Software - Workflow

Enfocus achieved 20% growth worldwide in 2010 following the implementation of a comprehensive operational review. Key to this success was the buoyant double-digit contribution from the North American market. The company also recorded an impressive 45% sales increase for its Switch solution.

The increase follows a thorough operational review that was conducted to improve on 2009 results. “2010 was a rebound year for Enfocus,” states Enfocus Vice-President Fabian Prudhomme: “The 2009 figures reflect the challenging economic climate during that period. We decided to scrutinise our operational procedures and looked at ways to improve the way we work. The review ensured we reached and exceeded the sales target set for 2010.”

Enfocus bounces back after strategic review

Enfocus significantly increased revenue and bolstered its market share in North America after appointing key personnel and making a number of internal changes: “For us, 2010 was very much about reaffirming Enfocus’ status in North America, and latest sales figures show we have achieved this,” says Prudhomme. “We aim to build on this momentum in 2011 and take a larger slice of this key market. We’re optimistic sales figures in 12 months’ time will indicate continued growth.”

The impressive turnaround in the company’s fortunes follows the implementation of an 18-month long strategy for ensuring sustainable growth. It included a business plan encompassing several initiatives to grow market share in key areas, geographical expansion, organisational changes, product-related changes and development plans. The strategy focused primarily on Enfocus’ automation solutions, while at the same time maintained the company’s market-leading position regarding preflight.

“We regained market share in some regions where we’d ‘lost contact’,” adds Prudhomme. “Crucially, we also significantly increased revenue from some of our key solutions that will play a major role in our mid to long term strategy.”

45% more customers made the Switch

One of those headline solutions was Switch, which enjoyed a sales boost of 45% compared to 2009. Prudhomme explains: “Our customers are beginning to understand the impact automation can have on their business. Our excellent entry-level automation solutions are scalable to meet their particular needs, plus they integrate seamlessly with our preflight technologies.”

Enfocus’ portfolio also includes PitStop Connect. The solution, which has been well received following its Ipex launch, helps designers, printers and publishers connect with each other simply and more effectively, and work more productively. The October launch of PitStop Pro 10 comprised a number of significant customer-requested enhancements and features, spurring a high adoption rate.

In terms of license and upgrade sales, preflight solutions continue to be the best-selling applications, with PitStop Pro clearly at the top.

Customer support doubled

At the heart of Enfocus’ strategy is its ‘You first!’ philosophy. “We pride ourselves on the quality of our products, but we’re aware that there’s always room for improvement,” says Prudhomme. “This is why we doubled our customer support capacity in 2010. Enfocus customers know they are valued – our greatly increased support operation ensures their voices are heard and any issues are resolved promptly.”

Enfocus is committed to developing its support operation, and in 2011 will continue evaluating its processes and make improvements accordingly.

Future focus

Enfocus will be launching a range of activities to support the continued growth of the new Crossroads program. It will develop an international community of Switch-using partners, while significant changes within the Switch architecture will be introduced to address the needs of different markets. The company will also continue to focus on growing the business in North America and expanding its presence in Asia. Finally, a new corporate website will improve the way it communicates with customers, prospects and the media.

Prudhomme concludes: “We’ve taken the time to establish the right path for growth while maintaining a very lean organization. Our team of software professionals is committed to building on the success of 2010, and have the ideal working infrastructure to realise this goal.”

EskoArtwork will showcase how its sophisticated suite of digital flexo, workflow automation and pre-production solutions help customers competitively enhance their production at Gulf Print & Pack on stand C760. Gulf Print & Pack takes place at Dubai at Airport Expo, from March 14 to 17.

“The Middle East is an important market for EskoArtwork which is why we recently established a new sales office in Istanbul,” says Jacques Staelens, EskoArtwork’s Regional Business Manager MEA. “Gulf Print & Pack is traditionally a very busy show for us and we are confident our portfolio of solutions that enable our customers to optimise costs, streamline workflow and improve quality will again prove to be a must see for all visitors.”

