Process Automation using JDF: 2 Case Studies Doug Belkofer Senior Principal Scientist EFI

Case Studies Bennett Graphics – Tucker, Georgia Finlay Printing – Bloomfield, Connecticut

Bennett Graphics Family-owned business In operation for almost 40 years 30 employees $6 million in annual revenue 2 Heidelberg presses, Xerox DocuColor 8000

Bennett Graphics JDF integration: Hagen OA MIS to Fiery Data passes in both directions Data sent from MIS to Fiery: Job header info Color information Quantity Content reference Data sent from Fiery to MIS: Status Time & Material Costing Data

Bennett Graphics Goals/expectations: Simplify and shorten order entry with digital jobs Challenges: Feel that manual entries in job specifications can still be shortened further Work ongoing to achieve this

Bennett Graphics Measurable Results: Work still underway to measure cost savings Future Plan to expand JDF integration into other areas

Bennett Graphics - Positives Striving to improve Working with their vendors

Bennett Graphics - Opportunies Goal/expectations are not measurable “Simplify and shorten order entry with digital jobs” Better goal should: Clearly quantify the desired time savings and/or simplifications Should be something visible to employees Good: “Simplify order entry and reduce time by 50% with digital jobs” Better: “Simplify order entry and reduce time to 5 minutes or less with digital jobs” Goal should motivate employees to identify the obstacles to meeting goals – these obstacles are what you focus on

Finlay Printing Celebrating their 130 th anniversary this year 95 employees $24 million in annual revenue 5 MAN Roland Sheetfed Presses

Finlay Printing JDF integration: Hagen OA MIS to MAN Roland Pecom Data passed from MIS to Pecom: Job header info Paper requirements (type, quantity, etc.) Plate information Form information Color/Ink information Expected good and estimated waste quantities Data can pass from Pecom to MIS, Finlay isn’t doing this yet

Finlay Printing Goals/expectations: Streamline production and maximize automation Increase productivity by 50% by eliminating redundancy

Finlay Printing Challenges: Did not foresee that some data entry would now be required earlier in workflow, such as: Clear identification of each color Plate information Requirements by color, not just by form In-house processes have since been changed to accommodate this

Finlay Printing Measurable Results: 15 minute reduction in makeready time Elimination of redundant data entry at the press Future: First phase was one-way, with data going to the presses Second phase will be to start receiving data back from the press

Finlay Printing - Positives Striving to improve Clear goal – increase productivity by 50% Already measuring their performance – critical to measuring improvement Working closely with their vendors

Finlay Printing - Opportunities Goal could be clearer Needs to be something employees can identify with for each and every job Keep current goal, because it is clear for management Add new goal based on averages for makeready times, waste amounts, etc. Employees have a goal for each step of the job – something to try to beat Goal would motivate employees to identify obstacles – showing Finlay what they should focus on

EFI Integration Strategy JDF is central to all of EFI’s integration efforts EFI is committed to CIP4 and JDF