I first learned about Crawford Technologies earlier this year at the Xplor International Conference & Vendor Forum in Tampa, FL. Their software solutions for the Print Industry amazed me. Actually, the entire reality of the technology that goes into Print and especially within the Document/Transpromo segment sort of blew my mind. As a Print Media Buyer, I send a file and pretty much expect to see a finished product to my satisfaction, and don’t concern myself with HOW that happens on the Vendor end. Luckily, Ernie Crawford does.
I stopped by Crawford’s booth at GRAPH EXPO and made a video with Jonathan McGrew which you can see here. It actually took several visits before I could nail him down as each time I passed it seemed to be more crowded in there! I knew I was going to be sending out follow up information from the show, and that this would be a perfect time to introduce you to Ernie Crawford as well as the products and services they were discussing in Chicago.
DC: Who is Ernie Crawford and what does he do?
EC: Ernie Crawford is the founder and president of Crawford Technologies Inc., a company that has been a part of the High Volume Transaction Output (HVTO) industry since 1995. Ernie’s entrepreneurial spirit comes not from the corporate world, but his family and upbringing. His grandfather, father and uncles were his role models, as they were all able to build well respected profitable organizations through providing excellent customer service. While running a chain of hotels would have been more in keeping with family tradition, it was technology that turned his head.
Ernie graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Computer Science and began his career as a programmer working with Mainframes and then the first IBM 3800 series printers. Working for companies such as Canada Life Assurance, Sears, Hudson Bay Co. and Xerox, Ernie’s experience armed him with the expertise to now head Crawford Technologies and drive continued growth year over year. As with most small businesses, he is involved in the day to day contract negotiations, sales, product development strategies and the expansion of the company—something we are proud to say is happening regularly.
DC: Please provide an overview of products and services offered by Crawford Technologies.
Crawford Technologies has three main lines of business: Core, Archive Management and Document Accessibility Services (DAS). Our Core division provides print-stream conversions for print service providers and large enterprise customers in the HVTO industry. These conversions were the basis for founding Crawford Technologies and continue to be a large part of our business. In addition to providing transforms from AFP to PDF and other print languages, CrawfordTech also provides full production and workflow capabilities with PRO Production Manager (a GRAPH EXPO 2011 Worth-a-Look). Through our Core division we can assist with document re-engineering (repurposing), QR code creation and implementation, multi-channel delivery (e-presentment, mobile viewing, etc.), mail tracking and more.
The Archive Management Solutions division provides software solutions that allow customers to extend their Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems to include documents created from computer sources, such as reports, customer bills and statements. Sophisticated management of the documents allow streamlined ingestion, and fast retrieval of these documents for viewing, faxing, printing and emailing. This can extend the value to an enterprise of repositories like EMC’s Documentum.
The Document Accessibility Services division provides the ability for customers to take their transactional data output and provide alternate formats for those with disabilities. Through our PCI compliant facility, CrawfordTech provides services that will take your print-stream and convert appropriate documents to Braille, audio, large format and e-text and mail them to your customers for you. We believe this service is key in reaching all customers, especially with increasing compliance regulations, as it is estimated that 5% of transactional customers have a disability that makes it difficult or impossible for them to read their transactional documents.
DC: How can Print Providers incorporate these products and services?
EC: Print Service Providers and Enterprise customers can incorporate our solutions in order to manage their production and workflow capabilities from the print-stream through the printing process, inserters, mailing and delivery. The CrawfordTech solutions are modular and open in nature so they allow prospective and current customers to only implement the pieces that are necessary. Due to our development philosophy, CrawfordTech products can run on most operating systems and interface with most other systems that may already be implemented in a customer’s print environment.
DC: What is the benefit of these technologies and do you have any data or case study examples to share?
EC: There are several case studies available for prospective and current customers to review. Our two most recent include HOV Services and The Dominion case studies, both of which provide detailed accounts of how CrawfordTech transform solutions served to solve complex business problems. The Telus case study will give better understanding of how the CrawfordTech DAS division can provide alternative formats and the problems it can solve.
DC: How does social media fit into your marketing strategy, and which channels are you utilizing to deliver your message?
EC: Social media is an integral part of our marketing strategy with message delivery to multiple channels that include the CrawfordTech blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, QR codes,Slideshare, Twitter and, soon to come, Youtube. Our multi-channel delivery strategy is more than just sending messages to these different outlets; our strategy believes in having conversations with our target audience to promote better relationships with our customers. We invite you to check out our Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn Group and Slideshare for discussions, presentations and more. Of course, you can take a peek at our Twitter stream for the latest happenings at CrawfordTech. Need help finding our channels? Check outwww.crawfordtech.com/about.
DC: Lastly, if you were to give the commencement speech at The University of Western Ontario, what would your message be regarding the future of
Print Technology?
EC: The printing industry is currently schussing down a steep slope of technology change. The combination of digital printing technology advances over the past decade, the global wave of acceptance of web 2.0 applications and the sudden move to eBooks and tablet computing are combining to send shock waves throughout the industry. Whatever is state-of-the-art today, may well be obsolete by next year. Many “printing” roles are now encompassing all communication media, even some that did not exist last year. This is an exciting period in the history of printing, and if you like the thrill of being on the leading edge of technology and social change and are ready to anticipate the challenges brought on by rapid changes, look for a career in the printing industry, and plan to keep your head up and your boots on tight.
