KENNESAW, Ga., October 14, 2004 - Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) and MIS software provider Hiflex GmbH, Aachen, Germany have announced plans to cooperate closely in future in the field of JDF integration (JDF = Job Definition Format of the CIP4 organization). Joint tests by the companies’ development departments should ensure the open JDF integration at customer installations.   “The integrated printshop means a lot more than just rationalizing individual processes. The objective is efficient integration of the entire value added chain – and JDF technology provides the key to this,“ says Jörg Bauer, Vice President Product Management Prinect. “Our JDF-capable Prinect products ensure open, standardized communication between the Hiflex management information system (MIS) and the Prinect systems in the print production stage. Prinect Solutions from Heidelberg provide individual solutions that, because they are based on open standards, can be integrated into existing and proven hardware and software components at any time.”     As announced by Heidelberg and Hiflex, these two companies have already implemented a JDF networking solution for their systems. At the Graph Expo trade show in Chicago in mid-October, the JDF integration of the Heidelberg systems Prinect Printready System (prepress) and Prinect Data Control (press and postpress) with the Hiflex MIS software will be presented live for the first time. This will mean JDF data can be transferred directly from the HIFLEX MIS software to the Prinect systems Data Control and Printready from Heidelberg.   “The JDF connection to the Heidelberg Prinect systems offers our customers considerable added value, because processes that were previously completely separate are now being interlinked and automated,” says Stefan Reichhart, Managing Director of Hiflex GmbH.   Hiflex is one of six MIS software systems worldwide from different manufacturers that Heidelberg is using to implement customer installations based on JDF. The first joint project for Heidelberg and Hiflex is the Offset 5020 printshop in Salzburg, Austria. This state-of-the-art, full-service sheetfed offset printshop is equipped with several Speedmaster CD 102 presses and has a workforce of around 60.   “We have been using the Hiflex MIS software for over eight years now. By connecting our Hiflex system directly to the production data flow, as planned, we are expecting more efficient process control, increased productivity thanks to more automation, shorter makeready times and more flexibility for short-term job changes”, says Johann Fuchs who is responsible for technical and organizational management at Offset 5020. “Networking is definitely the way forward for us.”   CIP4 / JDF Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG is a partner member and co-founder of the CIP4 organization (successor of CIP3). Hiflex has been a full member since January 2002. CIP4 is the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress. The technological basis for the integration of the above-mentioned areas is the Job Definition Format (JDF) from CIP4. JDF is XML-based and builds on existing partial solutions such as Print Production Format (PPF) from CIP3 and Portable Job Ticket Format (PJTF) from Adobe.