ePS Pace

Avantages

Reports and ease of use. You can find different alternatives to usage

Inconvénients

Not too many things I didn't like. It is easy to use and train others

Avantages

Clear interface, similar to what I would expect in something like Illustrator.

Inconvénients

Still some rough edges, things to be worked on

Avantages

The base architecture is sound. The api is robust

Inconvénients

Implementation is difficult EFi struggle to define the optimum approach to implementation, I strongly feel it would be better for the compnay to assertively say "do it this way, because this way works". Integration with EFI Fiery is not evolving very fast and were we to invest in cut sheet ink jet I think reviewing our MIS would become inevitable.

Avantages

I don't think there is much of anything I like about this software for our production purposes

Inconvénients

I help manage the Wide Format department here at DCG ONE. PACE - as we are implementing it - is nearly impossible to use for our Production Team. There are confusing job tickets on an almost daily basis. These often result in misunderstanding and therefore late projects and/or re-work. I realize that some of this is likely how we implement PACE but the structure of the job tickets and order submission seems NOT comprehensive, confusing, and not user-friendly in a custom print environment.

Avantages

There are a lot of options in it; granted you have to pay big bucks to include any of them as different modules. If you simply run a cost-plus model with absolutely no specific prices quoted to customers, then this might work. The support team usually answers concerns.

Inconvénients

Unfortunately, the varied options and features are so difficult to implement and understand that we have been attempting to use this software for 3 years now, and still are not fully implemented. The people in the trenches have no belief that it will ever be completely useable. The estimating module doesn't have a way to charge specific quoted prices to specific customers. So they offer the Price List Quoting module, which does not sync up very well with the estimating and production functionality. If anything is customized, you have to change it is two different places to be able to get it to run through your shop.

Avantages

I really don't have anything to add in the pros column. They are several features that work but they are nothing extraordinary.

Inconvénients

It doesn't work well with promotional products or wide format, pricing can be challenging, It's not easy for computer-illiterate people on our production floor for signing in and out of jobs, scheduling isn't as intuitive as it should be.

Avantages

web based - there is absolutely nothing else about this system that I like

Inconvénients

In my opinion the system is a big waste of money and does nothing except cause frustration and WASTE money and time. There is really nothing about this system that I do like. Whoever created this definitely does not actually use this system......they appear to be keyboard warriors only. Common sense has left the EFI building a long time ago. We were sold this system telling us how much more productive we would be and it has done the complete opposite. We have WASTED so much money and time with this almost unusable system. They create a system that doesn't work and then want to charge you a fortune to fix it - and what i mean to "fix it" is the way is should have been to begin with. This is where they get you along with their outrageous "maintenance" fees. 5 years into this and i am still in awe of how terrible this system is. Most people can use a system and figure out by common sense....Pace is the complete opposite of common sense. Nothing makes sense about this system. In the accounting portion every little task takes about 10 steps to do what did take us a second in our prior system. EFI has a firm grip on an empty sack that they think is invaluable. They are clueless to the real "working" world.

Avantages

The customization module truly makes this platform powerful and able to adapt to many business models.

Inconvénients

Currently, the CRM module. But, I say this knowing that at it's core Pace is an MIS system - not a CRM. So, I am appreciative they have the module as it allows us to operate with a single system of record and not have to manage multiple platforms or integrations.

Avantages

Web based, easily integrates with other systems. Makes the selling, estimating and job ticketing process very easy.

Inconvénients

The inventory management/fulfillment module is a complete joke. It is not intuitive and is generally insufficient for anyone to use commercially.

Avantages

There is a lot of flexibility in your capacity to read from the database. The database structure is pretty clearly laid out and accommodates the needs for customization well. The paid customization options have allowed our company to build in the features that were most important to us while adding features that made many users jobs much easier.

Inconvénients

The constant battles to resolve small issues have been very frustrating. The bigger battles to resolve accounting and inventory problems has been very frustrating as well. We also are a Printflow user and have found the integration was not well executed and left us regretting our decision to use the two programs in tandem. Support although many times very helpful can also be very unhelpful especially when the only thing they can say is that maybe some day the development team will get to fixing our problem.

Avantages

Estimating, P.O's, Data Collection, Payroll, Invoicing and Sales and Marketing reports.

Inconvénients

Doesn't seem as though there is a lot of personal followup or review once the system is installed. Although support is available it seems like the after the sale someone should come out annually to review issues that can be addressed to make the system more user friendly, dynamic and valuable to the end user.

Avantages

Nothing. There is nothing to like about this alleged "solution". It is absolutely worthless to us in it's current form.

Inconvénients

Estimating is bulky and not intuitive. Templates are incredibly difficult and cumbersome to build. MIS & W2P do not communicate, resulting in prices variances between storefront and actual production price (customer irritant). Unacceptable.

