One of the real highlights of drupa is to be found in the Heidelberg halls, Hall 1 and 2. Here in a superb layout all the Heidelberg and Polar products are in operation. What may not be realized is that every one of these products is linked together in what may be the world's largest fully integrated printshop. I am advised there are around 80 different products all connected onto a total system and linked to a central managed database. The server configuration managing all of this consists of nearly 100 servers. The connectivity is a high-speed Ethernet configuration and the key to the connectivity and messaging is JDF. Yes, JDF is on the Heidelberg booth allowing all data to the transferred between systems and JMF is handling all messaging between the products and the servers. The status of any item in the two halls can be seen from one terminal with the correct aspect rights, including how it is running, its speed, its paper and ink status, etc. This is all done using the Heidelberg Prinect workflow systems. As the message on the stand says - "Get Prinected."

Heidelberg is introducing a number of new systems into its Prinect workflow. These include the Integration Manager and the Scheduler. This now makes a very complete workflow, and I would think that no other supplier can approach the range of products supported and extensiveness of the Prinect workflow. In the area of press suppliers I don't see any other manufacturer that can be considered to have anything even slightly comparable. Heidelberg also has probably the highest number of MIS systems validated for full JDF/JMF connectivity to Prinect. At drupa it was using its own Prinance MIS system.

One of the items I was most interested to see was the new Prinect Packaging workflow. Heidelberg is concentrating on packaging as a key area of growth and saw the need to develop a complete packaging workflow. When this was announced last year I was dubious of the decision. In the East Asiatic market Heidelberg had an excellent relationship with EskoArtwork, the world leader in packaging workflow. I felt at the time Heidelberg was wrong in not extending its agreement with EskoArtwork and deciding to do its own thing. Well, I was wrong. The new Prinect Package Designer approach is really excellent and very well thought through. There are two main components. The first is to handle the geometric package design and this employs an interesting approach that differs from market leading products like EskoArtwork's Artios CAD. It uses a library of package elements to allow a package design in a CAD form for handling folding, creasing and cutting, and the package designer pulls these together and adjusts them rather than drawing a package from scratch. This product can take in existing geometric designs from specialist products and Adobe Illustrator and work on them.

The second item is Signapack Pro and this is a development of the well established Signastation imposition system. This allow a user to take in the geometric design and test it out in a 3D mode for correct manufacturing operations. It can be viewed in flat form of 3D, it can be rotated, viewed as a wire frame or a solid. It can then be step and repeated onto the sheet. The software allows a choice of different sheet sizes and available presses to be evaluated to asses which would provide the optimum material utilization. The image created by the designer as a PDF file is placed and adjusted on the package, and then stepped onto all the individual packages on the sheet. A neat facility is being able to provide reference numbers on the waste areas of the sheet so if there are problems in finishing a user can easily identify where the faults are to be found.

I found this new Prinect Package Designer package a very comprehensive solution. It is not as yet the equivalent of EskoArtworks solution, but from what I saw it is better than the packaging solutions from all the other prepress suppliers. I was amazed how good it was. It is ideal to take designs from creative designers and assign them to packages. It does not at this time reach up into the creative design aspects of packaging in the planning of the package around the product, not does it allow for viewing of special effects like embossing and metallic tints. As a good system to help Heidelberg sell a total packaging solution it is excellent and is a real potential competitor to EskoArtwork in the sale of packaging design and production solutions.

Heidelberg may have been emphasising its new XL range of presses and in particular the XL145 and XL162 but I still stick to what I said some years ago when speaking at a Heidelberg management event. "Prinect is the crown jewels of Heidelberg."