Work House Signs is a family-run, print-on-demand company with a team of seven. They found a successful niche selling specific signs across eight online platforms, including eBay and Amazon. However, as their catalog grew, they hit a wall.
With five people in the office dedicated entirely to manual order preparation, the business couldn't scale. Staff spent their days handling repetitive tasks instead of creating new listings or pursuing new business. Owner Robert Cole realized that if a task is repetitive, it should be automated.
The Solution: A Hands-Off Workflow
Because the team at Work House Signs are printers, and as they put it: not software people, they partnered with experts to build a background automation system. The stack includes Enfocus Switch, Phoenix, and PitStop.
Today, the workflow is seamless:
- Orders from eight platforms funnel into ShipStation.
- Switch picks up the orders automatically.
- The system locates the correct print-ready artwork from a library of 3.5 million assets.
- Phoenix handles the layouts and sends them to the printers.
Operations Manager Carissa Cole no longer spends hours manually batching orders or setting up sheets. The software batches the orders and prepares the print files, so the production team simply picks up the printed sheets and starts finishing.
The Results: Immediate ROI
The impact on their production capacity was massive and almost instant:
- Return on Investment: Achieved within the first two weeks.
- Catalog Growth: Expanded from 500,000 products to 3 million SKUs in just six months.
- Volume: Currently processing 1,000 to 3,000 orders per day.
- Efficiency: Every order ships the same day, and the shop is still nowhere near its total capacity.
Giving the Business Back to the Family
For Robert, the biggest win isn't just the numbers; it’s the freedom. Automation transformed Work House Signs from a traditional sign shop into a high-efficiency manufacturer.
Because Switch and PitStop handle the prepress work in the background, orders are often ready for the printers before the staff even arrives in the morning. This has allowed the team to focus on being creative—the part of the job they actually enjoy. Most importantly, it has given the family their time back. Robert can now spend more time at their beach house and pursue passion projects, knowing the business runs smoothly without his constant physical presence.
"It’s been the single greatest investment we’ve made. It literally transformed our company. It's given me my life back."
Robert Cole, Owner, Work House Print
