Peir Group logo
Editor’s Note: PEiR Group is well known to many APDSP members, and in fact there is some overlap in membership. But all associations evolve over the time, and we wanted to see what PEiR Group is doing these days. This interview with the group’s executive director, John Bidwell, tells the story.
APDSP: What is PEiR Group’s relationship with ARC?
Bidwell: PEiR Group is a subsidiary of ARC. There’s a wall that keeps things separate. Planwell, which is part of PEiR Group, is the licensing organization for software developed by ARC.
APDSP: How did PEiR Group start?
Bidwell: It started with the revolution of planrooms that came onto the market in about 2000. ARC perfected their planroom, and they wanted it to be one of the main platforms out there. ARC is located in the backyard of Silicon Valley, and we see software companies infringing on every other market. So ARC felt it would be better to create their own planroom than have some software company create one and infringe on the market. They started PEiR Group in 2003 as a buying organization that would offer the software to reprographics shops.
APDSP: What does the name PEiR stand for?
Bidwell: Profit and Education in Reprographics.
APDSP: Has the software that Planwell offers expanded beyond the planroom?
Bidwell: Yes, we also offer several other software packages for reprographics shops:
- Metaprint is a print submission program that comes in various versions, including some for end users and an enterprise version for reprographics shops themselves.
-Skysite is our cloud-based document management program for general contractors. It manages a project’s documentation from cradle to grave. It’s essentially a digital planroom, but designed for on-going use, even after a building is completed. Users have unlimited storage and easy access to all of their documents perpetually.
-Abacus is a print control and cost-recovery program. It’s designed to help a shop rebill jobs that go through their printers, and it allows print orders to be coded by job or employee. We’re rolling out a new version of Abacus at SGIA. The new version is designed for the customers of repro shops. There’s a free version, and pay versions for different levels of tracking.
- Finally, we also offer iShipDocs, a big file transfer program.
APDSP: Does a company have to be a member of PEiR Group to get this software?
Bidwell: No, but the prices are better for members.
APDSP: What else does PEiR Group offer?
Bidwell: We have buying arrangements with some large-format vendors, such as Canon and HP. That’s our biggest program now. We also offer a network that members can use when they need work done outside their geographical area. For example, if you have an international customer, you can work with our equipment division to install and maintain FMs for those customers. This is all done through a single point of contact, so there’s consistency every time.
APDSP: How many members do you have?
Bidwell: We have about 75 members. We’re open to everybody, no geographic or other restrictions. You can learn more at www.peirgroup.com.