CHECKLIST: What do you need to consider when requesting forms?

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Did you know that it's possible to optimize the costs of purchasing forms if you consider just a few details?

On a day-to-day basis, we strive to help our customers find the best value for money for their needs. However, sometimes, in order to achieve greater efficiency, or to improve the conditions in which communications are sent, there is a need to make last-minute changes that can result in some internal constraints, such as last-minute design changes, delays in shipments and even compromises in the ability to optimize production.

Don't leave details to the last minute, download our checklist "What do you need to consider when ordering forms?" and find out how, by taking care of everything in advance, you can optimize the production costs of your forms.


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The importance of data quality

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Many companies find themselves in possession of a considerable amount of data without knowing exactly what value can be extracted from it or how it can be extracted.

Because they are scattered, have different structures and formats or are incomplete, they become very difficult to use. Difficult, but rarely impossible... With the mechanisms currently in place for conversion and validation, good preparatory work can make analysis of great value to the business possible.

Even in a database, a data quality assessment process can find outliers, duplicate records or inconsistencies. find outliers, duplicate records or inconsistencies. A detailed analysis of these situations may identify opportunities for improvement in the ETL (extrat, transform and load) process or even business-related opportunities. business. The same process could include cross-referencing with external data sources, enriching the sources, enriching the data and generating information of great potential.

A model is only good as the data it learns from. Before investing in application of Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence, make sure you have full control over the quality of your data, or your results are doomed, no matter how good the model behind it.

The topic of "Data quality" is very broad and can be addressed at different stages of the pipeline or with different pipeline or with different approaches or technologies. Here are some of the steps that we think are important for ensuring data quality:

Rigorous data profiling and data source control

A good Data profiling tool will be important to examine the following aspects of the data: format, patterns, consistency of records, distributions of values and outliers and whether the records are complete. Data profiling will help you identify problems in your data that can be addressed directly at the source or in the ETL process. To do this efficiently there must be a dahsboard, with general KPIs that reflect the results of this profiling and that allow you to monitor data behavior against expectations.

Detailed design of the data pipeline

The of the data entry pipeline includes areas such as the definition of fields, business rules and database connection rules. In large organizations, it is often the case that several different areas interact with the same record, for example a customer. Ensuring that there is a common understanding of the input fields and that there are no duplicate entries are some of the concerns to be taken into account when designing the pipeline. Communication between different areas of the organization must ensure that rules are defined that are as transposable to the systems in order to reduce human error as much as possible. human error.

Precise collection of requirements

Validating the quality must be seen in a well-defined context. The objective of the analysis in order to define the requirements that the data must meet. meet.

Data integrity

Data integrity is an essential aspect of data quality. If your database is relational, you can ensure this by using primary and foreign keys, validating additional conditions to the format (check constraint) and using mechanisms triggered by specific actions (triggers). The problem becomes more complex when the data is spread across different database systems, but its importance should never be ignored or downplayed.

Traceability of data origin

Another of data quality is its traceability. Whenever a problem is detected in a record, it is essential to be able to quickly identify its origin and correct it without jeopardizing the project deadline. For this is possible, traceability must be at the heart of the data pipeline design. data pipeline.

Automatic regression tests

There will always be time when you want to enter a new set of data or change something in the existing fields. existing fields. To ensure that these changes don't impact the services that are running, it's important to have automatic tests in place. running. This will give you the ability to make migrations without postponing without compromising business-critical data.

Because we have been processing our clients' data since the last millennium, experience tells us that experience tells us that this issue of data quality is often underestimated. underestimated. On our side, we are learning and understanding its importance and how it facilitates further processes. Count on us to invest with you in preparatory data quality treatment processes and solid processes so that, together, we can get the most out of your data. data.

Source: https: //towardsdatascience.com/7-steps-to-ensure-and-sustain-data-quality-3c0040591366

Ecological alternatives to PVC cards

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We've already mentioned here that the trend towards metallic cards, at least for some segments, has been something we've seen grow. Whether it's pure metal cards, which are very expensive, or hybrid cards, which mix PVC with metal, differentiation has been sought in terms of the card's base material.

But in fact, alternatives to traditional PVC aren't just made of metal. Following the trend towards ecology, institutions are increasingly looking for materials that allow them to communicate the environmental concern of their business. In this sense, alternatives have begun to appear on the market that had already been available from suppliers for some time, but had not yet attracted the interest of customers. Here's a small example of communication based on these choices. See CaixaBank's communication.

In this context, and in addition to the metal options we shared in a previous article, here are some other alternatives to PVC that can be considered:

Recycled PVC

100% recycled plastic is an alternative to PVC, guaranteeing equivalent print quality and durability, but greatly reducing environmental impact. rPVC minimizes the production of new PVC, which contributes to reducing the problem of plastic landfills.

This material is compatible with the usual customization options.

PLA - Polylactide resin

PLA (Poly Lactide Acid) cards are made from corn, generating a composite material that is EN13432 certified and guarantees 100% reliability. They have lower CO2 emissions compared to PVC products and do not use petroleum.

