Transformational Workflow Infrastructures v2021

Before the pandemic—actually way before the pandemic in 2013—I wrote the first in a series of articles on print and packaging service provider workflows. These articles were developed to provide a model for software and hardware developers to build forward-thinking process systems. They were also designed to raise the awareness of print and packaging service providers to the importance of a future-proof infrastructure.

The diagram below is from the PRIMIR Transformative Workflow Study and provides a high-level look at a future-proof infrastructure that will support the demands of current and changing market realities. This graphic was actually a modern (at the time) version of a diagram I published in Seybold Reports in 1997. Obviously, the devil is in the details, but this gives you a good idea of how you should be thinking about it.

The key concept is around cross-process integration while preserving process modularity.

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About David Zwang

David Zwang travels around the globe helping companies increase their productivity, margins and market reach. He specializes in production optimization, strategic business planning, market analysis, and related services to companies in the vertical media communications market. Clients have included printers, manufacturers, retailers, publishers, premedia and US Government agencies. He can be reached at [email protected].

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