Advanced Labels
How Advanced Labels increased production productivity by 20% with a custom scheduling and stock analysis app
Advanced Labels were relying on manual Excel files to schedule production and manage stock. Every day the operations manager spent around 2 hours creating separate schedules for each printer. A custom web app replaced this entirely — delivering a 20% increase in production productivity.
At a Glance
The project in brief
Industry
Label Manufacturing
Company Size
Approximately 10 users
Challenge
Manual Excel-based scheduling and limited stock visibility
Solution
Custom web app with role-based access, live scheduling, and stock analysis
Key Results
The Challenge
Manual Excel scheduling and limited stock visibility
Advanced Labels was managing production scheduling and stock analysis through manually created Excel files. Each day, the operations manager had to manually pull jobs, organise them into schedules, create a separate Excel file for each printer, print the schedules, and hand them to the relevant printer operators. This process took approximately 2 hours every day and created a heavy administrative burden.
The bigger issue was not just time. The manual process made it difficult to prioritise jobs, adjust schedules quickly, and group similar work by shared production requirements such as press, tool, ink, paper width, and shipment date.
Stock analysis was also a challenge. It had to be built manually and was not updated regularly because it took hours to produce. Since the data changed whenever new jobs came in, the stock picture could quickly become outdated — making it harder to understand what stock was available, what was already committed to active jobs, and what still needed to be ordered.
The Solution
A custom authenticated web app built around how Advanced Labels operates
The app brought production scheduling, printer-specific schedules, stock analysis, and data uploading into one central system. The managing director and operations manager have full access. Printer operators only see the schedule relevant to their specific printer — giving each person exactly what they need.
Production Scheduler
Search and filter 60,000+ job records in real time by press, tool, ink, paper width, and shipment date — making it easy to group similar jobs and build efficient schedules.
Printer-Specific Schedules
Each printer has its own live schedule inside the app. Operators only see the jobs assigned to their printer, giving them a focused view without exposing the full management interface.
Drag-and-Drop Scheduling
The press schedule board lets the manager reorder jobs instantly with drag-and-drop. When priorities shift, the updated schedule is live immediately — no Excel editing required.
Stock Analysis Dashboard
A live view of stock position that compares stock on hand, stock required for active jobs, and stock already ordered. Deficits shown in red, surpluses in green, balanced in black.
Self-Service Data Upload
The team can upload updated TSV files directly in the browser to refresh stock and job data — no developer involvement needed for routine updates.
The App
See it in action
A purpose-built tool that replaced manual Excel workflows with live scheduling, real-time stock visibility, and printer-specific views — all in one authenticated web app.
Before vs After
From manual spreadsheets to a live operations platform
Before
- ~2 hours each day building Excel schedules manually
- Separate printed files created for each printer
- Stock analysis took hours to build, updated infrequently
- No centralised view of production or stock position
- Difficult to group jobs by press, tool, ink, or paper width
- Adjusting priorities meant editing and re-printing Excel files
After
- Schedules built directly in the app in minutes
- Each printer sees their own live schedule automatically
- Stock analysis refreshed in minutes, checked multiple times daily
- Single platform covers scheduling, stock, and communications
- Filter by press, tool, ink, paper width, and shipment date instantly
- Drag-and-drop reordering — changes are live immediately
Results & Impact
A measurable improvement across the business
The headline result was a 20% increase in production productivity, measured by the improvement in time between jobs before and after the system was introduced. Beyond that, the app transformed how the team schedules, communicates, and manages stock on a daily basis.
“I have been working with Shane for over 6 months now. Both platforms perform amazingly well. Our productivity has increased by 20% and we have reduced our material waste and created efficiencies.”
Liam Ellis
Managing Director, Advanced Labels
Related services
Services used in this project
Have a similar scheduling or stock visibility problem?
If your team is still relying on spreadsheets to manage production, stock, or operational workflows, a custom web app could help you save time, reduce manual work, and make better decisions faster.