During the show, EskoArtwork will highlight following solutions on its stand:

• Suite 10 with integrated software solutions for packaging prepress, 3D structural design and quality assurance, collaboration and automation, and colour management. Visitors can follow demonstrations of the Automation Engine 10 and version 10 releases of all editor applications: ArtPro 10, PackEdge 10, DeskPack 10, ArtiosCAD 10 and Studio 10. Integrated more than ever, Automation Engine 10 adds capabilities to the automation of repetitive tasks, and takes the human interaction out of the pre-production process. This avoids mistakes and saves considerable time and money. 
• Packaging expertise with HD Flexo 2.0, which has been designed to help customers maximise their production capabilities, ensuring high quality and consistent flexo printing. It combines 4000 dpi HD optics on the EskoArtwork Cyrel Digital Imager (CDI) with advanced MicroCell screening technologies to produce sharper and more accurate imaging. The new version is an evolution of EskoArtwork’s patented PlateCell technology and provides higher solid ink density (SID) for more vibrant colours on packaging while printing with standard flexo inks and anilox rollers.
• Versatility of substrate choice is one of the benefits demonstrated by the small format Kongsberg i-XE10. The high precision digital cutting table provides an efficient and adaptable digital finishing solution for short-run production of a variety of visual communications including sign and display and labels.

 

Supply55 Inc. has announced the release of ReelPRO compatibility with Mutoh and Epson wide-format printers as well as the new Roland VS family of wide-format printers.

ReelPRO is an affordable, easy to install, easy to use take-up system which allows wide-format printer users to take control of their workflow. At the heart of ReelPRO is a proprietary patent pending drive train developed by Supply55 which provides superior performance and reliability. ReelPRO immediately starts saving the user money by reducing the number of damaged prints, improving efficiency when printing longer jobs; banners, vehicle wraps, wallpaper, signs and allows the operator to run the printer unattended.

Benefits of ReelPRO:

• Unattended printing
• Avoid dust and dirt on printed images
• Eliminate waste through improved workflow
• Stop kinking and scratching prints as they are moved from the printer to your work tables or as they hit the floor
• Improved profitability through improved efficiency

 

Advanced tools for 3D packaging visualisation and increased efficiency in the production process; these are the main reasons for packaging and display specialist Seyfert GmbH to opt for ArtiosCAD (www.esko.com/artioscad). Based in Reichenbach/Fils (Germany) and with several production sites in Europe, Seyfert is a leading supplier of high-quality transport packaging, shelf-ready packaging and display products. Since implementing ArtiosCAD, Seyfert benefits from a significantly simpler and faster workflow, thanks to the advanced design and drafting tools. Moreover, the sophisticated 3D tools integrated in ArtiosCAD opened new paths in 3D visualisation and design for the company.

“With our previous CAD solution it was a struggle to keep up with customer demand. We required a solution that enabled us to work faster and process more jobs. We were looking for an open system that included complete 3D visualisation, the latest structural design tools and an efficient administration. ArtiosCAD was just the solution we needed," says Thomas Spittler, Packaging Development Manager at Seyfert. Especially the sophisticated 3D tools had a big impact at the company: “We can now design exact-fitting packaging and inserts. And because ArtiosCAD is an open system, we can import clients’ 3D models of their products and design highly accurate packaging without inputting measurements or having the product on site.”

Workflow automation and reduced turnaround times

With ArtiosCAD, Seyfert's workflow is now highly automated, resulting in the elimination of repetitive, time-intensive tasks and significantly shortened job turnaround times.  When the first design draft is generated, ArtiosCAD provides 3D samples via PDF for clients’ approval: “ArtiosCAD 3D tools have made the approval cycle much shorter and easier,” explains Spittler. “In the past, we had to build expensive models and mock-ups at each construction phase. Now we can simply discuss the design with the client via a video conference call, so everybody can see the latest 3D draft, discuss any adjustments required and progress quickly to the final version. ArtiosCAD eliminates any waste in this process because the final 3D sample that the customer approves is generated from the 2D design which can automatically be converted to a manufacturing file for die-making.” 

ArtiosCAD offers tools specifically designed for structural design, product development, virtual prototyping and manufacturing. It allows Seyfert to quickly create design standards for their corrugated, folding carton and display orders, saving time and eliminating errors. One feature that is particularly of interest for Seyfert is the capability to automatically create different basic parametric designs based on one single Standard, making standardisation and recurring packaging concepts easier.

“The thorough analysis conducted by EskoArtwork before the installation, highlighted how ArtiosCAD could improve the way we operate – and after implementing the software with a Seyfert specific roll-out plan those projections have certainly been realised within a short time frame,” concludes Spittler. “ArtiosCAD has made our workflow more efficient and saves us a lot of time. We now have more resources for developing new creative applications, and can dedicate more time to our clients.”

