“Newspapers are viewing automation with renewed urgency,” said the lead article in the April issue of Newspapers & Technology. “The next revolution? Computer-integrated manufacturing links all print production functions,” wrote contributing editor William C. Lamparter for a recent American Printer cover story.

For other manufacturing industries, computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), a.k.a. workflow automation, has been evolutionary, not revolutionary. And companies have been using robots to assemble cars and fill cereal boxes for the same reasons Newspapers & Technology points out newspapers are urgently seeking automation — to cut costs, speed the process, increase manufacturing flexibility, minimize waste, control inventory and exchange data.

So why the sudden revolution? What have manufacturers of print been doing while other industries were getting automated? Most importantly, how can newspapers realize the benefits of automation?

Why a revolution

Computer-integrated manufacturing promises to control digitally every aspect of manufacturing, from order entry to product delivery. Surprisingly, it has been around for nearly as long as computers have been churning data. It actually began in the 1950s with the machines that took instructions from the coded data contained in punched paper tape.

As computers got smarter, smart companies gave them bigger jobs. Before long, unattended robots were assembling cars and computerized assembly lines were counting, bottling and automatically childproofing aspirin.

Information or enterprise technology was the missing link that allowed CIM to fulfill its promise. Today, manufacturing operations of companies such as General Motors Corp. use IT/enterprise software to interface with every other department, from order entry to distribution.

The difference between manufacturing cars and newspapers explains why newspaper CIM is more of a revolution than an evolution.

Newspapers have very little control over content. News and advertising are dynamic; unlike bucket seats, they are never in the same place. We cannot control the quality of an original image the way you could a spark plug. And unlike car companies, we have to create a newly outfitted product overnight, every night. Until recently, the technology capable of handling so many variables was just not available.

Finally, newspaper automation technology has arrived. Now we can control variable data, automatically position ads and tell a plate which cylinder on what press it belongs. Everything you need to implement the process of CIM is here.

CIM for newspapers

Automating the press room is essential, but to realize the full benefits of CIM, the press needs to communicate with prepress, prepress with editorial and advertising, and all of the above with administration, sales and distribution.

For print production environments, automation requires digitization of data and the ability to transmit that information from one end of the workflow to the other — complete with step-by-step processing instructions. PDF-based workflow software streamlines page processing and data delivery.

Workflow production software is the key enabler for newspaper production. For maximum effectiveness, it needs to provide unlimited flexibility.

That means it should allow you to make the digital transformation incrementally so you can accomplish your goals comfortably. And it should be ready to respond when unexpected needs arise.

Workflow software should be flexible enough to handle complex, multiplant networks as well as single-site operations. So it can grow as you do. It needs to automate versioning by swapping page content for multiple editions. It should integrate editorial and ad placement and be able to deliver instructions all the way to the press and the shipping department.

Automotive CIM manufacturing environments engage intelligent robot cells, replete with scanners and/or videocams, to search out and monitor targets for consistently high quality.

Newspapers have quality-control and camera-equipped closed-loop communication technology to monitor equipment, automatically identify potential problems and recommend solutions. Future versions will be able to automatically correct certain malfunctions.

CIM environments also have data gateways to integrate business functions with manufacturing. JDF technology developed specifically for print environments enables the exchange of data between production and MIS/IT departments. While transmitting instructions is hardly new for newspaper workflows, the job definition format will be able to facilitate the exchange of instructions among multiple sites.

CIM also promises automated process control. It includes communication between prepress and press rooms to provide instructions for ink-key settings, color management, and quality parameters.

Real-time control involves initiating an action dynamically from your software interface. Add to this browser-based remote control and you will be able to initiate an action or check a proof from anywhere, at anytime.

The ultimate goal of CIM is to make manufacturing as simple as possible, with a set of instruments that controls every aspect of production the way a pilot controls an aircraft.

It may be awhile before newspaper production can be controlled from a single instrument panel. But I’ll wager that it won’t be long before the lines between prepress and press fade into a continuous uninterrupted process.

Rosemarie Monaco is the chief executive officer of Group M Inc., a marketing communications and consulting firm specializing in the graphic arts. Send comments and questions to rmonaco@groupm.org.