Print and packaging production tracking software
Print and packaging production tracking software: see your scrap, control your cost.
Put planned consumption side by side with actual, and capture set-up rejects and waste from the floor. Follow every operation from printing to shipping on the Gantt screen and see the real cost per piece.
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Setup
- < 1 week
Real numbers in three steps
- Step 1
Set up the BOM
How many kilos of raw material and how many machine hours each job needs is defined.
- Step 2
Connect the floor
Operators enter set-up rejects and waste instantly.
- Step 3
See the difference
Planned and actual consumption side by side, with scrap in plain sight.
Can You Answer These Questions Today?
In a packaging plant or print shop, every day goes by with the same questions:
Scrap is unavoidable with paper; the real problem is not knowing how much there is. Every kilo above plan comes straight out of profit.
Skala puts planned consumption side by side with actual consumption. Set-up rejects and waste are entered from the floor and posted to the work order together with operation cost.
Do You Really Know Where Your Scrap Goes?
The BOM says 1,240 kg; 1,318 kg went on the floor. Skala shows this difference and records who entered the waste and on which machine.
Raw material, operation time and waste add up to a single number. When the job closes, you see the real cost per piece.
- Planned consumption / actual consumption
- Set-up rejects and waste entered from the floor
- Scrap rate by machine and job
- Raw material + operation + waste = real cost
Which Job Is on Which Machine, at a Glance
Printing, cutting, gluing and packing steps are linked to the work order. Operators start and finish their step on a tablet; the time spent is recorded on its own.
On the Gantt screen you see which job is at which operation and which machine is busy or free.
- Operation start and finish times
- Gantt: which job is at which operation
- Capacity and load by machine
- Late jobs in a different colour on the list
Pieces, Metres, Kilos, Square Metres. All the Same Job.
The customer orders pieces, production runs in metres, purchasing buys kilos and the invoice is in square metres. You define the unit conversion once; the rest is automatic.
Raw material stock is tracked by grammage and width, and the system alerts you at the reorder level.
Look Back When a Customer Complaint Comes In
Every production batch is recorded with its own lot number: which reel it came from, which machine printed it and which customer it went to are visible.
You link colour, size and grammage checks to the same batch.
- Every batch recorded with its own lot number
- Which reel it came from, visible backwards
- Quality control results linked to the batch
- Which customer it went to, on record
- 1Raw material lotLOT 2406-15 · Raw material A
- 2Work orderWO-1188 · Mixing / production step
- 3Finished goodsSN 0091-344 · Finished product
See the Numbers Without Waiting for Month End
You get production, scrap, machine utilisation, order status and profitability reports from one place. You see which job is losing money that week, not at the end of the month.
What do you manage with Skala?
All in the same system. No separate programs, files or notebooks.
Scrap and Waste Tracking
Compare planned and actual consumption.
Real Work Order Cost
Raw material, operations and waste add up to one number.
Operation Tracking and Gantt
See which job is on which machine at a glance.
Operator Mobile
Follow printing, cutting and gluing live from the floor.
Unit Conversion
Convert pieces, metres, kilos and square metres automatically.
Raw Material Stock
Track paper, board and ink by grammage.
Lot and Batch Tracking
Record every batch with the reel it came from.
Quality Control
Link colour, size and grammage checks to the batch.
Reporting
Get scrap, capacity and profitability reports from one place.
You don't have to give up the software you use
Your accounting software, your online store and Skala use the same data. You never enter the same product in two places.
- Stay ahead of every order and stock movement with live updates across sales, inventory and production.
- Automate order fulfilment in Skala and save hours by extending workflows with integrations.
- Full customisation with Skala's open API — connect any tool to your own workflow.
No need for a complex ERP
Most production software turns into a months-long project: consultants come, training ends and the system still goes unused. You start using Skala the day you sign up, and setup takes less than a week. You buy no servers, licences or hardware. Screens are written in the language of production. Operators need to learn three buttons: Start, Pause, Complete.
- 14 days free · no credit card required
- Setup in under a week · no servers or licences
- Used by more than 1,500 manufacturers
- Unlimited free support and training for your team
- Data is stored in the cloud and backed up regularly
- Access from computer, tablet and phone
Manufacturers using Skala share their stories
Moonzelt · Tents and outdoor structuresRuns multi-channel orders on live dataShopify and marketplace orders are fulfilled from one central stock; overselling and delays are gone.Shopify integrationLive stockRead the case study 
Atölye Reklam · Signage and advertisingCut production errors to a minimumMoved away from manual tracking; work orders live in one panel and errors are caught at the source.Work ordersEfficiencyRead the case study 
ST Duşakabin · Shower cabins and bathtubsProduction and orders in one systemGlass, metal and accessory components, orders and stock in one place — and a support team they rate highly.Order managementFast onboardingRead the case study
Questions about print and packaging production tracking software
For general questions, see our frequently asked questions page.
How are scrap and waste tracked in packaging production?
Planned consumption in the BOM is compared with actual consumption on the floor. Operators enter set-up rejects and waste on a tablet; the difference is reported as the scrap rate. You see which machine and which job has rising scrap before the job closes.
How do I calculate the real cost of a work order?
Raw material consumption, operation times and waste are gathered on a single work order. Every operation has an hourly cost; when the operator starts and finishes the job the time is recorded automatically. When the job closes, you see the real cost per piece.
Can printing, cutting and gluing operations be tracked?
Yes. Every operation is linked to the work order. Operators start and complete their own step on a tablet; which job is on which machine and how much is left is visible on the Gantt screen.
Can I see machine capacity and delay risk in advance?
Yes. You see the production load per machine: how many jobs are waiting on which machine and which day is full. Jobs at risk of missing their due date appear in a different colour on the list.
How are different units (pieces, metres, kilos, m²) managed?
You define the unit conversion for each product once: how many metres in a reel, how many grams in a square metre. After that, whatever unit an order is entered in, Skala calculates the production, purchasing and invoicing units automatically.
Can reel and paper stock be tracked by grammage and width?
Yes. You keep the same paper in different grammages and widths as separate stock items, see quantities by warehouse and get automatic alerts at the reorder level.
We make food or pharmaceutical packaging. Can batch traceability be ensured?
Yes. Every production batch is recorded with its own lot number; which raw material batch it came from, which machine produced it and which customer it went to can all be viewed backwards.
Can it also be used for print shops and label production?
Yes. Print shops, label makers, carton and box producers, corrugated board plants and printed packaging manufacturers can all use Skala in the same way.
See Your Scrap and Cost in Packaging TodayTry it free for 14 days.
Don't guess where your scrap went at the end of the month. · Don't work out cost per piece on a calculator. · Don't phone around to find which machine a job is on.
- Live in under a week
- We import your Excel data
- Real humans on support
