Prepress
The Smart Print Shop for everyone: thanks to Prinect
Wednesday 11. May 2016 - New Prinect Production Manager helps print shops of all sizes to extensively automate their production processes
Monthly throughput-based usage fee instead of the purchase of a license
Open Prinect interfaces to third-party suppliers drive the digitization of the industry forward
Today, enormous potential with respect to the automation and efficiency of production processes is still waiting to be exploited in most print shops. For the upcoming drupa 2016, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is therefore presenting a new usage concept for their Prinect print and media workflow with the brand new Prinect Production Manager. This enables print shops of all sizes to use every integration function of the Prinect production workflow precisely in line with their requirements, without having to make compromises in terms of the scope of performance. As with a modular system, users can select the functions of the Prinect production workflow that they need: from prepress, through digital and offset printing, to postpress, and including the new Prinect Portal as well as the new Prinect Web Shop . Software upgrades and the use of the Heidelberg Service Hotline are also part of the package. Customers do not have to purchase individual licenses. They pay a monthly usage fee depending on the company’s throughput but irrespective of the configuration of their chosen solution. Whereas the hardware required is installed at the customer’s premises, some of the selected Prinect components, such as the Prinect Web Shop, are cloud-based. This makes it possible to achieve automation for virtually every print shop in terms of technology and economic considerations, and it is easy to implement this in actual situations.
“Heidelberg makes the Smart Print Shop possible for everyone. With the new usage concept of the Prinect print and media workflow, we are paving the way for our customers and are facilitating the complete automation of their production processes,” explained Stephan Plenz, Member of the Management Board responsible for Heidelberg Equipment.
Open interfaces drive the digitization of the industry forward
For several years, Heidelberg has enabled digital systems from third-party suppliers to be integrated into the Prinect workflow via the Prinect Digital Print Manager. From drupa 2016 onwards, this will also be possible for third-party printing presses and postpress systems.
To illustrate this, Heidelberg and Müller Martini will be demonstrating bi-directional data exchange between Prinect and Connex, the data and process management system from Müller Martini, at the trade fair. The generic interface thus also facilitates the integration of saddle stitchers, adhesive binders and hardcover systems from Müller Martini. This will be of particular benefit to graphics businesses with printing presses which have postpress systems from Heidelberg (with Prinect) as well as from Müller Martini (with Connex).
“Open workflow systems are a fundamental requirement for the further digitization of all processes in our industry. As an active member of the CIP4 organization, Heidelberg has long been a pioneer in the integration of third-party systems into the in-house workflow. At drupa, we will demonstrate how the industrialization of our industry can be organized effi-ciently across various different companies,” explained Plenz.