From artwork to dispatch, every job on one SAP core.
For converters who print folding cartons, labels, flexible laminates, sleeves, tags and trims for FMCG, tea, confectionery, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and apparel brands, in Sri Lanka and for export. This is how SAP connects the press hall to procurement, on-time delivery and finance, and how Mawkish puts it to work.
Your customers don't buy packaging. They buy compliance, shelf impact and on-time launches.
A tea exporter, a pharmaceutical company and a global apparel brand each judge you on different things. SAP lets one plant serve all three without three ways of working. Pick a market.
FMCG
What you printHigh volumes on tight weekly calls, frequent promotional artwork, stock held close to their filling lines, and no line stoppage because packaging was late.
- Scheduling agreements with delivery schedules. Forecast and firm call-offs arrive from the customer and drive planning automatically.
- Customer consignment and vendor-managed stock. Stock at the customer's site stays yours until they consume it, and is billed on usage.
- Artwork versions on the material. A promotional pack is a new version with its own validity, so the old design never ships by mistake.
- Returnable packaging. Pallets, cores and crates tracked by customer, so they come back.
Tea
What you printHundreds of SKUs, one for each blend, market and language. Small runs for niche markets, large runs for the majors, food-safe materials and export cartons that meet each importer's marking rules.
- Configurable products. One master carton with variants by size, board, finish and language, instead of thousands of separate items.
- Combined production orders. Several small SKUs that share board and inks are ganged on one sheet, then costed back to each order.
- Food-contact records on every batch. Supplier declarations for board and inks stored against the batches used.
- Built for tea exporters' rhythm. We run SAP for Sri Lankan tea exporters and know how their packing schedules move.
Confectionery
What you printLow-migration inks and food-contact compliance, reels slit exactly to their machine widths, and huge seasonal peaks for festivals at home and for export markets.
- Parent reel to child reel. A printed master reel is slit into child reels, each its own batch with width, length and joins recorded.
- Quality inspection at goods receipt and in process. Migration test results and certificates kept per batch.
- Seasonal planning. Demand built months ahead so board, film and capacity are secured before the peak.
- Reel labels from SAP. Every reel leaves with a batch label the customer can scan into their own system.
Cosmetics and personal care
What you printExact colour against the brand standard, perfect embellishment, short runs and fast launches. A colour that drifts between runs is a rejected delivery.
- Routings that reflect embellishment. Foil, emboss, spot UV and window patching are operations with their own times and costs, in house or subcontracted.
- Colour as a quality result. Delta E readings recorded against tolerance, so a drift is caught on the press, not by the customer.
- First article inspection. The first sheet is approved before the run continues, with the record kept.
- Launch planning. A range of SKUs that share a die and a launch date planned as one.
Pharmaceuticals
What you printGood manufacturing practice for packaging, strict artwork change control, full lot traceability and zero mix-ups. One wrong leaflet in one carton can trigger a recall.
- Change records for artwork and specifications. A new version is approved, dated and released before it can be produced.
- Batch release through quality. Finished goods stay blocked until inspection is complete and signed off.
- Full genealogy. From the customer's delivery back to the board reel, ink batch and plate used, in seconds.
- Codes and variable data. Batch, expiry and 2D code data passed from SAP to your coding and vision systems.
Apparel
What you printThe brand nominates you, the garment factory orders from you, and every order carries its own sizes, colours, barcodes and prices. Turnaround is measured in days, and factories sit in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and beyond.
- Variable data from the order line. Size breakdowns, barcodes and RFID data flow from the order to your label and encoding systems.
- Brand and factory on one deal. The nominating brand, the ordering factory and the paying entity are linked, so pricing and reporting follow the brand.
- Plants near the garment hubs. Several plants and companies in one system, with orders routed to the plant nearest the factory.
- Fast order to dispatch. Order, print, pack and ship in one flow, with no re-keying.
Most converters lose money in the same six places.
None of these show up clearly in a spreadsheet or a disconnected print system. They show up when every job carries its real cost from quote to invoice.
Estimates that miss
Quotes are built by experience. Makeready, waste and board yield are guessed, and nobody checks the job afterwards.
With SAPConfigured quotes from real routings and materials, then estimate against actual on every job.
Makeready and waste
Setups, colour matching and startup sheets eat hours and board every shift, and the reasons are not recorded.
With SAPSetup time and waste confirmed by reason, by machine and by job, so you can attack the biggest causes.
Artwork loops
Proofs go back and forth by email. Jobs wait for approval while the press slot passes.
With SAPArtwork status on the order, so planning only releases jobs that are approved.
