Technique will show in-depth, best of breed, integration between MIS and prepress products. Participants will witness the never before seen richness of integration possible from MIS to prepress: such as job creation, layout creation, with true dynamic task chain creation/modification. They will see how real-time page and section-level status information from pre-press can be used to provide feedback to the MIS system (including page thumbnails), and how JMF messaging can be used to update real-time job costs and enable true pull manufacturing via electronic Scheduling. (Further details can be found at: Technique and Pull Manufacturing Article)

“Technique’s electronic scheduling has become the darling of the industry. Because it looks, feels and behaves like a traditional planning board (with intelligence), many production schedulers fall in love with it. ‘Finally a useable electronic scheduling application’ is a common reaction. With the addition of real-time event updates via JDF and JMF, the level of automation and efficiency has been dramatically increased ” comments Technique’s Mark Anderson, a certified JDF Expert.

Using JDF and JMF, critical planning events such as ‘plates made’, ‘proofs approved’, etc. can be updated with real-time messages from prepress. (These events can also be set using Technique’s XML interface for users with non-JDF/JMF compliant systems.) The ability to view the status of these events in real-time allows anyone in the plant to see when critical events have not been completed and a job is nearing its scheduled run. This dramatically reduces the number of phone calls and inter-departmental trips as well as significantly shortens production meetings. Moreover, it allows proactive schedule changes (e.g. bringing forward a job that is ready) instead of reacting to last minute crises caused by lack of, or mis-communication.

The real-time view of the schedule and events also allows the CTP department to truly make plates just in time, as they are able to see which jobs are due on press next and which still require plates. This means that plates are not made far in advance where they risk being damaged or scrapped because of schedule changes.

In addition to the JDF integration, Technique will show all modules of its cutting-edge Print MIS system. Attendees will see how a workflow starts with an online request for quote, flows all the way through estimating, quoting, order management and job ticketing to real-time scheduling, inventory control, data collection and job costing.