A Conversation with Enfocus Vice President Fabian Prudhomme

Production Automation was ranked second by the Must See 'ems selection committee at Graph Expo 2011: "Automation of the print production process starting with customer input and concluding with product in the box and semi-automatic invoicing is the evolving profile of new era printers."

Sometimes automation can seem overwhelming, especially if you are trying to address the entire process and run a business at the same time.  Do you need to start with a full-blown end-to-end workflow product, or are there easier, more affordable ways to get started?  If you have a full-blown workflow solution, are there automation gaps you need to fill?

I spoke with Fabian Prudhomme, Vice President of Enfocus, to get his perspective. As a side note, you may remember when EskoArtwork acquired Gradual Software back in 2008, integrating it into its Enfocus business. I had been following Gradual Software from its launch, and was very interested in the company's relatively simple approach to automation.  Following its acquisition by EskoArtwork, Gradual's solution morphed into an automation product called Switch, and the company started Crossroads, a global initiative designed to promote collaboration among vendors to make the automation process easier and more transparent for users of Switch. Finally, this year, Switch was awarded an Intertech Technology Award, in recognition of its "next generation technology, where highly advanced, functional components will work together-reliably and efficiently, in any number of ways."

Here's what Prudhomme had to say.

WTT:  First of all, Fabian, congratulations on the Intertech award. Enfocus has a number of products, including PitStop, which has excellent market share in its various versions, but where does Switch fit in the mix?

FP:  Yes, with PitStop 10, we have jumped on the mobile platform bandwagon, including features to prepare PDFs for viewing and usage on iPads and other tablet devices. We have an installed base of more than 130,000 licenses worldwide, and we will, of course, continue to focus on the value our customers get out of this product.  That being said, the main focus of Enfocus is Switch.  Switch is evolving to become our future star product.  It is the product that will allow us to maintain our double-digit growth.  

WTT:  Give us a brief Switch description.

FP:  The Switch family of products is specifically designed to let you save time by automating repetitive tasks that require your undivided attention.  Switch offers an easy-to-use visual interface where you automate your processes using simple drag-and-drop. It has no complex installation procedure and requires no special hardware or software.

Because of the way Switch is built and its user interface is architected, it is nothing more than taking processes and actions, dragging them, and connecting them with arrows.  We have a lot of customers that experiment with it, drag additional steps, connect with arrows and see how it runs using a simulator. If something doesn't work, you can easily revert to a previous stage thanks to Switch's built in reversibility. All you have to do is delete what you dragged into the flow, which is not the case with heavier workflow systems.  In many cases, it can cost as much as the original investment to undo what you did.

Example workflow: Split PDF into Pages.
(click image for larger view)