Material swings
Board, film and ink prices move with currency and freight. Imports arrive late and the real landed cost is known weeks later.
With SAPLanded cost on every import, contracts with mills, and price changes visible in costing straight away.
Late and split deliveries
Promises are made without checking material or press capacity, then rescued with overtime and air freight.
With SAPDates promised from real availability, and a live view of every order at risk.
Rejects and credit notes
A colour or print defect found by the customer costs the job, the reprint and the relationship.
With SAPInspection in process, quality notifications with root cause, and the cost of poor quality on the job.
Follow one job from enquiry to cash.
What happens in your business at each step, and what SAP does at the same moment. One job record carries everything, so nobody re-keys and nothing is lost between departments.
- 1
Enquiry and specificationSales
In your businessA brand sends a spec: carton style, board, size, colours, finish, quantity, delivery dates.In SAPLeads and enquiries logged against the customer, with the spec captured as structured characteristics, not an email attachment. - 2
Estimate and configureEstimating
In your businessThe estimator works out sheet layout, board, inks, plates, makeready, run speed and finishing.In SAPAdvanced variant configuration builds the product and its bill of materials and routing from the spec, with rules for valid combinations and a cost to quote from. - 3
Quote and orderSales
In your businessPrice is agreed by quantity break. The customer confirms and gives call-off dates.In SAPQuotations become sales orders or scheduling agreements in one step. Credit is checked before the job is released. - 4
Artwork and proofPrepress
In your businessArtwork arrives, is checked, proofed and approved. Repeat jobs may need only a text change.In SAPArtwork version and approval status held on the material and order, linked to your prepress system. Pharma changes go through change records. - 5
Plan and schedulePlanning
In your businessJobs are sequenced to cut changeovers: same board, same ink set, same die together.In SAPMRP creates planned orders from demand. Planners sequence on capacity, and combine small orders that share a sheet into one production run. - 6
Buy and receiveProcurement
In your businessBoard, film, inks, foils, plates and dies are bought, imported and checked on arrival.In SAPRequirements become requisitions and call-offs against contracts. Goods receipts create batches with mill reel numbers, test results and landed cost. - 7
Prepress and toolingPrepress
In your businessPlates are made, cylinders prepared and cutting dies checked out of the store.In SAPPlates and dies are tracked as tools with usage, location and life, so a worn die is replaced before it fails. - 8
PrintPress hall
In your businessMakeready, colour approval, then the run. Speeds, stops and waste vary every shift.In SAPOperators confirm setup, run, output and waste by reason from the machine or a tablet. Material is issued by batch as it is used. - 9
Convert and finishFinishing
In your businessDie-cutting, laminating, slitting, embellishing, folding and gluing, some of it outsourced.In SAPEach step is an operation on the routing. Outsourced steps are subcontracting orders with the material sent and returned on record. - 10
Inspect and releaseQuality
In your businessFirst article, in-process checks, colour readings and final inspection.In SAPInspection lots with characteristics and tolerances. Failed results raise a quality notification, and stock stays blocked until released. - 11
Pack and dispatchWarehouse and logistics
In your businessCartons are counted, palletised, labelled and loaded for the customer's slot.In SAPHandling units with pallet labels, deliveries picked by batch, transport planned and proof of delivery recorded. - 12
Invoice, cost and learnFinance
In your businessThe customer is invoiced, cash collected, and the job's real margin reviewed.In SAPBilling from the delivery, cash collection and margin by job, customer, market and machine, with estimate against actual.
Where the money is really made or lost.
The press hall is where estimates meet reality. Tap a point on the line to see what is captured there and what SAP does with it.
Material loaded
The operator scans the board reel or pallet. SAP issues that exact batch to the job, so you know which mill reel went into which order.
Makeready
Plates mounted, register set, startup sheets run. SAP records setup time and setup waste separately from the run, so makeready is costed and improved.
Ink and colour
Colour matched to the brand standard. SAP stores Delta E and density readings as inspection results, and ink use is posted to the job.
Running
Speed, stops and output change all shift. SAP Digital Manufacturing collects machine signals, downtime reasons and OEE, and confirms output to the order.
Inline inspection
Cameras flag print defects. SAP logs defects by code, raises a quality notification when limits are hit, and keeps the evidence.
Die-cut and slit
Sheets become blanks, master reels become child reels. SAP records each child reel as its own batch, with trim and scrap posted as by-products.
Finish and pack
Folded, glued, counted and packed. SAP creates handling units with labels and records the final good quantity.
