honest.

Morten B. Reitoft: How do you see the competition head to head on CERM?

Geert Van Damme: We have some well-respected competitors that have their loyal supporters. We need them to stay awake and be challenged. And our prospects need our competitors to have more than one option and compare. And dreams are not for sale.
But the biggest challenge is not the competition, but to convince the printers without an MIS or with a home-grown solution that they are slowly missing the train …

It makes no sense to discuss a web-to-print front-end if you do not have a product database or pricing mechanism at the back-end.

Morten B. Reitoft: Where do you see your biggest obstacles growing your customer base?

Geert Van Damme: Our most significant challenge to go 'worldwide' is to break the language barrier to train and help our customers. MIS implementation is not like installing an app to book an airplane. There are more than five questions to be asked! Although we have over 400 instruction videos and over 6.000 pages of online help in English, it doesn't help those who do not understand English.

So the most promising technical evolution we are waiting for that will really disrupt our world is online real-time translation tools: I speak my mother tongue Dutch to you through the phone, and you hear me speaking your mother tongue Danish and the other way round… I love what Google translate is doing today, and I hope they will get there soon. And then, all we develop will become available for the entire world…

Morten B. Reitoft: Where do you see CERM in 2, 3, or 5 years?
Geert Van Damme: All over the world, constantly evolving to try to help our customers…


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