Users of the Prinect print shop workflow from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) can significantly increase transparency in their print shop thanks to a smart combination of various web-based Prinect functions that delivers fresh impetus for their company's economic success.

The new online tool Prinect Performance Benchmarking enables print shops to compare the performance of their Speedmaster presses with other print shops. To do this, Heidelberg automatically records the performance of connected machines, evaluates this information centrally, and makes it available on the Prinect Online Portal for comparison. More than 100 Speedmaster presses are already integrated into this system worldwide. This gives print shops precise information on their own productivity based on continuously updated data from around the world. Heidelberg uses state-of-the-art data security technology to ensure anonymity and data security.

A print shop requiring a detailed analysis of its own productivity can obtain this with Analyze Point, an option in Prinect Pressroom Manager, a software tool that records and evaluates times, quantities, and events in all areas of a print shop's production operations. Direct access to job and machine processes delivers an instant overview. Production and consumption information can be recorded and evaluated over long periods. This data forms an important basis for identifying potential for improvement and pursuing ongoing optimization.

Analyze Point and Prinect Performance Benchmarking convert the productivity of a press into an overall equipment efficiency (OEE) rating, an internationally recognized measure of production equipment efficiency.

Prinect Performance Benchmarking can be combined with Analyze Point. Prinect Performance Benchmarking compares a print shop's own productivity with other companies to determine how it is performing, while Analyze Point enables detailed analysis at the print shop to identify suitable optimization measures.

The Prinect Mobile function enables customers to access Analyze Point via an Android smartphone, IPhone, or IPad at any time and from anywhere. Prinect Mobile enables access to Prinect workflow data on the move and provides information on aspects such as job status, machine utilization, and shift progress. Field staff in discussions with print buyers can therefore access information on the progress of their jobs on the move at any time of day.

Combined use of these three Prinect functions gives key benefits to users, particularly top-level management, operational and technical managers, quality control officers, and sales staff, allowing them to get a precise picture of their company's performance at any time. The evaluations help companies deliver ongoing improvements. The data obtained forms an important basis for upcoming organizational changes or investment decisions and adds to the range of advisory services that Heidelberg can offer for analyzing customers' operations.

"Not only are mobile Internet platforms revolutionizing print buyers' usage, print shop managers can also benefit from the opportunities on offer. With the Prinect workflow's numerous online functions, Heidelberg has created a means for making all of a print shop's value-enhancing processes transparent and viewable at any time," says Christopher Berti, Head of Prinect and CtP.

Positive customer feedback
Customers working with these Prinect solutions are impressed with the benefits. One of the first users to combine Analyze Point and Prinect Mobile is the Bauer GmbH print shop in Pfedelbach near Heilbronn. "Each and every month, Analyze Point shows me how the productivity of my presses is progressing," says project manager Matthias Bauer. "This enables me early on to identify if the overall productivity changes and if so, to take appropriate action. Using Prinect Mobile, I look at Analyze Point when I'm on the move to see whether a particular job is already being printed. This means I can make decisions or find a remedy without having to be on-site."

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