Pallet out
The pallet leaves the line. SAP receives it into stock, blocked or released by quality, and the job's actual cost is complete.
Figures on this screen are illustrative, not client data.
Promise dates you can keep, then keep them.
On-time, in-full delivery is decided long before the truck leaves. It depends on an honest promise, a plan that respects the presses, and materials that arrive on time. SAP links all three.
Illustrative schedule.
- 1Order inFrom EDI, a brand portal, email or a sales rep, into one sales order or schedule line.
- 2Availability checkAdvanced ATP confirms against stock and planned supply, and protects allocations for key customers.
- 3Capacity checkPlanners see load by press and shift before confirming a date, not after.
- 4Materials securedBoard, film and inks reserved or ordered, with supplier confirmations tracked.
- 5Produced and releasedConfirmations and quality release in real time, so sales sees progress without calling the floor.
- 6Shipped and provenDelivery, transport and proof of delivery recorded. OTIF measured per customer, automatically.
Call-offs and schedules
Scheduling agreements take forecast and just-in-time releases from big customers, so planning runs on their real demand.
Stock at the customer
Consignment and vendor-managed stock keep their filling lines running, and you bill on consumption.
Orders at risk
Backorder processing and alerts show which orders will miss, while there is still time to act.
Warehouse and dispatch
Batch-correct picking, pallet labels and loading in SAP Extended Warehouse Management.
Transport
Loads, carriers and freight cost planned and settled in SAP Transportation Management.
Finite scheduling, if you need it
Where you need detailed finite scheduling across many presses, we connect a specialist scheduler or use SAP Cloud ERP Private.
Board, film and ink are most of your cost. Buy them like it.
In packaging, materials are often 50 to 70 percent of the selling price, and most of them are imported. SAP plans what you need from real jobs, buys against contracts, and books the true landed cost.
Board and paper
Reels and sheets by grade, GSM and mill, with reel numbers and test results kept as batch data.
Films and foils
BOPP, PET, PE and foil laminates, plus hot-foil reels, bought by width and length.
Inks, coatings, adhesives
Often held on supplier consignment, so you pay only for what you use.
Plates, dies, cylinders
Bought per job or held as tools, with cost charged to the customer or spread across runs.
Demand from jobs
MRP turns orders and forecasts into exact material needs by date.
Contracts with mills
Prices and volumes agreed per year, with call-offs released automatically.
Landed cost
Freight, duty, insurance and clearing loaded onto stock value.
Batches and checks
Goods receipt by batch, with incoming inspection and certificates.
Subcontracting
Lamination, foiling or corrugation done outside, with material tracked.
Three-way match
Invoice matched to order and receipt before it is paid.
Customer-supplied material
When a brand provides its own board or film, it is held as customer stock, not on your balance sheet.
Chain of custody
FSC or PEFC claims carried on the batch from receipt to the delivery note.
Supplier performance
Delivery, quality and price scored per supplier, so the mill review uses facts.
Know the real margin of every job, the day it ships.
Every confirmation on the floor and every receipt in the store is a financial event. SAP posts it as it happens, so work in progress, variances and margin are always current, not a month-end surprise.
- Event-based costing. Work in progress and variances update with every confirmation, not at period end.
- Margin analysis. Revenue and cost by job, customer, brand, market, product type and machine.
- Multi-currency. Export sales in USD or EUR, imports in other currencies, books in LKR, with realised and unrealised gains.
- Group and intercompany. Plants overseas trade with Sri Lanka as separate companies, with intercompany billing and group close.
- Credit and collections. Credit limits checked before release, and collections worked from one list.
- Local tax. Sri Lankan tax and statutory reporting handled in our implementation, as on our live SAP Cloud ERP projects here.
| Job 24-1187, tea cartons | Estimate | Actual | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board | 1,840 | 1,912 | +72 |
| Inks and coating | 310 | 296 | -14 |
| Makeready | 220 | 305 | +85 |
| Run and finishing | 640 | 618 | -22 |
| Waste | 110 | 168 | +58 |
| Job cost | 3,120 | 3,299 | +179 |
When a brand calls about a batch, answer in minutes.
Brand owners audit their packaging suppliers. They ask which board, which ink and which shift. SAP keeps that chain for every delivery, both ways: from the customer back to the mill, and from a suspect ink batch forward to every customer who received it.
- Batch genealogy. Where-used and where-from for every batch, from reel to pallet.
- Inspection plans. Colour, dimensions, registration, glue strength and barcode grade, with tolerances per customer.
- Quality notifications. Customer complaints and internal defects with root cause and corrective actions.
