A major update across the ERP Foundation, MES, Control Systems, Smart Scheduling, and Technology pillars of the CommandCore™ platform.
Pittsburgh, USA - September 29, 2026 – Every step of a packaging operation produces data: the estimate, the quote, the run itself, quality checks, delivery. Most of it goes uncaptured, and what is captured rarely reaches the person who can act on it while the job is still on the floor. ePS has released CommandCore™ 2026.3, a major platform update built to close that gap by providing more saleable capacity from existing plant resources and putting the information a plant is already generating to use.
"Most packaging manufacturers are sitting on more data than they have ever had, and less time than ever to look at it," said Craig Tait, Chief Product Officer at ePS. "The question we asked with 2026.3 wasn't how to collect more data. It was how to put what we already collect in front of the person who can act on it, before the job is finished."
PackAI: out-of-the-box business intelligence for packaging manufacturers
The foundation of the release is PackAI, ePS's AI-powered business intelligence solution, embedded in Radius® and built specifically for packaging, not adapted from a generic platform. It's a standalone solution, complete with the dashboards and visualizations a packaging plant needs, so no third-party BI tool is required to get started. A user describes the dashboard they need in plain language, reviews the query and charts PackAI proposes, and refines them in the same conversation before publishing. Users ask questions directly and get answers the same way. No SQL, no BI training, no waiting on a specialist or a report queue. The whole team can work with it too, without per-user BI licences stacking up the cost.
Underneath sits a new centralized data model, one governed source for the operational and business information the platform already holds. Every answer resolves against that model, so decisions are based on one trusted set of numbers rather than two reports that disagree. Customers already running their own BI tool, Power BI or otherwise, can connect it to the same model if they prefer. Value starts on day one rather than after a BI project.
Machine data that reaches the floor while there's still time to act
AC4D® brings the machine's own data onto the floor. Machine Maintenance gives each plant a page in Plant Manager to set up and track planned maintenance machine by machine, with a month calendar and an overdue count no filter can hide, sitting alongside the run and downtime data the plant reviews daily. Above the machine, a large-format display shows a Performance Dashboard, which is what the office sees: machine state, the reason for any stoppage, progress against target speed, shift totals, and the next three jobs, readable from across the floor. Work that slips becomes visible before it becomes a stoppage, and a run drifting below target is caught and corrected during the shift rather than explained after.
Capacity you can see before you lose it
PrintFlow® 4D introduces Capacity Management, turning the schedule a plant already maintains into a picture it can read. A color-coded grid shows how loaded each machine, group, or plant is across days, weeks, and months, with the hours behind every number and a drill-down to the jobs driving the load. Capacity can be reserved to protect committed work. Schedulers see where the plant is tight, free or overbooked at a glance rather than reading the Gantt job by job, so load is rebalanced before it turns into a late order, and idle capacity becomes visible enough to sell.
Corrugator planning and control, no longer tied to the desktop
Two changes take the corrugator off its fixed screens. CorrTrim® arrives as a browser-based application, delivering identical results to the desktop version from a trim engine re-engineered to run up to 10x faster. Schedulers work from any authorized device rather than a designated PC, and a faster engine means a planner can iterate on a trim rather than accept the first workable answer, which is where better board utilization comes from. IT deploys and upgrades once instead of touching every workstation.
Escada Syncro adds a mobile-format view of the corrugator to any phone or tablet on the plant network, covering live shift and machine status, the order queue and current alarms. The view is read-only by design, so nothing on the corrugator can be started, stopped or adjusted from a phone. A supervisor understands a stop in seconds rather than at the end of a shift, without interrupting the operator to ask.
Metrics® ERP connects production and business workflows
A new REST API opens Metrics® ERP to standard integration work, and carries the first direct integration between Metrics® ERP and PrintFlow® 4D. Jobs and production records pass across, the finite-capacity schedule returns, and job tracking flows back from the shop floor. Purchasing tasks and approvals also move to the browser, so an order isn’t stuck waiting for the approver at be back at their desk
ePS (eProductivity Software), empowers packaging companies around the globe through cutting-edge technology, strategic partnerships, and over 30 years of industry expertise. Its comprehensive ERP, MES, and industry-specific solutions enable seamless workflow management across the corrugated, folding carton, label, and flexible packaging segments. By integrating advanced automation capabilities, these solutions enhance product quality, minimize waste, and maximize throughput, helping businesses lower manufacturing costs, improve efficiency, and achieve sustainable growth. Addressing the unique challenges of the packaging and corrugated industries, ePS helps companies optimize operations, boost profitability, and thrive in competitive markets. For more information, please visit www.epssw.com.
