Offering an end-to-end workflow that takes a publisher from prepress through the mailroom is the vision of vendors that aim to help newspapers streamline their workflows. Several companies continue to tout their workflow software as newspapers hammer out what apps best fit their needs.

Among the vendors providing these types of products is Ewert America Electronics, offering its Visual Intelligent Plan software.

“It’s a transdepartmental production order planning system that provides functionality for planning, reporting, simulation and cost control,” said Dieter Ewert, chief executive officer, EAE. “It’s used to visualize and plan the entire production workflow through prepress, press and postpress.”

To do that, V.I.P., which supports XML and JDF among other standards, offers application programming interfaces to allow it to mesh with multiple products.

“We not only integrate with our own systems but with existing systems in different departments,” Ewert said.

Modular

The EAE workflow is comprised of four modules that can be installed together or separately: order planning (V.I.P. Dispo), simulation (V.I.P. Simu), statistics (V.I.P. Statistic) and cost control (V.I.P. Cost). The V.I.P. Dispo order planning module integrates overall workflow planning including capacity and resources for all production areas; feasibility checks regarding scheduling and technical facilities and recommendations for optimal use of things such as computer-to-plate units, folders and production lines.



The V.I.P. Dispo Resource Planning screen shows orders on the left side (vertically), available resources, such as CTP machines and presses are displayed on the top of the screen. The solid-colored fields represent different production jobs.
Photo: EAE

V.I.P. Simu allows simulations including simulation of the machinery required for a particular job, alternative simulations for standard press configurations and simulations of production runs.

The V.I.P. Statistic module of the software is a fully automated reporting app for all production areas, Ewert said, consisting of an integrated database for analysis and statistics. Manual entry is also available for departments without automated counting systems.

V.I.P Cost performs preliminary cost estimates.

“With this you can provide a customer requesting the cost of production with both a rough estimate and a detailed calculation,” Ewert said, adding that this module takes full, marginal and direct costs into account.

This app also performs actual cost calculations based on the data of a completed production job, as well as determining costs for each individual process or for any changes made during planning.

Personnel planning

This module also allows personnel planning - a function used by The Rheinische Post in Dusseldorf, Germany - that enables newspapers to perform weekly forecasts of manpower necessary to perform certain jobs based on actual orders for prepress, press and mailroom.

The Post employs the additional V.I.P. modules to allow it to interface with ABB MPS press controls (see sidebar), NewsWay software from ProImage, EAE’s  PostPressManagement mailroom software, an SAP distribution app and an insert management app from ppi Media.

The Post has made major investments upgrading its production equipment and software in recent years, including the installation of Agfa CTP units, Nela benders, NewsWay software, KBA Commander presslines and six lines and five insert reels from Ferag. Each line consists of six feeders and three bundling machines leading to three loading platforms.

The Post produces 29 editions with a total circulation of approximately 405,000 copies each night.

 In addition to The Post, German publisher Axel Springer Verlag in Kettwig Essen uses the V.I.P. Dispo and V.I.P. Statistic modules in its production operations, which interface to 21 EAE control desks that run its nine MAN Roland Inc. ColorMAN presses. The modules also work with EAE press planning and presetting software, along with data entry terminals in postpress and prepress.

Like The Post, Axel Springer employs Agfa CTP equipment with Nela benders.