- Certificates. Supplier certificates kept on receipt, and certificates issued to customers with the delivery.
SAP keeps the records these audits ask for. Certification stays with you and your auditor.
One system for a Colombo plant and a plant next to your customers abroad.
Brands want packaging made close to where they fill or sew. SAP runs several plants and companies on one platform, so a job can be quoted in Colombo, produced in Dhaka or Chennai and reported as one business.
Many plants, one plan
Stock transfers and intercompany sales between plants, with demand routed to the plant with the capacity and the closest customer.
Export done properly
Export documents, multiple currencies and price lists per market, with the label languages and markings each importer needs.
Local rules, global view
SAP covers tax and reporting for many countries out of the box, and we add what Sri Lanka needs. Group results are consolidated in one place.
A clean core in the middle, your specialist tools around it.
Printers rely on specialist software for prepress, colour and label design. We keep those, connect them to SAP through standard interfaces, and keep the SAP core standard so upgrades stay simple.
AI that works on your data, not a demo.
With jobs, materials and machine data on one platform, AI has something real to work with. These are the uses we design for converters.
Quote from a spec in minutes
An assistant reads the customer's RFQ, proposes the configuration and flags the closest past jobs and their real margins.
Spot the drift early
Patterns in waste and downtime by press, board grade and shift, surfaced before they become a monthly loss.
Complaints with context
A complaint arrives with the batch, the shift, the inspection results and similar past cases already attached.
Ask the plan
Planners ask Joule which orders are at risk this week and why, and get an answer from live data.
Collections and disputes
Agents that prepare dunning, match payments and assemble dispute evidence such as delivery proofs.
Watch material risk
Alerts when a mill delivery slips against jobs already promised, with alternatives suggested.
We begin on your shop floor, not in a slide deck.
Our first step is to walk your plant and follow real jobs. You get an honest view of where SAP fits, where it does not, and what it would take.
Plant walk and job trace
We follow three of your real jobs from enquiry to invoice, and map where time, material and margin are lost.
One to two days on siteFit to standard on your jobs
We show your jobs running in SAP: a configured quote, a production order, a confirmation and a margin report.
Working sessions with your teamRoadmap and edition
A scope, a phased plan and a recommendation: SAP Cloud ERP for standard fit, or SAP Cloud ERP Private where you need more.
A plan you can take to the boardCeylon Beverage Can, Sri Lanka and India
Aluminium can manufacturing for beverage brands, moving to SAP Cloud ERP with GROW with SAP across plants in Sri Lanka and Chennai. High-speed packaging production, brand-owner customers, export and intercompany, the same patterns this page describes.
Why Mawkish
- SAP Cloud ERP projects live and in delivery in Sri Lanka, including manufacturers and tea exporters.
- We know your customers' industries: tea, food, FMCG and apparel are our home markets.
- Local team in Colombo, working across South Asia.
© 2026 Mawkish Technologies. This guide, its diagrams and illustrations are protected by copyright. You’re welcome to learn from it and to quote it with credit and a link. Reproducing it, by hand or through AI, and publishing it as your own is not allowed. Read our copyright notice
What converters ask us first.
Will SAP replace our print MIS or estimating tool?
Often yes for estimating, ordering, planning, costing and finance, using variant configuration. Specialist prepress, colour management and label design tools usually stay, and connect to SAP. We decide this with you during the plant walk.
Can SAP handle gang runs, where several jobs share one sheet?
Yes. Several orders can be combined into one production run and costs split back to each original order, so each customer's margin stays correct.
Our presses are different ages. Can we still collect machine data?
Yes. Newer presses connect directly. Older ones use simple sensors or operator tablets. SAP Digital Manufacturing brings both into one view, and you can start with tablets and add machine signals later.
Which SAP edition fits a converter?
SAP Cloud ERP fits most converters, with standard processes and regular updates. If you need detailed finite scheduling across many presses, or deeper industry features, SAP Cloud ERP Private is the option. We recommend one after fit to standard, not before.
Do you support Sri Lankan tax and reporting?
Yes. We run SAP Cloud ERP for Sri Lankan companies today and cover local tax and statutory reporting in our implementation.
How long does it take?
It depends on plants, scope and data. A single-plant converter on SAP Cloud ERP is typically a matter of months, not years. You get a real plan after the fit-to-standard step.
Let's walk your plant together.
One day on your floor with our SAP manufacturing and finance consultants. You leave with a map of where margin is lost and how SAP would close the gaps.
- Three real jobs traced end to end
- Where waste and margin leak
- The right SAP edition and a first roadmap