Prepress
Four Pees announces fully distributed automation solution in DFlux
Tuesday 16. November 2010 - Next generation DFlux to be a highly scalable workflow solution automating all key aspects in the print, publishing and large format printing market
At its reseller event from 19 to 21 October in Ghent, Four Pees, the international provider of collaboration, automation and quality optimization solutions for the print and publishing industry announced the development of its next generation automation solution: DFlux 2. This new version of DFlux implements Four Pees’ vision of creating a complete automation solution for the various market segments it targets. It is built as a redundant and scalable solution on technologies from callas software and Aurelon, two of Four Pees’ closest technology partners.
The power of reliable partners
“Four Pees has a long and productive relationship with Aurelon and callas software,” observes Tom Peire, founder and CEO of Four Pees: “Over the years Aurelon has built a lot of experience in how to automate time-critical tasks in a fully redundant and distributed way in their ProofMaster and PrintFactory product lines. callas software developed quality optimization tools licensed by some of the biggest companies in professional publishing such as Adobe and Xerox. The combination of callas and Aurelon technologies allows us to redefine what automation should be like and to set new performance and scalability references for the industry”.
Where the initial version of DFlux was built on the Enfocus Switch platform, this will no longer be the case. “Switch had the advantage of being readily available,” states David van Driessche, CTO at Four Pees: “and we believed Enfocus could be a long-term reliable partner. It turns out that the combination of Aurelon and callas technology allows us to take our ideas about high-performance automation much further; Switch simply doesn’t have the architectural capabilities nor flexibility our customers require”.
Scalable automation
DFlux 2 consists of a workflow controller that can process jobs by using workflow engines distributed across a large number of systems, providing unprecedented performance and scalability without introducing additional complexity. “What makes us so confident in the power of DFlux,” remarks Tom Peire, “is that the DFlux engine is running at a large amount of customer sites already. While the way how customers interact with DFlux and create workflows will be completely different, the basic engine has been tried and approved in actual production environments.”
True to its initial philosophy, DFlux 2 remains a solution rather than a platform, making specific technology choices. Next to the obvious technology and products of callas, ProofMaster and PrintFactory, other workflow engines of partner companies like axaio, Elpical and ICS are likely to be available upon release. At the same time DFlux retains the flexibility to implement custom workflow steps through hot folders and scripting and to allow easy integration of alternative applications from 3rd party technology providers.
Production, automated
“Automation doesn’t happen in a vacuum; customers need to be able to use automation applications to function in their production environment and DFlux 2 is ideally suited for this”, comments David van Driessche. At its core it is a fully compliant JDF application and it offers the capability to add output devices such as proofers, large-format printing production devices and cutting tables. “It’s important for our customers to get immediate feedback on the status of their jobs and the output devices they use to output those jobs. Through its innovative interface, DFlux 2 allows just that,” adds David van Driessche: “I’ve worked on automation products in the past, and usually they become either very limited or very complicated. DFlux 2 is an opportunity to create something that combines flexibility with power, openness with resilience and creation with production”.
Availability and pricing
A software development kit (SDK) for 3rd party technology providers is available immediately; contact technology@fourpees.com for more information. DFlux 2 is expected to be available in Q1, 2011 through an early access program; contact sales@fourpees.com if you have further questions or want to enlist in the program.
Exact pricing of DFlux 2 has not been determined, yet will be in line with the current version (8.000 Euro + maintenance). It is crucially important for professional publishing companies to achieve fast return on investment and DFlux was priced correctly from the start to accomplish that.
Existing DFlux customers will be entitled to a free upgrade to DFlux 2 and there will be a smooth transition path for them. Loyalty towards customers is very important to Four Pees; the additional power of DFlux 2 will be available to those early adopters at no cost.
Vision
“There is an incredibly team of people working on this product,” states David van Driessche: “That is the privilege and advantage Four Pees has through its partnerships. We work with some of the most advanced technologies in our field. This is going to be an incredible product”.
“To create a completely automated solution for different market segments has been part of Four Pees vision since its inception,” concludes Tom Peire: “DFlux 2 brings all the different pieces of the puzzle together. I can’t wait until it’s out there helping customers.”