What is the status of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) in the commercial printing industry? Although the historic and technical definition includes just about any type of computer-driven automation, most people think of CIM as being synonymous with the Smart Factory. This points primarily toward prepress-to-finishing integrated workflow driven by the Job Definition Format (JDF).

Using this definition, CIM workflows are in their nascent stages, where they will stay for some time. Despite the hoopla about JDF, we are not seeing widespread adoption. In fact, a printer told us of a recent JDF conference, attended by 300–400 printers and other members of the industry, at which one of the presenters asked, "How many of you have been able to implement JDF in your workflows in some way?" Of the 300–400 in attendance, only one hand went up.

From the perspective of CIM, this is pretty jolting. After all, JDF is the industry standard that is — and will be for the immediate future — used to facilitate the automated and integrated workflows that drive it. If printers have not yet been able to implement JDF in any way, they are miles away from CIM. In the CIM world, this is like finding out that an auditorium full of NASCAR wannabes can’t drive a stick shift.