Avantages

Pacestation enquires and crystal reports. Also support from the support team and implementers is excellent

Inconvénients

No link to Sage which was promised and now only just delivered and at an additional cost to us. No link to Pageflex which was promised. No seamless link to Fiery. No people scheduling work to list built into data collection. Was told being an Shuttleworth customer that Shuttleworth was being made obsolete very soon (which is untrue) and that transfer would be easy as EFI to EFI which was also untrue.

Avantages

Pace's user interface and overall navigation is intuitive. We especially appreciate the file structure. It allows us to import, export and enhance system data easily using PaceStation query and the Universal Importer. Pace customer support is another strength.

Inconvénients

It was more difficult and time-consuming to implement than we expected. Training could have been better. We were spoiled by Pace. It would be wonderful if all the products in the suite (especially Process Shipper and Printstream) could be supported the same way as Pace. With Printstream especially, obtaining support takes longer and often techs need to access files and tables we can't even view, to change a variable or status.

Avantages

I like that we are able to use it as an ERP system as opposed to multiple systems.

Inconvénients

Reports: Many of the reports that open in Excel basically do just that: open in Excel. The data does not actually generate in Excel properly and it is a major pain to manipulate in a way that can actually be useful.

Sorting: It is annoying that the reports cannot always be sorted alphabetically.

Reassigning accounts: A salesman taking over a current customer cannot see the customer history. This is a major flaw that has never been addressed to my knowlege in over 30 versions.

Avantages

I like the interface. Inquiries reduce the number of rigid reports that are needed.

Inconvénients

It seems that there are features missing that other ERP systems have. I come from manufacturing so the software I used was influenced by aerospace and automotive industry.
I like dealing with support, but when something goes into dev review it falls into a black hold. I would like some updates.

Avantages

We have used Pace for many years. Large printers must have an MIS to efficiently manage production. And that MIS must integrate with ordering systems. Pace integrates with our Market Direct Storefront. Over the years, we made the transition from an internally created accounting system to our first commercially available MIS - Covalent. We then transitioned to Logic. And years ago we transitioned to Pace.

Inconvénients

Because integration of ordering software and Pace can be complex, once in a while there's a glitch. Figuring that out can be difficult, but with help from EFI Support we've always been able to do so.

Avantages

It keeps great records. It's easy to pull up old jobs and basic lists

Inconvénients

Slow and cumbersome. Not very customizable. Boxy. EFI is not fun to deal with. System just isn't smart and it costs way too much

Avantages

Pace has a robust API but is not well documented. The Universal Importer feature allows a single spreadsheet to insert, update or delete records in multiple tables. The customization toolkit is very useful to create user defined fields, objects and HTML forms. Item templates allow for automation of repetitive work.

Inconvénients

Other EFI products are not as well integrated as they should be (Metrix, Process Shipper).

Avantages

Overall - better than good (but I rarely give out 10's in general).
Support - Excellent
Integrations - very good>excellent
Order processing - good
Inventory - mostly good. Raw material is fine. We did purchase Printstream for fulfillment.
Estimating/quoting - very good. Thorough, therefore a bit complicated - for professional use only.

Inconvénients

UOM management in inventory. Estimating not designed for label printing (but adaptable). We felt like we had to go to Printstream for better finished goods inventory and fulfillment.

Avantages

It allows you to get about any report you could ever want.

Inconvénients

The out of box version has too much information and sometimes it makes estimating and entering orders more difficult and it takes longer for new hires to learn the software.

Avantages

The software is intuitive, flexible and able to adapt to most any situation a printing and packaging company may need. Users train quickly and love the features and reporting that the system is capable of.

Inconvénients

Our company is a true one stop shop and Pace is not able to estimate Flexographic Printing.

Avantages

That it is browser based.
That it connects with Digital Store Front and Process Shipper.
The Pace Station report creator.
Open connectivity.

Inconvénients

Certain paths take you to dead ends, like looking at the quantity on hand of an inventory item to see quantity in all locations.
Parts created a different times, like job level shipping, are different in use than other areas.
Certain functions seem to cause the system to faill or get stuck in certain browsers.
Poor use of screen space in current version compared to previous versions.

Avantages

It is great that PACE can help figure out if a job will be a better fit for digital or offset (you have to know a few tricks, but it is worth the effort). I love the fact that the software can tell me how many boxes and how many skids will be needed to finish the job. It is very helpful that I can set up an email alert when something is shipped out of the system. It is wonderful that you can use most of the fields as calculators.

Inconvénients

I do not like the latest upgrade that puts pop up windows in the middle of the screen. Previously the pop ups opened in the upper left corner. I was able to make the main PACE screen be a little smaller to the left and always see the pop ups that were open. Now I have to make the main PACE screen half the size of my computer screen from the bottom to see the same thing. Very frustrating when the goal is efficiency.

Avantages

Ease of use and multi ways to get to a order

Inconvénients

Pace needs to strengthen the accounting and CRM modules as soon as possible

Avantages

It's web-based, so remote availability is easy.

