GSE integrates ink management with Brazilian ERP systems

GSE Dispensing has developed a flexible integration approach allowing its GSE Ink Manager software to connect with the diverse range of ERP systems used by Brazilian packaging converters, including locally developed and in-house platforms built to meet the country's complex fiscal and tax requirements.

While some converters operate global platforms such as SAP, many Brazilian packaging companies rely on bespoke systems that present practical integration challenges for specialised production software. To address this, GSE developed a standard protocol with three predefined formats, from which the appropriate interface and workflow can be configured, resulting in the GSE MIS Connect module, available as an optional component within the GSE Ink Manager software suite.

'For many converters, ink logistics is still viewed primarily as a dispensing function,' said Maarten Hummelen, marketing director of GSE. 'But in today's fast-response manufacturing environment, ink data has become far more strategic. Real-time insight into ink consumption, stock levels, formulation adjustments, press returns and job costing can inform purchasing decisions, sustainability reporting, regulatory compliance and long-term planning.'

In flexographic and gravure printing, where spot colors follow a non-linear path through production as base colors are blended, used and returned to stock, conventional ERP systems alone are often insufficient to track ink across its full lifecycle. Several Brazilian installations required close collaboration between converters' IT teams and GSE specialists in the Netherlands to align data structures, integrate manual production tracking into digital workflows and establish reliable communication protocols.

In some projects, GSE provided stand-alone versions of the software while customers awaited integrated hardware, allowing operators to familiarise themselves with digital workflows before full implementation.

'When ink management software is integrated with ERP systems, converters gain real-time insight that strengthens operational control, sustainability reporting and cost visibility,' added Hummelen.