August 5, 2002 – Montreal, Canada – RDP Marathon Inc., manufacturer of web presses for commercial, direct mail, labels, packaging and document printing announces the release of Optim+ , an advanced information system offering an analytic view of the printing process performance. "Equipment downtime and waste are without question the greatest causes of reduced profitability, and most companies struggle with how to measure and improve their printing operation," said Eric Short, President and CEO, RDP Marathon. "The value of knowing the length of the downtime event increases when you know both the cause and what waste can be attributed to it. Optim+ tracks both." Designed to provide a real-time, informed overview of the entire printing operation with the ability to zero in on a user-specified timeline for an individual press, product or shift, Optim+ sets the standard for waste management by allowing printers to identify and improve key problem areas. Optim+’s shift report screen, accessible at the press console, automatically logs downtime events and associated waste, while prompting the press operator to select a pre-defined down-time reason from a pop-up menu. Plant management also has the ability to customize down-time reasons to their own operations. Plant management has remote access to the production overview display, showing the status, speed and production totals for each press, including estimated job completion time, as well as multiple views of the data for analytical and decision support: - The summary report provides a plant-wide overview comparing production rates, waste and downtime. - The shift summary documents how well each shift performs. - The shift detail shows how well each product runs on an individual press for a particular shift. - The press summary compares one press against another and establishes an efficiency benchmark. - The press detail shows how well each product runs on an individual press. - The product summary compares how well each product runs, determining which products can be produced more efficiently. - The product detail shows how well each press performs at producing an individual product. - The downtime detail itemizes events for an individual press, product or shift. Overall plant efficiency can be increased by: - Minimizing shift reporting errors - Identifying waste causes - Identifying and classifying down-time - Assisting in maintenance planning - Identifying potential operator training issues - Establishing optimum production rates - Assisting in production scheduling Compatible with Microsoft Access*, additional presses can easily be added to the Optim server station using Optim client stations to provide consolidated data collection and reporting enterprise wide. Optim+ runs concurrently with the RDP SmartoSet 2000 press control system which provides control of all press functions on easy-to-read, easy-to-use touch screen graphic displays accessible from both the main console and individual print units. Developed to integrate seamlessly with management software, including CIP4 digital workflow, the control system provides job storage and retrieval, and a modem interface for remote systems diagnostics. RDP Marathon specializes in technical and custom engineering solutions utilizing combination print processes including litho, flexo, gravure, waterless and screen-printing for quality web printers. The RDP family of presses provides printers with the ability to serve existing markets while exploring rapidly emerging value-added segments.