 

Enfocus announces the update 1 of its PitStop Pro 10 application. Update 1 offers compatibility with the latest Adobe® Acrobat® X Standard and Pro. It also introduces compatibility with the latest PDF/X-4:2010 and PDF/A ISO standards.

"To serve our customers at their best interest, Enfocus always aims to be compatible with the latest design solutions and industry specifications. The release of PitStop Pro 10 update 1 keeps this key product at the leading edge of Adobe® Acrobat® and ISO standards compatibility," says Elli Cloots, Director of Product Management at Enfocus.

Enfocus PitStop Pro 10 is a plug-in to Adobe® Acrobat® X Standard or Pro. The recent introduction of Adobe® Acrobat® X saw a major change to the user interface. It no longer uses the familiar toolbar menus but now groups all the main panels on the right side of the document window. The latest PitStop Pro 10 update 1 is designed to work with this new menu structure. However it still remains compatible with the previous Acrobat 8.1 (or higher) and 9.x Standard or Pro versions, on both Mac OS X and Windows platforms.

Support for latest PDF/X-4 and PDF/A

At the same time Enfocus has taken the opportunity to add support for the latest PDF/X-4:2010 standard. This standard has recently been finalized and replaces PDF/X-4:2008. PDF/X-4 supports color-managed data as well as PDF transparency and optional content.

PDF/A, now also supported, is a file format for the long-term archiving of electronic documents. With the update 1, PitStop Pro enables users to check against these ISO specifications including a large number of corrections.

Faster, easier, smarter

PitStop Pro has long been recognised for its many PDF editing features and its user-friendly design, enabling easy management and customisation of presets and tools. Under the 'You first' commitment to the customers, Enfocus listened to extensive user feedback and further expanded these features in PitStop Pro 10, which was introduced in September 2010.

It introduced features that had been particularly requested by customers. These have been designed to help users to work faster with greater precision, and also to save significant amounts of time. It also concentrated on making colour management more accessible for everybody, with easy controls and the ability to import users’ own colour libraries. Action Lists are easier to use too, while QuickRuns now include Global Changes, which apply changes across all the pages in a document.

Pricing and availability

PitStop Pro 10 update 1 is available now at the original price of 599 EUR. The update is free of charge for existing PitStop Pro 10 users. For users working with older versions of PitStop Pro, upgrades are available from www.enfocus.com or through authorised Enfocus resellers.

For more information, contact your preferred reseller, email sales@enfocus.com or consult the Enfocus website at www.enfocus.com.

 

The end of 2010 proved to be a rewarding one for Solihull-based Clarity Software, with 17 customers from multiple industries choosing to invest in MIS software systems in the weeks leading to Christmas.

Clarity already services businesses such as Hollywood Monster, T James Telecoms and Signs Express, and was delighted to add recognised new acquisitions to its 2,500 users. The superb results were largely down to November’s best monthly sales performance since Clarity was first launched in 2001.

Saf Ahmed, Clarity Software Sales Manager, enthused: “To gain the commitment of companies such as ACT Reprographics, Midland Powder & Paint Coating and Signarama is a superb achievement for us. These are fantastic businesses that have been looking for the right solution to help drive them forward in 2011 and beyond. We are only too pleased to help.”

MIS System Investment: A Fresh Trend?

If Clarity’s results over the last few months are used as a market indicator, then it seems that SMEs are exceptionally keen to invest in software at a time when accuracy and profit retention couldn’t be more essential.

“Q4 of 2010 showed how SMEs are firmly prioritising system technologies to help drive their efficiency”, explained Emerson Welch, Clarity Software’s Marketing Manager.

“Organisation and cost management is essential in the current market. Clarity Professional enables users to be accurate in their quoting, so they can choose to take on, or refuse opportunities with confidence. They can evaluate production requirements early and track job performance and profitability through to a targeted completion.”

Welch concluded: “Our customers can demonstrate a huge return on investment through time and money savings, whilst giving the right information to senior managers for powerful decision making”.

Free Trial of Clarity Professional

If you are a job-based company that would like to experience how MIS software can revolutionise business performance, free trials of Clarity Professional v4.0 can be found at www.claritypro.com/trial