Aachen, – Attendee's of the latest HIFLEX User Conference on the 15th and 16th of October 2009 had an intensive discussion about their experiences, expressing their opinions about new workflow approaches, strategic solutions and future visions for the print industry. HIFLEX users from 16 different countries accepted the invitation and joined each other in Aachen, Germany.

The overall goal of this year's HIFLEX User Conference was the sharing of knowledge and new solutions for business processes in the print industry. HIFLEX users from 16 countries on four continents attended the two-day event to pick up the latest news on the products HIFLEX MIS, HIFLEX Webshop and HIFLEX Print Support. While in Aachen, they discussed their experiences and learned from each other. As we watch the industry rapidly change, such exchanges are a rare and unique opportunity to stay abreast of technology and branch developments.

Valuable inspiration
New and revolutionary applications are naturally an exciting topic, but it is the proven practical implementations which offer users the greatest benefits for their day-to-day work with the software. This fact was reflected in the HIFLEX conference program. On both days, the participants were able to choose the subjects most relevant to their own operations from a total of 32 workshops, each of which spotlighted different aspects of the solutions that were improved by HIFLEX over the past months.

The workshop sessions also provided a chance for users to review the experience gained by other practical users and to seek valuable tips and inspiration for their next strategic steps. The seminar topics covered a whole spectrum of topics from product calculation and imposition, order processing and job data verification via scheduling, production data acquisition and materials management, all the way through to product shipping. Presentations were also given on the factors for the success of JDF networking, the benefits of the purchasing tool HIFLEX Print Support (www.printsupport.com), and the possibilities for complex, JDF-integrated automation. Additional highlights included the new functions in the HIFLEX MIS Release 2009, an outlook on the planned future development of the HIFLEX software up to 2011, concepts for the marketing of open and closed webshops, and solutions for customer relationship management and sales planning.

Far from just a sober presentation
The User Conference was far from being just another sober software presentation and demonstration. Instead it provided a platform for constructive exchanges and a fertile setting in which to establish and renew contacts to branch colleagues and the HIFLEX team. Even if many HIFLEX customers are already naturally progressive in their thoughts and actions, such discussions with industry colleagues who share similar goals is always useful. Getting a look at the complete picture of current trends and developments is extremely advantageous.

At the same time, HIFLEX was given a chance to soak up the comments, ideas and suggestions of its customers and users. Thomas Reichhart stated: "The conference was a great success for all concerned. Our customers gained first-hand experience of how we are developing our solutions further; and as for HIFLEX, the time for personal discussions with our customers is simply invaluable. Our shared discussions and the direct feedback we received will no doubt influence the solutions HIFLEX develops in the future."