The new functions Heidelberg is adding to the 2016 version of its Prinect Print and Media Workflow are aimed at media service providers in the commercial and packaging printing sectors and re designed to “speed up their processes and make them more profitable” said the OEM. Numerous areas of the workflow system have been expanded in consultation with Prinect customers. The improvements focus on the Prinect cockpit’s interface for more intuitive operation, enhanced process integration between management information system (MIS) and production workflow, and the possibility of complete colour reports to provide end users with documented proof of quality – now also augmented by long-term reports. In addition to the well-established JDF interface, the system now features, for the first time, an API (Application Programming Interface) that enables data to be shared with systems of third-party suppliers. Additionally, Prinect is now more capable of handling the largest data volumes – such as versioned documents with several thousand pages – quickly.
An open job in Heidelberg’s Prinect cockpit user interface can now be displayed beside the job list and the job memo. Users can get a quick glance at the job content, identify the correct job and start processing it immediately. The job history is now displayed with all the benefits of a grouping table, which makes it clearer and easier to read. In the cockpit, it’s also possible to display the individual jobs in the job pool and assign them from there to the current mixed form. Individual jobs can be sorted, filtered and also deleted in the mixed folder. When working with an individual job, the layout of the mixed job that it’s part of, can also be displayed.
In the new version, the Prinect Business Manager now enables actual costing of such mixed forms in addition to control and monitoring functions. The Prinect Business Manager does the necessary material planning and analyzes the allocation of costs between the individual jobs. As a result, print shops benefit from reliable planning from the time they enter the relevant jobs in the system, and can calculate the costs incurred more accurately. This in turn delivers more cost-efficient production processes and higher margins.
Prinect Analyze Point now offers the possibility, throughout the production run, of fully documenting the colour quality of print jobs for all Heidelberg measuring equipment using colour reports that are prepared and evaluated automatically. This enables media service providers to prove to customers that they’re complying with the colour guidelines for every print job. Further detailed in-house colour reports are possible – including new long-term reports that enable media service providers to further improve production processes. “Both print shops and print buyers thus benefit from greater reliability, including repeat jobs,” said the OEM.
Prinect can now also be connected via an API Interface to media companies’ existing third-party systems. Consequently, media service providers can now incorporate data from Prinect for their production monitoring via the Prinect API Interface into their own systems where they can then include their own diagrams and KPIs. It’s also now possible to transfer data relating to the specific job status into an in-house system to document specific steps or the job status for the company’s customers.
“With the new Prinect functions, Heidelberg is aiming to make life easier for media service providers,” said Christopher Berti, Head of Product Management for Prinect at Heidelberg. “In concrete terms, this means we want our customers to earn more money and to do so faster. Some 200 software engineers at Heidelberg are working on achieving this – day in, day out. That also makes Heidelberg one of our sector’s main IT players,” he added.
Heidelberg adds new performance-enhancing functions to its Prinect workflow software
