By Todd Bigger, President, Software, Service and Support, Kodak.

Printing as an industry has a broad history of technology innovation, but it also has a history of complex manual processes and production bottlenecks. Selling the job is only the beginning of a long series of steps that touch every part of both the business and production infrastructures. The touchpoints begin with capturing job specifications to ensure that the substrates, inks, and other raw materials are available. The steps encompassed by resource planning continue to grow in importance while the pace of change in the available software tools is faster than ever.

KODAK PRINERGY Workflow customers use these processes every day to bring work onboard, prepare it for print, and ship it to their customers. In parallel, they need to capture more data to ensure that all work is invoiced, manage change orders, and ensure the cost of goods sold doesn't outpace what they can charge. The good news is that for twenty years, PRINERGY users have been at the forefront of building automated workflows that give them an efficiency edge. Rules-based automation, paired with the on-going development of planning, press management, and data exchange capabilities keeps PRINERGY relevant in the highly competitive workflow market.

Kodak knows that growing any print business is hard work. It takes strategy, planning, and a drive for every ounce of efficiency. That is why in 2019, Kodak brought the PRINERGY platform to the cloud. The KODAK PRINERGY On Demand platform was the first step in developing a cloud-based ecosystem designed to help printers not only run production efficiently but also run the business efficiently. PRINERGY On Demand is built on the robust Microsoft Azure infrastructure. It is proof that powerful automation can be efficient, provide the data that improves cost management, and be cloud-based.

Just as the KODAK PRINERGY Workflow platform has been built on years of helping printers define workflows that optimize print production using Rules-based Automation (RBA) and powerful planning tools. The new KODAK PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions expand the ecosystem with a set of integrated partnerships that will make the business of printing more efficient. The proven track records of Microsoft Dynamics for business management, PrintVis for Print MIS, and Vpress for Web-to-Print, paired with PRINERGY On Demand, brings to market the first smart, cloud-enabled, print manufacturing environment that eliminates the gap between the business and the execution of print.

Many printers already use the popular Microsoft Dynamics Business Central applications to develop analytics, manage customer relationship data, and manage their supply chains. PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions brings the power of Microsoft Dynamics to PRINERGY On Demand by linking the full suite of Dynamics 365 business solutions to the PRINERGY On Demand platform making it more efficient to run the business.

Already a part of the Microsoft Dynamics platform, PrintVis is the new PRINERGY On Demand partner for the complete suite of ERP and MIS functions. Even if you have some of these functions in place, it will be worth reviewing how the twenty years of PrintVis experience in diverse print environments brings innovation to the platform. With PrintVis, you have a complete view of the shop floor for smarter planning and scheduling. The estimating and quoting functions use data from the inventory function for the most accurate job costing. The job ticketing function ensures that every job is logged and tracked from onboarding to delivery and links the process back to the business systems to ensure accurate invoicing.

PRINERGY partner Vpress brings the onboarding and client-facing solution to the platform. Industry experts agree that onboarding the job is a common bottleneck, and web-to-print solutions should be in every shop to streamline the process. Leveraging their almost 20 years of implementing scalable solutions, the Vpress Coreprint platform enables integration with a world-class web-to-print suite. Vpress also brings an easy e-commerce solution to PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions customers. Not just a storefront, but the supporting pieces that include a library of variable data print templates, all with complete integration and visibility to business and production.

Printers with islands of automation know the time and effort it takes to work with multiple vendors and integrators. PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions can leverage that investment to bring a deeper level of integration to your processes at whatever pace you need. For printers with mostly manual processes, there may be a temptation to create your own solution, but those who have built islands of automation know the disruption that working with multiple vendors requires. The most cost effective and time-saving path to automation is to work with a highly disciplined Kodak workflow team. They can build a plan that automates the available tools to meet your business needs, adding analytics and visibility to the current and full workflow need. No need to manage schedules from multiple vendors or to be the arbiter when disputes arise. The Kodak team streamlines the engagement, manages the complexity, and keeps your team informed every step of the way.

The business of printing is in the process of a seismic change. To compete in the evolving print market, printing companies must grab every opportunity for automation, efficiency, and end-to-end operational transparency. That is what PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions bring to the market. No matter where you are on your workflow journey, Kodak brings you the first accessible and affordable platform as a Service built to grow your business. Say goodbye to complexity. Say hello to PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions.

For further information on how PRINERGY On Demand Business Solutions can help your business, visit www.kodak.com/go/prinergy. 

Kodak and Prinergy are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Co.