Automated processes have been gathering speed for some time, offering businesses to refocus employees on higher value and more fulfilling tasks. Pat McGrew, expert print industry analyst and Managing Director of McGrewGroup, Inc. discusses an overview of Solimar Systems and reconfiguring the roadmap with the right software.
Automation makes it possible to have fewer people onsite and leverage the power of a global talent pool to grow your business effectively. This type of all-shore process is used to embrace working on a 24-hour schedule, to bring efficiency and optimisation. Print workflows are uniquely suited to that same all-shore approach to meet reduced turnaround times and tighter deadlines.
Workflow automation solutions are designed to deliver crucial flexibility, but it requires smart technology implementation and the right platform to build for success, as well as the right people to leverage the platform.
Rationalisation
To take advantage of opportunities to engage global teams to streamline operations requires a workflow that removes those time-consuming, inefficient manual processes plaguing many print environments. Dashboards are an excellent way to show the status of each relevant touchpoint during job preparation, print, and finishing. They can be visible to team members in any location and provide alerting mechanisms to deal with bottlenecks or job issues in real-time instead of waiting for the next shift.
To rationalise a strategy that embraces team members in multiple time zones, consider the number of steps in the workflow from the point the job enters the shop to the point it gets onto a press. In most cases, there are dozens of steps, and some have loops that extend the time it takes to get a job ready for production. Automation can make it possible to streamline preparation, but there are always those jobs that need extra attention. An all-shore strategy can ensure that no job waits for the next shift to start for resolution.
Templatisation
An essential element in automation is creating a working process across situations and different jobs. This is the essence of lights-out manufacturing, removing touchpoints and the potential errors. Templatising the workflow results in improved efficiency and cost savings, which every shop can use. Using templates to normalise the everyday processes makes it easy to build invaluable repeatability that meets your exact specifications. Those processes, once established, are easier to automate.
Configuration
Every business is different, so configuration is essential. Solutions that make it easy to set up dashboards modularly and configure them without custom coding are ideal. Solimar Systems has that solution and offers easy-to-access virtual training. They embrace the modularity and scalability that are the key foundational blocks of a workflow that can be configured to meet the needs of a wide range of print operation types. They empower their customers to set it up, maintain it, and grow it, while still having someone to call when there is a question. No need for a programmer to be camping in your print room!
Optimisation
PDF optimisation is at the heart of the Solimar Systems offerings and central to its Chemistry workflow software platform. The optimisation relates to more than the PDF files but to every facet of your business. Their goal is to empower everyone to work in the way that best suits them using optimised processes, data, workflows, and people.
