Job processing involves many different stages, from quotation through to final output and delivery. In order to process smoothly and efficiently, each element in the chain must be linked seamlessly. To achieve this, regular and accurate communication is required to ensure the status of any one or all of the jobs in progress is clearly understood, allowing adjustments to be made where necessary.
Whilst a mix of manual and electronic communication operations may be perfectly effective, they can also be very time consuming in terms of man hours, not only in feeding information through, but also in sorting out bottle-necks and correcting errors.
This is where workflow software comes into its own.
Bringing it all together
Esko workflow software has enabled Data Image to see a significant cut in the
number of errors on jobs, plus the consequent time and cost benefits
Workflow software offers the sign-maker many benefits. The most significant of these are increasing production without increasing head-count, eliminating mistakes, and, consequently, reducing waste.
Paul Bates, Esko’s regional business manager UK and Eire, explains: “Printers are becoming faster while print-runs are becoming smaller, so that jobs are often longer in admin and pre-press than on the printer; but workflow software eliminates this.”
Many jobs are repetitive, so loss of concentration can lead to mistakes being made. With workflow software, when a job comes in it automatically gets pre-flighted so that any incorrect items can be noticed sooner rather than later.
“Jobs are often sent out without waiting for approvals, especially with short runs, so accuracy is not always checked. Workflow software reduces the cost of correction and also preserves the reputation of the supplier,” adds Bates.
Printers are becoming faster while print-runs are becoming smaller, so that jobs are often longer in admin and pre-press than on the printer; but workflow software eliminates this”
Jan Ruysschaert, managing director of Hybrid Software NV, takes up the theme: “Often in large-format printing the conversion of orders into production planning data involves individual, unconnected workflows that result in alternating task sequences and inefficiency.
“Standard MIS systems do not offer the required functionality and production managers can lack the professional tools they need to function efficiently. What is needed is a flexible workflow design tool that can utilise market-specific data.
“That’s why we developed Facelift. It lets users create an automated route for work, from the customer’s initial order and project description, through to a complete production and resource management solution.”
Hybrid’s Facelift provides a flexible tool for entering, tracking, and inter-acting with production data, and can leverage existing information systems to provide real-time information to everyone in the organisation, using a simple web browser or tablet interface. It enables cross-department job ticketing, tracking, and high-level reporting, and can be extended with modules for job costing, estimating, campaign management, and reporting.
Standard MIS systems do not offer the required functionality and production managers can lack the professional tools they need to function efficiently”
Recognising that every production scenario is different, Facelift provides an open and flexible environment that supports the real processes used to control an order, from the first proposal to the product delivery.
Similarly, Agfa Graphics’ Asanti workflow software has been designed to bring an efficient solution to all users of wide-format printers, helping them to increase efficiency by improving and simplifying all the steps needed, from order taking through to outputting the final product.
“Asanti takes control of workflow procedures, removing the margin for error with sophisticated PDF-based functions that lead to true automation,” says Steve Collins, wide-format inkjet product and channel manager at Agfa Graphics.
Asanti takes control of workflow procedures, removing the margin for error with sophisticated PDF-based functions that lead to true automation”
“Its workflow optimisation enhances all processes, removing the disadvantages caused when having to implement a variety of different tools and options.”
As well as reducing costs and time, the complexity of the prepress operation is reduced significantly, with the elimination of errors and eradication of reworked jobs.
“The inclusion of comprehensive integration of file handling, colour management, and pre-flighting means that jobs will be error-free and ready to send to wide-format output devices,” Collins expands.
“By relying on the latest version of the industry standard Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE), all parts of the process benefit from JDF-enabled compliance through to consistent rendering and ripping of the jobs, which can be managed within one solution.”
Seeing the difference
The Esko i-cut Suite is designed to enhance services and broaden capabilities
Improvement of efficiency and profit-ability is based around automation. Hence, increasing productivity, removing bottlenecks and reducing waste gives greater overall efficiency, allow-ing for a higher profit margin. Further-more, results can be seen within a relatively short time-scale.
“As is the case in most sign-making companies, the overall workflow can be very disjointed,” continues Collins, adding: “One of Asanti’s main features is the pre-flight facility. No longer do operators have to worry about the format and resolution of image files, unwanted RGB content, corrupt and missing fonts, non-printing, or the appearance of hidden data and objects.”
Automatic checking of the PDF takes away the hit-and-miss elements of file preparation, ensuring layers and transparency are handled correctly. It also flags up warnings and lists problems, which would show in the final printed output.
Using a workflow system instead of extra people enables you to focus on getting work out of the door”
“With the ability to implement all these benefits, improvements to your efficiency and profitability can be realised within a very short time frame,” Collins affirms.
