About the Company

Founded in 1903, McCracken Bag & Label has a long-standing history serving the pharmacy industry, which still represents approximately 65% of its business today. As a well-established label manufacturer managing complex workflows, from quoting and prepress to production, shipping, and billing, McCracken operates with a team strongly focused on efficiency, accuracy, and customer service.

 

The Challenge

Managing a business with over 100 employees and multiple interconnected processes created significant operational complexity. McCracken needed a system that could unify workflows across departments while remaining intuitive for both office staff and shop floor employees.

At the same time, the company had lingering concerns from past software experiences, particularly long, difficult implementations and slow user adoption. Leadership was cautious about taking on another system that might disrupt operations or require extended ramp-up time.

“We were very concerned because of how long it took us to implement our previous software.” — Christopher Buday, Co-President

Additionally, McCracken wanted to improve visibility for customers and partners, streamline inventory tracking, and reduce friction in daily tasks like estimating, scheduling, and order management.

 

The Solution

McCracken selected Label Traxx due to its purpose-built design for label printing and converting operations. The system provided an end-to-end ERP platform that unified quoting, inventory, production, shipping, and billing into a single, integrated environment.

“When you’re managing 100 people and many processes… to have an ERP system that encapsulates all that in one is very important.” — Luke Vassiliades, Co-President

 

Key capabilities included:

  • Intuitive estimating and quoting: A step-by-step workflow simplified the creation of accurate quotes.
  • Real-time inventory tracking: Barcode scanning enabled precise tracking of raw material usage and inventory levels.
  • Customer and reseller portal: Partners could access product information, place orders, track progress, and manage billing in real time.
  • Enhanced scheduling (Batch add-on): Improved production planning and supported McCracken’s goal of a paperless shop floor.
  • Instant communication: Changes made by customer service could be reflected on the shop floor immediately.

Implementation was completed in just 3–4 months which far exceeded expectations and employees across departments quickly adopted the system.

“It took probably three or four months… We were able to get this thing live faster than I ever thought was possible.” — Luke Vassiliades

 

Benefits & Impact

The transition to Label Traxx delivered measurable operational and organizational improvements across McCracken:

  • Rapid Implementation with Minimal Disruption The system went live in a fraction of the expected time, avoiding the prolonged disruptions experienced with previous software.

“We haven’t missed a beat… it’s actually been a very successful implementation.” — Christopher Buday

 

  • High User Adoption Across the Shop Floor Even traditionally challenging areas like shop floor training saw fast uptake, improving consistency and efficiency.

“The shop floor… learned the system really quickly.” — Luke Vassiliades

 

  • Improved Efficiency and Ease of Use The intuitive interface reduced complexity and clicks required for daily tasks.

“Label Traxx is more intuitive, less clicks to get the same things accomplished.” — Christopher Buday

 

  • Real-Time Visibility and Communication Instant updates between customer service and production eliminated delays and improved responsiveness to customer requests.
  • Enhanced Customer Experience The customer and reseller portal created transparency, enabling users to track orders, access information, and manage billing independently.
  • Accurate Inventory Control Barcode scanning improved material tracking, reducing waste and increasing confidence in inventory data.
  • Strong Vendor Partnership and Support McCracken benefited from a collaborative approach to customization and problem-solving.

“Instead of saying, ‘no, it doesn’t do that’… they make it work for you.” — Luke Vassiliades

 

Future Plans

McCracken is continuing to build on its digital transformation by expanding use of scheduling and shop floor capabilities, with a clear focus on achieving a fully paperless production environment.

The company aims to:

  • Increase real-time data flow across departments
  • Further optimize scheduling and production visibility
  • Continue enhancing customer and partner engagement through digital tools

With a scalable, industry-specific ERP foundation in place, McCracken is well-positioned to drive continued efficiency, responsiveness, and growth.

Contact Us

Speak with an expert