As a compostable material under very specific conditions, it does not biodegrade in an uncontrolled environment. It is compatible with different physical and logical customization options.

Ocean plastic

These cards are made with plastic recovered from the oceans (e.g. nylons from trawling), helping the oceans and wildlife to deal with plastic pollution. This product is the result of a partnership between Giesecke+Devrient (one of the world's largest card manufacturers) and Parley for the Oceans.

These are just some of the alternatives to consider when thinking about making your card greener. You can count on Contisystems to help you along this path to sustainability, whether in choosing your card, producing cardmails with FSC-certified material, or even with collection and recycling services for old cards.

8 Myths about paper

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There are many myths about paper that often make us reticent about the environmental impact of our choices in terms of media. We are often subjected to campaigns to migrate to electronic invoicing with the argument that we will be "saving trees", but is this really true?

We present in this article a set of facts that counteract some of the myths that have been about paper, which we hope will help you make more informed decisions. informed decisions.

Myth 1: Europe's forests are shrinking

Fact:

European forests grew at a rate of 1,500 soccer fields per day between 2005 and 2015 (Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - United Nations)

Additional facts:

More than 90% of the pulp used by the industry comes from the European Union (Source: CEPI - Confederation of European Paper Industries - Sustainability Report, 2018)

More than 60% of European forests (EU-28) are FSC or PEFC certified or both (Source: European Forest Ecosystems - State and Trends, 2016)

Myth 2: Paper is a product that generates a lot of waste

Fact:

Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world

Additional facts:

The European paper recycling rate is 72.3%, which is close to the theoretical maximum of 78%* (Source: European Paper Recycling Council, Monitoring Report, 2017)

53% of the fibers used in paper production in Europe come from paper for recycling (Source: CEPI Key Statistics, 2018)

*Many materials are not recycled because they are kept for a long time (books) or archived (records); others are destroyed or contaminated when they are used, such as tissues and toilet paper.

Myth 3: Paper is harmful to the environment

Fact:

Paper is one of the few truly sustainable materials and is already seen as an alternative to plastic for many uses

Additional facts:

 71% of the wood and 83% of the pulp purchased by the European paper industry is FSC or PEFC certified (Source: Two Sides, 2017)

 91% of production capacity is certified or registered according to ISO 14001 and EMAS, the internationally recognized environmental management rules (Source: CEPI Sustainability Report, 2018)

Myth 4: We should only use recycled paper

Fact:

Virgin fibers from sustainably managed forests are needed to maintain the paper cycle

Additional facts:

 Fibers degrade after several uses and it becomes unfeasible to use them infinitely, new fibers are needed to maintain the renewal cycle (Source: European Paper Recycling Council, 2017)

In 2018, paper for recycling represented 53% of the fiber used compared to 47% of virgin fibers (Source: CEPI Key Statistics, 2018)

Myth 5: Paper production is one of the biggest causes of greenhouse gas emissions

Fact:

Most of the energy used is renewable and the intensity of carbon emissions is surprisingly low

Additional facts:

DirectCO2 emissions from the European pulp and paper industry fell by 25% between 2005 and 2017 (Source: CEPI Key Statistics, 2017)                   

The paper and printing industries are among the least emitting of these gases, accounting for less than 1% of all European greenhouse gas emissions (Source: Eurostat, 2016).

Myth 6: Paper production consumes an excessive amount of water

Fact:

Although paper production is water-dependent, very little water is actually consumed

Additional facts:

93% of the water used is returned in good quality to the environment, the rest is evaporated, incorporated into the product or added to solid waste (Source: CEPI, Water Profile 2015)

The use of water in the process by ICFPA members, considering the cubic meters used per ton produced, has decreased by 7.2% since 2004/2005 (Source: International Council of Forest & Paper Associations - ICFPA, 2017).

Myth 7: Electronic communication is better for the environment than paper communication

Fact

Electronic communication also has an environmental impact

Additional facts:

 The information and communication technology industry is responsible for 2.5 to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and this figure is expected to reach 14% by 2040 (Source: Belkir L & Elmeligi A, Journal of Cleaner Production: Assessing ICT global emissions footprint: Trends to 2040 & recommendations, 2018).

In 2016 alone, 44.7 million tons of electronic waste were generated, of which 435,000 tons were mobile phones (Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2018)

Myth 8: Digital is the preferred means of communication

Fact:

Many consumers value paper communication

 Additional facts:

Consumers worldwide prefer to read printed books (72%), printed magazines (72%) and printed newspapers/newspapers (55%) over digital alternatives (Source: Survey Two Sides, 2017).

Many consumers (68%) don't pay attention to digital advertising and 57% do everything they can to avoid it (Source: Survey Two Sides, 2017)

Final notes:

Here is just a brief summary of the data that has been collected on the subject in a joint effort by FEPE (Fédération Européenne des Producteurs d'Enveloppes) and Two Sides (a group of companies in the printing sector that aims to promote the sustainability of this market and dispel myths about the environmental impact of this activity). For more information, you can consult the websites of these two organizations, as well as the sources mentioned.