Verlag GmbH based in Bad Nauheim is the first customer worldwide to opt to use a Prinect Production Manager, which Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) presented for the first time at drupa 2016. The Prinect Production Manager is a new use concept in the form of a rental model within the Prinect business intelligence platform. It enables print shops of all sizes to use every integration function of the Prinect production workflow precisely in line with their requirements, without having to make compromises in terms of the scope of performance. Petermann can use all functions of the Prinect Prepress, Prinect Pressroom, Prinect Digital Print, and Prinect Postpress Manager as and when it needs them. Instead of paying for the individual licenses, it only pays for its actual monthly data usage which is calculated in m² TIFF-B. The usage fee also includes all automatic software updates so that the workflow is always up to date. Whereas the hardware required is installed at the customer’s premises, some of the selected Prinect components, such as the Prinect Web Shop, are cloud-based. This makes it possible to achieve digitization and automation of the production processes for virtually every print shop in terms of technology and economic considerations.

Petermann is also combining the investment in Prinect with the purchase of a new Speedmaster press. Up to now, Petermann has operated its offset and digital printing systems as stand alone entities. In the future, the company will be able to centrally control and manage these systems and its existing Versafire CV digital printing system using an integrated approach. At the same time, the company will have complete transparency concerning all workflows and operating data. All the new features were also presented to the customer and partner companies as part of an open-house event.

“As a smaller company, the Prinect Production Manager lets us take flexibly advantage of the benefits offered by digitization,” says Sebastian Kreß, Managing Director of Petermann. “For us, customer focus and customer satisfaction are paramount. We meet this standard by systematically investing in forward-looking technologies and the know-how of our employees.”

“Digitizing processes is not just something for larger companies. If a print shop wants to remain competitive, this is a topic it needs to address,” says Anthony Thirlby, Head of Prinect at Heidelberg. It is a matter of developing a business model that focuses on the end customers’ requirements with respect to quality, flexibility, productivity, availability, and delivery reliability. This can only be accomplished with digitized, largely autonomous processes that allow the print shop operator to look after the most important thing: its customers.”