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 By implementing Job Definition Format (JDF), the Neidhart + Schön Group in Zurich has
embarked upon a new era in enterprise-wide networking. Aided by a notable trio of external
suppliers—Creo, HIFLEX, and MAN Roland, Neidhart + Schön’s administration, prepress, and production
departments are seamlessly sharing digital information. This has resulted in more visible,
precise, and efficient processes. |
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Says managing director Olivier Neidhart: "A collective approach is very important to us. To achieve
this, we integrate enterprise-wide business processes, opening potential synergies for our customers."
Over the last ten years, the offset printing arm of the Group has managed to more than
double the number of orders it handles—and this with the same number of employees. |
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Neidhart + Schön uses the Management Information System (MIS) HIFLEX Print to handle a range of
activities: administrative processing, estimating, costing, invoicing, production planning, and data
collecting. The HIFLEX MIS is used to input and manage customer and order data, and to transfer
the technical data to the integrated production planning system and on to production. Information
also flows in the other direction for final costing, cost accounting, and statistic tracking. |
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Explains Daniel Schnyder, technology and production
manager: “Setting up JDF-based communication
without major technical upgrades was
crucial.” He feels the most important factor was
the solid project design and planning, with Creo,
HIFLEX and MAN Roland all working together.
Thanks to thorough preparation, it took only
three working days to set up JDF communication,
including installation and training |
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In prepress, the output-oriented production processes were made JDF compatible using a Creo
Prinergy workflow management system. On the print floor, their seven-color and one five-color
Roland 700 sheetfed offset presses did not require a hardware upgrade to implement JDF-based
networking—a software update of the PECOM system was all that was necessary. |
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Networking between HIFLEX Print and the Creo Prinergy system was
implemented using Creo Synapse Link and HIFLEX JDF Controller,
which support two-way communication of JDF and dynamic JMF data.
The new link means that Prinergy jobs can be created directly from
the HIFLEX MIS, eliminating redundant data entry. Prinergy also uses
the JDF interface to supply the MIS with production data in real time.
Examples of such data include approved or rejected pages, process
times, and material consumption. |
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MAN Roland has also integrated a JDF interface in its PECOM system.
HIFLEX MIS can provide the PECOM system with online access to relevant
printing parameters, while constantly updating event information
from the presses. |
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The introduction of JDF has not involved any fundamental change to
the way the HIFLEX workstations are operated. As before, the administrator
dealing with the job creates an order with the relevant parameters.
Once the order is placed, the HIFLEX scheduling system is
informed of the production steps and their start and end times. At the
same time, the HIFLEX Print system creates a job in the Prinergy system.
When the customer issues an “OK to print,” the JobPilot in the
PECOM system receives from the HIFLEX MIS information about the
customer, the product, the format, the press run, the paper, the number
of plates/colors, etc. CIP3 files are used to pass the ink key settings
data generated by Creo PrintLink to PECOM. |
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Prinergy was already used to track the individual processes, processing
steps, and material consumption. Now, using the JDF interface,
this information is automatically passed on to the HIFLEX Print system.
The planning and scheduling system is kept constantly up-to-date on
order status, while employees enter working hours for each other
with the use of the HIFLEX shop floor data collection. |
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Even the presses are involved in information sharing. First, HIFLEX
sends commercial data (order ID, customer) and technical data (format,
colors, weight, thickness) to the PECOM system for the press settings.
Second, PECOM automatically reports a range of press-related
events to the MIS. The press personnel also have the option of using
dedicated buttons on the press control panel to send up to 45 different
plant data events to the HIFLEX Print system. |
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Says Schnyder: “Using JDF saves us up to two minutes per order in
prepress alone. With 10 to 15 jobs a day, the overall saving is 20 to 30
minutes. The effect is even more pronounced on the print floor.” This
means an annual savings of between 300 and 400 labor hours. |
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Neidhart + Schön is also pleased with the improved data quality and
production visibility. Individual jobs, order changes, or entire
processes can be analyzed in detail, creating a solid basis for decision
making and ensuring that jobs are billed more precisely. |
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Neidhart + Schön is already buzzing with ideas about how to keep the
networking process moving forward. One of the items on the wish list
is the fully-automated, JDF-supported imposition of orders based on
parameters defined by CSRs using HIFLEX MIS. |
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They are also looking at automating just-in-time paper supply. Says
Schnyder: “Space is a very expensive commodity here in Zurich. We
want to acquire paper exactly when an order receives the OK-to-print
from the customer. That would allow us to reduce storage and logistics
costs.” |
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The next steps to Networked Graphic Production™ are already being
discussed and evaluated with Creo, HIFLEX and MAN Roland, with
implementation due in the months ahead. Neidhart + Schön is sure of
one thing: JDF compatibility will be high on the list of requirements
for all upcoming investments. |
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