Inconvénients

Invoicing issues as noted prior with many manual touch points. Some things seem to take longer than necessary - additional clicks. Minimal reporting features also don't allow for easy reporting on multiple aspects of a job/estimate.

Avantages

It has everything. We can manage everything from the estimates through to shipping inside Pace with modules. This makes it very effective for our company.

Inconvénients

While it does everything, some aspects are not as developed. I would like to see better ways of managing the physical inventories (barcodes and scanners) and bundles modules often lead us away from purchasing something we need (notifcations and API bundled for example, just need notifications)

Avantages

The frontline support. The folks that assist with making this software work do a pretty good job.

Inconvénients

Inventory is a joke. Development is bad. I'm not your BETA tester

Avantages

Creating estimates are easy while at the same time being very detailed, allowing for more accurate estimates while also speeding up the average turn time of our estimates.

Inconvénients

The only issue we have found is that certain parts are very cookie-cutter which may not work with every business, so workarounds have to be made to get the results you want.

Avantages

EFI Pace streamlines so much of our business operation. We save time and have improved efficiency throughout our shop thanks to ePace.

Inconvénients

Some integrations have been slow to get fully operational but EFI support is committed to helping you get things implemented.

Avantages

As an SAAS, it gives you the confidence that it has gone through the strictest quality tests and that it will not conk out on you. I am new to the industry where I first used EFI Pace, but it was straightforward enough for me to learn more about the industry standards by the way it structured the dive-ins and reporting formats.

Inconvénients

There is not enough online contents on how to use specific features of the system. They have a community, but it seldom gives you the actual topic you are looking for.

Avantages

We were able to upload much of our existing information directly into Pace.

Inconvénients

Reporting abilities - many default reports did not work properly, and to "correct" them we were told it was a customization. When working in Pace Station, the inability to link tables / objects for reporting has been very frustrating.

Avantages

It has a lot of functionality. Its scalable as our business grows. It helps become a technology driven business.

Inconvénients

Metrix has never worked well for us. Whilst its very powerful and advanced it can be complicated to use. I would welcome it being more user-friendly.

Avantages

API - We use is a lot to enrich the data in the system

Inconvénients

Scheduling - It really has matured or developed much in the last several years.

Avantages

Intelligent calculations and plenty of information to report on

Inconvénients

Implementation was more difficult than anticipated due to issues between our IT and EFI

Avantages

The estimating software is the best part of the software

Inconvénients

The accounting system is not very user friendly and cumbersome to use

Avantages

Pace to PrintStream fulfillment and PrintFlow

Inconvénients

Difficult to do all accounting functions and report writing is a major challenge.

Avantages

The software has all you need to run a small to medium size business.

Inconvénients

The software is difficult to use and learn, not UI friendly.

Avantages

Solid end to end solution from pricing to production to billing

Inconvénients

Integration with outlook for real CRM capability

Avantages

We are in the process of a complete overhaul on the system. The help that we get from the EFI staff and the EFI communities has been wonderful.

Inconvénients

When a bug is discovered with the system, it can take a very long time to get fixed.

Avantages

It is custom tailored to the printing industry. It saves time in estimating by creating templates for estimates and estimate components. It links different parts of our business together i.e. accounting, job costing, estimating and production. It helps us see where we are making money where we are not making money. It helps us identify projects that suit our capabilities and projects that don't.

Inconvénients

It requires at least one person to administer the software and should have two or three that are qualified to jump in if necessary. The software requires substantial set-up time. It is a major investment of time for key personnel. It may be more than a small company can manage.

Avantages

For the front end user, it's pretty user friendly.

Inconvénients

Very difficult to navigate the back end set-up, reports, etc.

Avantages

The new look of scheduling and Data collection is amazing. Such an advancement in user interface and function.

Inconvénients

Not receiving an updated manual. I know that help is there, but it isn't always easy to navigate help to find what you need.

Avantages

If all worked as smoothly as advertised it would have been very robust

Inconvénients

Implementation was difficult and very time consuming

Avantages

Very robust and intuitive. Covers al lot of areas and would be a great asset to bean counters. Great for running reports- Customer service is helpful

Inconvénients

extremely cumbersome and confusing. Hard to use. There is no flow to the program. I don't think the programmers actually talked to anyone that was involved in estimating when designing the system.There are better estimating programs out there

Avantages

Has a lot of options for printing that can help.

Inconvénients

Implantation and customer service is lacking.

Avantages

Easy to use. Able to navigate through multiple windows throughout the entire suite.

Inconvénients

Did not like when things were changed that did not need to be changed.

Avantages

Very robust and built for various use. Storefront is good, but bit hard to setup.

Inconvénients

Expensive and bit difficult to implement.

Avantages

Data Collection Module
Inventory
API
Customization tool kit

Inconvénients

More training online
Offere Free classes on webinars or YouTube

Avantages

I like how fully featured it is, and that updates are very regular.

Inconvénients

The documentation is often poor, or out of date.