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Our finished product is higher quality with HubCast – and it is of consistently high quality, in every location, every time we print.
Firefly Communications conducts classroom training in every country on every continent around the world. Providing printed course books and lab guides to students attending its rigorous training sessions is central to the company’s mission of helping customers rapidly implement cutting-edge technologies. Because technology and coursework evolve so rapidly, Firefly prints and ships on demand, and does not maintain a warehouse of books.
But, as the lead time required to ship and clear customs in many countries stretched beyond three weeks, Firefly found itself adjusting its registration schedules to match the shipping limitations, impacting its ability to respond to customer needs. Initially, Firefly turned to local printers, but developing and managing an extended network of printers consumed valuable in-house resources and the quality of materials was inconsistent.
Recognizing they needed a fast and flexible global strategy for delivering high-quality course materials as the company and its course catalog grew, Dave Liebman, chief development officer, turned to HubCast and its Cloud Print Service to ensure a ready supply of up-to-the minute course materials anywhere in the world. HubCast enables Firefly to:
Firefly Communications, LLC is the leading global provider of advanced technology training and consulting solutions. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the company offers expert-led classroom instruction, state-of-the art remote lab access, and educational consulting services for Fortune 500 and FTSE 250 companies.
The company is renowned for developing innovative learning solutions that help customers solve business problems by accelerating the adoption of technology. Its expertise in applications, networking, security, and storage uniquely positions Firefly to deliver solutions-oriented consulting and education, ensuring customers have the knowledge they need to implement new technologies on ‘Day 1’.
In any single week, Firefly conducts multiple classes around the globe, requiring the company to print and ship small quantities of varying course materials to numerous locations around the world, all at the same time. Firefly’s courses and content are constantly evolving, so the company prints just enough course materials to cover class registration. “Our course books change frequently to reflect the most recent advances in technology,” explains Liebman. “We don’t want to maintain a warehouse of books, and risk throwing obsolete materials away, so we print on demand.”
As Firefly develops new courses, adds new customers, and extends into new countries, its demand for short runs of high-quality course books is increasing rapidly. In the past, Firefly printed in the US and shipped overseas or sent .pdfs to local printers. “When we print books in the US we have to build-in time for shipping and for clearing customs, which was a huge issue for us in the past,” states Liebman. “Often, when shipping to parts of Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa, books get delayed in customs, sometimes for as long as two weeks.”
Initially, Firefly tried using local printers closer to their training sites. But, the quality varied and the complexities of dealing with numerous vendors consumed valuable resources. “We were dealing with a large number of printers around the world and there were definitely time and quality issues,” declares Liebman. “Plus, we were constantly uploading files to various print vendors’ websites or having the vendors pull content off our website.”
The long lead time for materials also impacted Firefly’s sales process. “If someone showed up to class at the last minute, we had to scramble to find a local printer that could get a book there in a reasonable timeframe and sometimes it simply wasn’t possible,” explains Liebman. “If we were conducting a class simultaneously in multiple countries we simply didn’t have the flexibility to allow people to register at the last minute. Now, with HubCast we do.”
HubCast provides Firefly with a true global print solution and a consistent level of service around the globe. “Using a single vendor simplifies our logistics,” declares Liebman. “We only maintain one archive of .pdfs, and we only have one point-of-contact for producing and delivering our materials around the world.”
For Firefly, a major benefit of HubCast’s Cloud Print Service is operational flexibility. “Now, we can accept registrations right up to last minute, and print and deliver books to multiple training locations very quickly,” declares Liebman. “HubCast has printing facilities in the countries where we do business, which means we can order a book with one to two days notice instead of two to three weeks.” HubCast’s Cloud Print Service network comprises print vendors in more than 60 cities and 25 countries around the globe, enabling Firefly to dramatically reduce its shipping costs. And, with Hubcast, Firefly can deliver training materials to their final destination as fast as same day.
“HubCast also helps improve our production process,” states Liebman. The HubCast customer support team provides guidance on creating press-ready .pdfs to protect brand consistency and to ensure both the ordering process and the manufacturing process work smoothly. With HubCast, Firefly is confident they can produce consistent, high-quality training materials anywhere in the world, virtually overnight - even under the pressure of deadlines.
“Our finished product is higher quality with HubCast – and it is of consistently high quality, in every location, every time we print,” concludes Liebman.