APC Workwear: Tajima DG16 Embroidery Software by Pulse from AJS

Kev Bailey, marketing manager

Tell us a bit about your business

APC Workwear has been in business for around 35 years. We specialise in personalised workwear and uniforms (both embroidered and printed), and also stock a large range of PPE and safety footwear. We’ve been in our new premises in Bedminster, Bristol, for a couple of years now, which has enabled us to reshue our operations and shift our focus onto our ever-growing website.

What other systems, if any, did you look at before purchasing this one?

We also discussed and trialled Wilcom’s latest top-level software and liked a few of the features that it had, but hit some issues when it came to opening some of our older design works in the rarer file formats, and maintaining our in-house thread charts. 

Why did you choose to buy Pulse?

Overall it made sense for us to stick with Pulse as it’s a familiar piece of software and enabled us to hit the ground running. That said, the jump from our previous version was big enough to throw up a few queries (moved tools, etc), but we had Clare from AJS Embroidery almost on speed dial for support! This was also a deciding factor when opting for Pulse, as AJS has always been our supplier and the help we receive has always been second-to-none.

What do you think are its main advantages?

As I said, sticking with Pulse has meant we can continue doing what we do well in an environment that we know, but take it to the next level with all the handy new features, such as the visible crosshair and CorelFusion link.

Is there anything you’d like to see in an upgrade or don’t particularly like about it?

We’ve just received a newer beta update from AJS (V7031), which has helped with a syncing issue we had with CorelDraw 2019. This has been fixed, but has now brought another issue to the fore with regards to opening older POF file formats. We’ve flagged this with Clare at AJS however, so will hopefully have another update to sort it soon!

What’s it like to use? Do you have any tips on how to get the most out of it?

If you’re a designer and are used to DTP packages such as CorelDraw (our in-house choice for setting up screen print artwork), then Pulse software is a logical choice due to its very similar nature and user interface. You can get a very basic understanding of stitch types etc, and have something to run off on an embroidery machine in just an hour or two, so it’s very user friendly.

What sort of work do you use it for?

We use Pulse for all of our embroidery digitising. This covers all applications such as tops, jackets, trousers and caps, and at a variety of different sizes.

Which of your machines does the software work with?

As our artwork department is some distance from our embroidery machines, we transfer everything onto USBs for the machinists to work from. We currently have two eight-head and two single-head Tajima machines running flat out, so having the same make of machinery and software was another deciding factor to make sure the transition was as seamless as possible.

What would be your advice to others thinking of investing in a new software system?

Having been on the same version of Pulse for so long before taking the jump, I can definitely say it’s worth doing. It keeps you at the forefront of the industry, and makes your daily job faster with all the added extras that updates provide, and means I have more time to focus on our ever growing amount of website orders! I would also say if you’re thinking about investing, I would look nowhere else than Clare and the team at AJS Embroidery. Those guys are outstanding.

www.apcworkwear.com