Ashland, NY - Printing Industries of America and the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Post Press (CIP4) Organization have announced their plans to host an Automation Solutions Network Event in Toronto, ON. This event will take place on June 15th and 16th, and feature presentations and discussions from industry leaders and experts on automation as well as a tour of multiple CIP4 CIPPI award winner and implementer of a streamlined JDF workflow: Ampersand Printing.

The event will allow printers to exchange ideas and share the challenges and benefits of implementing JDF. This is a rare opportunity to discuss automation in an open forum setting with business peers who understand the concepts of JDF automation and can share their personal experiences.

Ready for Change
In the current economy it is difficult to maintain profits while constantly fighting competitors for jobs. As a result, companies have to do more work with fewer resources. The only way to maintain profitability and cope with the razor thin margins of exceptionally competitive pricing is to make your business more efficient. By utilizing JDF data in an integrated workflow, all of your work processes become highly streamlined, and suddenly those profit margins become much more sustainable.

Benefits of Automation
One of the main highlights of these events is the visit to a local printer who utilizes complete JDF automation in their own facility. Ampersand Printing, located just outside of Toronto in Guelph, ON, has been in business for 35 years and is one of the leading print service providers in Canada. They have been consistently ahead of the curve when it comes to technological innovation, leading the way for CTP in Canada, and continuing that trend by jumping into JDF automation early on.

Ampersand began to implement an automated workflow in 2005 when they installed the HIFLEX MIS, linking it to their Kodak Prinergy system in prepress and their Polar Cutter in post press. In 2008, after experiencing the massive time savings in their other departments, Ampersand purchased a JDF enabled Mitsubishi Diamond 3000LX press and linked it to their digital workflow. The JDF data that the press receives, as well as the JMF data it sends back, have delivered a completely automated start-to-finish workflow. An enormous time savings to make-ready combined with the increased efficiency and communication between departments resulted in the reduction of an entire shift of work time. The amount of work that had regularly been completed during 2 shifts could now be done in only one, thanks to JDF and the automated make-ready process.

When speaking about the newest additions to their JDF workflow, Ampersand Printing President Mike McDonald had this to say: "The HIFLEX JDF data slips right through to our new Mitsubishi press, allowing our operators to achieve amazing make-ready times. We have been able to accomplish times as low as 6 minutes under the right conditions. This is an amazing accomplishment compared to our old press, sometimes saving an entire hour of preparation. None of this would be possible without the HIFLEX MIS System and its JDF data. The assistance provided by the JDF information basically functions as an additional member of the press crew."

Real Results
It is not uncommon for printers to think that JDF is all hype with no tangible results, but it becomes quite difficult to refute the money saving potential of an automated workflow when it happens right in front of your eyes. The only way to confirm the claims that have been made by software and hardware providers is to see it in action.

Included among the plethora of advantages that Ampersand has obtained from the HIFLEX MIS & Web2Print JDF workflows are increases in automation, efficiency to production, value added, and time savings. The HIFLEX MIS system alone has allowed the company to more accurately track historic data, plan production more quickly and accurately, and drastically reduce human error; among a long list of other benefits.

The Automation Solutions Network Event was designed to show printers the advantages of JDF and help improve the processes of every printer willing to take the next evolutionary step in workflow. Speak with industry experts and real JDF users to see how a JDF workflow could be making your business more efficient.