February 17, 2004 -- Four new partners have joined Networked Graphic Production (NGP) to participate in the development of solutions that use the JDF file specification to automate production processes and connect with the other NGP Partners' solutions. All 36 members of Networked Graphic Production will be represented at Drupa in the NGP Pavilion, which will include a complete list of integration status, a map of where to see NGP Partner solutions working at Drupa, and five demonstration stations to allow NGP Pavilion visitors to see several JDF-based, cross-vendor integrated solutions demonstrated. The latest NGP Partners include a leading printing equipment vendor Ryobi Ltd.; Press-sense Ltd, a developer of web-based solutions for the printing industry; NovaVision Software Denmark A/S, a management information system developer; and JDF development platform specialist Objective Advantage, Inc. New NGP Partner: Ryobi Ltd.... Japan-based Ryobi Ltd. manufactures offset printing presses and prepress systems for commercial printers in over 160 countries worldwide. Ryobi's participation in the NGP Partner program will directly benefit printers who are looking to build a seamless production network. As an NGP Partner, Ryobi will be developing JDF-based integrations with a myriad of other NGP Partners. This will allow printers who have Ryobi presses to reap the benefits of cross-vendor integration such as shorter make-ready, automation of shop-floor data collection, instant inventory updating and reporting as well as more accurate job cost projections. Ryobi is the fourth press manufacturer to join the NGP initiative. "We are very pleased to be working with the NGP Partners," says Yasuhiro Kinugasa, Manager, Planning and Development, Graphic System Division, Ryobi. "We look forward to developing more integration points with many of these NGP Partners and thus deliver benefits to our customers by creating an even more efficient operation of their presses and production systems." New NGP Partner: Objective Advantage, Inc.... Objective Advantage, Inc. of Houston, TX, USA is a software business development company whose expertise centers on the implementation of JDF. The company provides clients with a complete solution for implementing JDF, including training, consulting, tools, and development services to assist in integrating JDF with new and existing software systems. Seeing great benefits and future possibilities, Objective Advantage believes that NGP will allow industry vendors and printers to achieve JDF capabilities and connectivity faster and less expensively than they can alone. New NGP Partner: Press-sense Ltd.... Two of the new NGP partners are Management Information Systems (MIS) developers. Integrating MIS with printing presses, prepress production planning, and finishing systems is one of the key benefits of JDF-enabled solutions. Serving markets in the USA and Europe, Press-sense Ltd develops web-based solutions for the printing industry. Its iWay product family administers the creation and production of print jobs. Through Networked Graphic Production, Press-sense aims to create a powerful and seamless standard workflow solution. Their customers will experience better integration between existing management and production systems due to Press-sense's participation in NGP. New NGP Partner: NovaVision Software Denmark A/S... NovaVision Software Denmark A/S is a Danish solution centre that develops, markets and delivers standard solutions for the printing and publishing industry. Supporting users in Europe and Asia, its MIS PrintVision software provides tools for creative design, prepress, bindery and packaging production. NovaVision Software has joined Networked Graphic Production to be able to work directly with the leading industry vendors and become part of a large network of working JDF implementations. NGP at Drupa 2004... See the new JDF-enabled solutions developed through the cooperation of the 36 Networked Graphic Production Partners during demonstrations at the NGP Pavilion at Drupa, hall 4, stand B22, May 6-19, 2004. NGP Partners -- Creo -- Adobe -- Komori -- Prism -- KBA -- Xerox -- Hiflex -- Globe-Tek -- DIMS! -- Radius -- MAN Roland -- Mitsubishi -- MBO -- Muller Martini -- Primac -- Rogler -- Cerm -- Technique Business Systems -- Shuttleworth -- Printplus -- Streamline Solutions -- Megalith -- Compri -- Optichrome -- Graphisoft -- SSB-DISO -- Arden Software -- PrimaSolve -- Rampage -- Global Graphics -- Tharstern -- WAM!Net -- Ryobi -- Objective Advantage -- Press-sense -- Nova Vision