Get Prinected – New Heidelberg showroom with latest workflow technology

Heidelberg's Prinect workflow and its various modules and applications offer a vast range of solutions to a printer's everyday challenges. The new Heidelberg Print Media Academy  (PMA) in Notting Hill, Melbourne, showcases all of them. The new workflow environment also includes integration to third party Management Information Systems (MIS). This enables customers to realise the benefits of having the entire process from estimation and order intake integrated with the Prinect production environment and further illustrates Heidelberg's open approach to JDF implementation.

Soeren Lange, Heidelberg's Product Manager for Prinect explains the benefits of this integration: "Now we can create a job in the MIS and forward all information digitally to production by using the Job Definition Format (JDF). This JDF file incorporates all relevant information of the job. Parameters like customer name or job number are created in the MIS and can be used in the Prinect environment. This avoids double work and wrong entries. It also stands for the most efficient and secure way of production." The connection between the MIS and Prinect can also contain information like stock and folding and colour sequences. Lange ensures that the connection to an MIS is not specific to Tharstern: "Tharstern happens to be the first in our showroom, and they are very easy to work with. But other MIS vendors will join as well and complete our whole solution approach. The purpose is to enable customers to make the right choice for their needs."

"For the first time customers can follow the job in a complete workflow from MIS to Prepress, Press and Post Press including the feedback of production to the MIS for post job calculation," states Lange "Although not everyone requires this fully integrated scenario yet, there is a clear path to invest as their needs change and their business grows. This is the whole point of Prinect: choose the perfect solution for your current needs. But have growth potential for tomorrow."

The team has installed applications like the RIP "Prinect MetaDimension" and the imposition solution "Prinect Signa Station", which are known to most customers. But the new suite also includes applications like the prepress automation Prinect Printready, the new Prinect Pressroom Manager with its outstanding press-reporting abilities and the on-press colour bar measurement device Prinect Axis Control. "Some customers came in here with the idea of installing sensors to presses to get a sheet count into an MIS," comments Lange. "They were quite impressed when they left again and reconsidered their plans. With the Pressroom Manager and the full integration, sheet count is a basic parameter. We go far beyond that by providing accurate data collection for wash-up, make ready, plate change, etc. Basically all commands on the CP2000 press control centre are captured and can be reported."

Lange promises more for the future: "We cannot yet show the drupa versions, but we can obviously explain for example the new Prinect Scheduler. This electronic scheduling board offers a complete new secure way of planning and will be a feature of drupa and our PMA plans afterwards."

Heidelberg welcomes customers in the new showroom. Make an appointment with your account manager today.