“By countertop fabricators for countertop fabricators” is the tagline for Fifth Gear Technologies, who develops software applications for the countertop market. Initially, Fifth Gear Tech launched SpeedDraw, http://speeddraw.net/, a CAD-based software to help fabricators produce final drawings, job tickets, and quality control documents faster with fewer mistakes at less cost. Following SpeedDraw, Fifth Gear Tech launched SpeedLabel, https://speedlabel.net/, the first tracking application for the countertop industry.
SpeedLabel Interface |
According to Steve Mast, Partner in Fifth Gear Technologies, “SpeedLabel is designed to track custom parts as they travel through the production process. As these parts are custom, mistakes, either in production, delivery or installation, cost a lot of money. The objective of SpeedLabel is to help our fabricator customers improve their overall operations and save money by tracking the custom pieces as they travel through production, delivery and installation.”
Printed Label from the C3500 using SpeedLabel |
When asked about the use of the C3500 to print labels, Steve says “we use both color and images on our labels. Images communicates the dimensions of the individual custom pieces. Color profiles or describes the edge element of the piece. Together, color and images communicate to the operators in the plant and the installers how the piece should be manufactured and installed”. Continuing, Steve says, “and we’re now building into our application color codes to highlight pieces within a specific order. We’ve already had this request from several of our initial customers.”
Printed Label from the C3500 using SpeedLabel |
One key benefit of SpeedLabel is the ability to track custom produced items. According to Steve, “normally, most fabricators rely on workorders/travelers that move through the plant and out on delivery. With the labels printed from SpeedLabel, fabricators can eliminate work orders/travelers over time to simplify processes and reduce the opportunity for errors.”
C3500 Printed Tracking Label from SpeedLabel |
Another important aspect of SpeedLabel is the fact that Fifth Gear Tech designed the application to print from Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. From my perspective, browser-based printing is very unique in the label market. Steve says, “Given the fact that we decided to use only the C3500 printer, configuring the browsers to print was relatively easy. With browsers, any Windows based computer can print with no requirement to run a separate application.”
To learn more about Fifth Gear Tech and their applications SpeedDraw and SpeedLabel, check out this recent story in Slippery Rock, the most widely read stones trade publication: http://www.slipperyrockgazette.net/index.cfm/pageId/3116
From my perspective, I find SpeedLabel a great application, taking and using the capabilities of the C3500 to improve countertop fabricators operations. Color and images combined with great programming improve their customer’s business. Any manufacturer of custom items should consider this type of application to track and communicate the specific of each piece. Be sure to contact us if we can support your efforts in using color and images in your operation.
Guy Mikel
855-962-7670