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 The first JDF-connectivity between Agfa’s Prepress-Workflow System :ApogeeX (v2.5) and a
Management Information System (Hiflex MIS) was realized at Tanghe Printing N.V. (Komen,
Belgium) in May of this year. |
Tanghe Printing had already hit the headlines as the first ever printer in the
Netherlands using JDF-connectivity in live production, when a JDF-interface between Hiflex
MIS and the Komori presses was installed in March 2004. According to Mr Tanghe, the
JDF-implementation vastly enhanced transparency and flexibility in the production process.
Tremendous cost-savings were achieved and the investment paid for itself within the first
year.
"We are always looking to increase the level of automation and further increase our
productivity, reduce our costs and improve our customer service. The JDF link between Hiflex
MIS and :ApogeeX totally streamlines our prepress workflow, just as JDF did in the press
room," said Tanghe. |
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Patrick Tanghe, Managing Director at Tanghe Printing, works with the Hiflex MIS. The Komori
presses have been connected to Hiflex MIS via JDF for the last year; now Agfa’s :ApogeeX
prepress workflow system has been integrated into the workflow. |
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When a new order is entered in the Hiflex order book, the details are immediately sent to
:ApogeeX via JDF. The JDF from Hiflex contains all the administrative data (order number,
order description, customer name and address, contact person, etc.) and technical data (job
parts such as cover/content, production plan, number of pages, inks, etc.). The imposition is
generated in Preps (based on production plan from Hiflex) and imported into the Agfa system.
The final prepress-parameters (such as CTP resolution, screen ruling, trapping details, etc.)
are automatically set by an :ApogeeX production plan. Any order amendments, such as the
number of pages, signatures, etc. are first updated in the Hiflex production estimate. This
ensures that the product’s price, the electronic job ticket and the production schedule are all
updated. Hiflex then forwards these the changes to :ApogeeX via JDF, where the corresponding
job is automatically updated. |
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| :ApogeeX 2.5 automatically consumes JDF StrippingParams from Hiflex. The JDF-file sent by
the Hiflex MIS also determines the process chain in :ApogeeX. The integrated imposition
engine produces completed printing sheet that are ready for page content. |
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"The JDF-link between :ApogeeX and Hiflex ensures that job modifications are immediately
communicated to prepress. This also improves the efficiency of customer services, as even last
minute modifications are incorporated into the production process," says Patrick Tanghe.
He adds "Moreover, I can see much more potential in our JDF-connectivity: it is the key
to further process-optimizations in prepress. Agfa and Hiflex are working closely together
so that we can exploit more capabilities in future versions of the JDF specifications. We
predict that we will be able to dispense with a complete process in prepress."
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Patrick Tanghe alludes to the potential in the new JDF 1.2 specification, in which
StrippingParams were added. StrippingParams provide a high-level description of the
imposition scheme (as a production plan) and include the geometry of the printing sheets.
The JDF implementation at Tanghe is already based on JDF 1.2. The Hiflex system has been
able to generate and transfer JDF StrippingParams to prepress systems for a considerable
time and with version 2.5 :ApogeeX comes with an integrated Preps-engine for imposition that
natively consumes JDF StrippingParams. This allows for automated processing of the
StrippingParams send by the Hiflex MIS. In fact :ApogeeX’s imposition engine automatically
adds color bars, control strips, trim marks, fold marks, registration marks, signature collation
marks, signature name and ID. The compensation for bottling and creep is also carried out.
The Hiflex MIS calculates the most efficient production plan, which in turn dictates the
imposition scheme. The resulting JDF StrippingParams are sent to Agfa’s workflow system
when the initial prepress job is created. These are then used to automatically generate the
imposition scheme – no manual intervention is required. JDF-connectivity between the
prepress workflow system and Hiflex MIS has the potentiality to revolutionize and simplify the
whole prepress process. The prepress operator can dispense with many tedious, timeconsuming
and error-prone steps, such as re-keying data or creating the imposition scheme in
the prepress workflow system. At Tanghe Printing this innovation will be implemented in the
near future.
"This landmark implementation of a fully automatic imposition generation at Tanghe
Printing will pioneer the way for entirely new working methods in the printing industry.
" says Stefan Reichhart, Hiflex’s CEO. |
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| Hiflex automatically books material consumption (such as plates and proofs), using JMF
messages sent from :ApogeeX. No manual entry of data is necessary to book time and materials
for job costing. |
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| This innovative implementation of connectivity between prepress and MIS that Hiflex and Afga
are now planning to implement cooperatively is a result of joint projects spanning the last few
years. The first result of a joint project between the two suppliers, was the demonstration of
the successful connectivity at GraphExpo 2003: Hiflex was able to automatically create jobs in
the Agfa system. At Drupa 2004 Agfa and Hiflex demonstrated the exchange of JDF
StrippingParams. In order to constantly improve JDF connectivity, a Hiflex MIS is installed in
Agfa’s R&D and Graphic Systems Competence Centre at its worldwide headquarters in Mortsel
(Belgium), as well as in its North American Technology and Learning Center in Ridgefield Park,
NJ (USA). In return, the Agfa system is installed in Hiflex R&D and the Hiflex CIM Center.
Koen van de Poel, Technology Staff Manager at Agfa Gevaert N.V. and Chairman of the CIP4
"Origination & Prepress" workgroup, sums it up: "The opportunities and
potential of a networked production environment are tremendous. The point is not only to
exchange data between the two systems, but to automate processes and to ultimately eliminate
entire manual processes. The installation at Tanghe Printing is definitely a milestone on a
journey that began a long time ago." |
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