Esko’s Bates concurs: “Initially you will see an increase in productivity. Using a workflow system instead of extra people enables you to focus on getting work out of the door. Then you will see the added benefit of getting the job right first time, reducing the pressure of returns. You will see almost immediate results.”
Baker explains that instant access to project status information, captured data, and dynamic planning, results in higher efficiencies for all departments and equipment. Tie this to modern output systems, whatever technology they employ, and it provides the potential for tremendous print quality and speed.
“The greatest savings to be made are not found at the hardware end, but in the area of workflow—how you get the next job to that output device,” says Ruysschaert, who adds: “These challenges are the same whether the printer is offset, digital, screen, or wide-format. What companies need is a partner that understands work-flows.”
Does size matter?
Jan Ruysschaert, managing director of Hybrid Software NV, says that the greatest
savings to be made are not found at the hardware end, but in the area of workflow
—how you get the next job to that output device
Whilst clearly of huge benefit in streamlining job-flow processes for sign-makers, I wondered whether there is an optimum size of business for initial uptake of workflow software. Our industry experts are most emphatic that size is not important.
“Agfa Graphics’ Asanti software is designed to enhance the productivity of any type of wide-format business. Whether you are a growing sign-maker or a large point-of-sale display producer, Asanti will give major benefits to your business in a very quick time frame,” asserts Collins.
“To support this, Agfa has designed the software to be configured in a number of different ways to cover all types of companies within the wide-format industry.”
Ruysschaert echoes this point, affirming: “Hybrid Software has wide-format customers employing five people and some with 50. Opportunities to improve productivity and profitability can be found in companies of all sizes.
“We haven’t encountered a situation where the workflow environment cannot be improved and this can often be achieved without investing significant amounts of money, resulting in very quick return-on-investment.”
We haven’t encountered a situation where the workflow environment cannot be improved and this can often be achieved without investing significant amounts of money, resulting in very quick return-on-investment”
Esko’s Bates agrees: “There is no minimum size limitation; just a single printer with one employee can benefit, and it also gives the impression of size. If you can automate 95 percent of a process then it’s worth the investment. Workflow software will grow with the business.”
To further assist printers and sign-makers in deciding whether workflow software is the right option for their business, Esko offers installations on a ‘try and buy’ basis.
Bates continues: “A perfect example of how workflow software can be used to improve productivity and profit-ability is Data Image Group. As a result of constant development, this small family run business punches well above its weight.”
Leicestershire-based Data Image Group is a provider of large-format graphics and point-of-sale services for the cosmetics, fashion, retail, and automotive industries. The company has continuously grown its business 30 percent annually, as a result of constantly reviewing best production practices and investing in solutions such as Esko’s Automation Engine and i-cut Suite that enable them to enhance services and broaden capabilities.
Beginning with an investment in Esko’s Odystar, a highly automated pre-press workflow solution, over the years Data Image has also implemented automation software to automate the imposition of different jobs, while maximising production and minimising waste. It also helped reduce errors by over 90 percent and almost eliminated downtime.
We have been able to continue to grow in terms of sales while human interaction with jobs has been dramatically reduced”
“We have been able to continue to grow in terms of sales while human interaction with jobs has been dramatically reduced,” explains Robert Farfort, Data Image director, adding: “With Automation Engine in particular, we have seen a significant cut in the number of errors on jobs, plus the time and cost benefits that delivers. We are much more productive.
“We are more profitable because we spend less time on artworking. And we improved our competitiveness by adding more value. The tools we have in place help us reduce costs and automate job throughput. This means we have greater flexibility in job hand-ling, and we can go for more work.”
Farfort continues: “We automate from the quote. From an Excel spread-sheet over estimation, importation, creation of a job docket to artwork, and all human touch-points are reduced. We want the capabilities of our highly skilled team to be used in the most productive way. This is why auto-mating as many manual processes as possible is essential to our strategy of being a highly profitable company.”
Data Image’s commitment to operational-wide improvements has positively impacted sales, as Farfort concludes: “A lot of us are just looking for an easy life and often we can win work on being the first to deliver. Fast approvals and quick deliveries can be all-important and help us win repeat orders.”
You must have a ‘champion’ to embrace the system and make it work to your specific processes”
In the way that a satnav can get you to your destination smoothly, resolving diversions along the way, without the need for constant stopping to refer to maps, so workflow software that has been specifically designed and dev-eloped for the sign and print industry can be the answer to streamlining your job processing.
Of course, you cannot eliminate the human element completely, as when a satnav is clearly taking you down a dead-end, a good smattering of ‘engage brain’ is still required.
As Esko’s Bates points out, you must have the basic skills to understand the benefit of the system, so that you can manage and maintain it: “You must have a ‘champion’ to embrace the system and make it work to your specific processes. It shouldn’t just continue to be used exactly as installed; it needs someone who can understand the power of the system.”
