Happy International Print Day!
Under the hashtag #IPD16, eLynxx Solutions is joining the Print and Integrated Marketing community in reminding everyone that print is everywhere and that there are lots of people creating cool stuff with it. This year our theme is #printsmart. Take a bow, you ink-sniffers.
Two years ago, our participation in #IPD14 was a success in terms of finding new life and civilizations in what we now call the “Printerverse.” That event was the first time my @andysolages handle on Twitter rubbed zeroes and ones with thought leaders like Deborah Corn (@printmediacentr) and online communities dedicated to print and integrated marketing (e.g. #PrintChat). I also did some decent sock puppetry on the @eLynxx handle where I did the company promotion thing while being my own straight man. So IPD is special. It’s a good time to connect with new people, learn things, and maybe increase your follower count if your fragile ego is thirsty.
Across social media you’re going to find great content and examples of print under the hashtag #IPD16. Pick your platforms and enjoy. As usual, we’ll be taking this opportunity to get acquainted with more of the great people who make print happen. And since we make software to help print buyers achieve better results (and have better information) as they work with their trusted printers, we’re going to say “hi” first and introduce ourselves with this quick interview I did with our CEO, Mike Jackson.
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Andy: Tell us a little bit about your background. How long have you been the CEO of eLynxx Solutions?
Mike: I’ve had a variety of leadership roles in my thirty-year career, all working with companies who offer technical products and services. I joined eLynxx as the COO in 2008 and I became CEO in early 2014. And are you going to link to my bio on the website?
Andy: Yeah. It has a pretty good picture of you. Should bring all the print buyers to the yard.
Mike: OK, then we’ve solved for that.
Andy: Pretend we’ve never met. What is PrintLynxx and how can it help the people who give us reasons to celebrate International Print Day?
Mike: Well, people that are in any kind of print production role are dealing with a couple of things. One is a deadline-driven environment, often extremely tight deadlines, so they have to react quickly. The second is that there are so many moving parts that they have to keep track of. What eLynxx has done is to create cloud-based software for print professionals that helps them coordinate, track, and optimize procurement of print projects. It’s purpose-built for these professionals to be able to rationalize all of the complex details and deadlines they have to manage. Things like project specs, changes, production schedules, vendor capabilities, vendor performance, etc. So it really makes order out of chaos and allows them to more effectively respond to tight turnaround times that are inherently part of producing custom print.
Andy: OK, so with that order, I would get information, so let’s say my boss asked for a report on…
Mike: The most common thing we see is that all the information associated with these projects is residing in different places. So you have a fragmented collection of data sources. Trying to put reports together with that usually involves analysts, it involves a lot of time, it involves a lot of effort. In PrintLynxx, everything is in one place so all of the metrics that are time based, that are cost based, that are qualitative based, all the project specifications, vendor performance, everything resides in one place. It’s in one database, and we offer a reporting module within the PrintLynxx that allows customers to assemble that information and report on anything they want to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEjkqjlpmc
Andy: The King of Pop’s shadow looms large every time you first meet someone. But let’s put “Michael Jackson” to the side for the moment. I understand you grew up in a town called Bel Air. May I call you the Fresh Prince?
Mike: No.
Andy: Fine. Be that way. How can people contact you?
Mike: I invite anyone who wishes to learn more to visit our website, elynxx.com or call our office at 717-709-0990. I’m a bit of a moving target, but any member of the eLynxx team will be ready to listen and give a sense of how our software can help. And if I can add value to your life with my monthly tweet, follow me at @eLynxxCEO.
To learn more about International Print Day, visit Internationalprintday.org
Mike isn’t just the Director of Marketing at eLynxx Solutions – he’s a customer-whisperer, a growth alchemist, and a trend-spotting oracle all rolled into one. His passion lies in igniting interest in eLynxx’s innovative solutions, fueling the company’s customer base, and using client feedback to steer the industry towards a brighter future.