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RIB: The Business Strategy for 2009?
Many CIP4 members are justifiably worried about the economy and the impact it will have on business in 2009. As anticipated, manufacturers have cut both jobs and spending in preparation for what looks like another six "lean" months, at least. Is "RIB" or the "Remain in Business" strategy the business model for our times? Curiously, three new trends have emerged that paint a rosy picture for JDF implementation on 2009:
· CIP4 Membership applications are up! leading us to believe that process automation with JDF is going to be one of the few bright spots of 2009.
· The first CIP4 technical tutorial CIP4 has done exclusively for printers which promised a sparse turnout, played to a completely full house at Printing Industries of Minnesota, where owner and manager attendees were looking for ways to streamline and cut costs from their operations. As we learned from a past PIA study, only 25% of printers are profitable and profitable printers pay less labor per dollar of revenue, but have a higher level of investment in technology and training. The other 75% of printers don't invest in technology until they absolutely have to -- when old equipment breaks down, or the lack of new technology threatens their survival. In other words, some printers buy based upon ROI, while others invest on "RIB," to "Remain in Business."
· Nearly every JDF implementation case study CIP4 has documented has resulted in either significant labor savings or building capacity without adding staff -- just the kind of results printers look for in this economic environment. While investing in a new CTP device, instituting "Green" initiatives or adding new services is likely to be postponed this year, investing in automation where the cost can be amortized over several years, but labor savings recouped in 2009 -- just what the doctor ordered.
Wishing you much success in 2009!
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CIP4 Election Results
The CIP4 Organization will kick off the new year with a new leadership team as announced with the results of its October elections. CEO
Margaret Motamed (EFI), Technical Officer Rainer Prosi (Heidelberg),
Education and Marketing Officer Mark Wilton and Treasurer and
Financial Officer Marc van Vught (Screen) were all elected to serve
new two-year terms. Tim Daisy (Prism USA) was also elected as the
new Membership Officer by the new Advisory Board.
Full member representatives for the Advisory Board
elected to serve two-year terms are:
Rebecca Aquino, Screen
Martin Bailey, Global Graphics Software
Rohan Holt, LithoTechnics Pty Limited
Keigo Shirai, Olive Inc.
Jacques Thiebauld, Dalim Software
Henny van Esch, Optimus
Patrick Vreven, GamSys Software
Associate representatives elected include:
Mark Bohan, Printing Industries of America
Stephan Jaeggi, Prepress Consulting
Abhay Sharma of Ryerson University
Congratulations to all the winners and many thanks to all the candidates who competed for their interest, support and dedication to CIP4. Click here for photos and biographies of the Board of Directors officers and Advisory Board Members. Presentation slides from the CIP4 General Meeting Fall 2008 are available for download.
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Recap: JDF Works PrintShop at GRAPH EXPO
End-to-end Automated
Print Production Draws Big Crowd
JDF Works Print Shop Live! brought the latest in JDF production automation technologies to
the GRAPH EXPO show floor (October 26 - 29, 2008). At three different
locations, JDF workflows were showcased to the great interest of
attendees. The
main JDF Works Print Shop Live! location (Booth #3646) was hosted by
Adobe, FOLDRite, Avanti, Kodak and Duplo. Two additional JDF Works
Print Shop Live! sites were located at Heidelberg (Booth #1200) and EFI
(Booth #2000).
Reports
Jim Harvey, CIP4 Executive Director, "The JDF Print Shop Live program
was the first time CIP4 demonstrated live production to the public. As
an idea that originated in conversation among members at On Demand
earlier in the year, the program was one of the highlights of Graph
Expo. The program will continue at Print 2009, as several members
expressed an interest in continuing the program with JDF Print Show
Live sites in their booths."
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JDF Workflow Symposium in Stuttgart
The JDF Workflow Symposium, Hochschule der Medien held on November 12, 2008 in Stuttgart (German language only) boasted an enthusiatic crowd of over 200 attendees. Click here to read the recap article posted online on the CIP4.org website. Review the (German) slides shown at the Symposium.
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CIP4 Members exhibit at Graphitec Convertec
Held biennially, GRAPHITEC CONVERTEC 2009 (June 9-12, 2009) is the major graphic arts industry show in France, targeted to all French-speaking countries. It was last held in 2006, and with CIP4's support, included a JDF showcase that was quite successful.
Once again, CIP4 would like JDF to have a presence at this show. Patrick Cahuet of 1PRIME|concept coordinated the 2006 JDF programs at GRAPHITEC CONVERTEC, and has an excellent relationship with Comexposium, the show management company. He is interested in coordinating a "JDF Corner" or area within the exhibit hall, as well as JDF tours during the show.
If you are interested in participating in this program, or are already exhibiting at GRAPHITEC CONVERTEC, please contact Patrick Cahuet as we will be finalizing a roster of participants in the GRAPHITEC CONVERTEC program by January 25th. |
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JDF Test Drive at 2009 IPA Conference
The IPA Technical Conference, which will be held June 8-10, 2009 in Rosemont, Illinois, will feature a "JDF Test Drive." The JDF Test Drive Lab will be located in a dedicated room, eliminating distractions and providing a focused environment. The lab will be open throughout the conference to facilitate both scheduled and impromptu demonstrations, allowing the 300+ senior level managers attending the IPA Technical Conference to get hands-on experience with JDF solutions. Vendors wishing to reserve a table in the JDF Test Drive area at the IPA Technical Conference should contact Steve Bonoff, at IPA.
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Tharstern MIS in Practice
If it ain't broke, break it! That is the dominant philosophy of Kettering communication and printing group, Sterling Solutions. Since its launch in 1990, Sterling's senior management has consistently challenged every process, system and protocol that many other companies might consider unchallengeable and the result is a successful and dynamic business model that redefines the overused phrase 'lean and mean.'
When it came to implementing a JDF-compatible MIS system, the same management principle held true. Sterling instinctively grasped the potential of the Tharstern MIS system to utilise JDF (Job Definition Format) connectivity linking all their production processes. More |
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News from the Technical Working Groups
Ongoing activities in the technical working groups:
JDF 1.4: Finalized and published.
JDF 1.3 ICS documents:
IDP ICS has been added to the ICS summary excel file.
JDF 1.4 Schema and tools:
Preliminary versions are available for beta testing.
JDF 1.4 ICS: Progress is being made in the architectural ICS (Base, JMF, MIS). No activity yet in updating the existing ICS documents. New ICS documents in digital are under development.
View an updated list of all JDF Certified products
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JDF Matrix
433 Listings and Growing! |
Upcoming Events
Workflow Automation Workshop:
The Business of Process Automation
January 13, 2009
P3 Partnership in Print Production
Jim Harvey will moderate an interactive seminar with industry speakers from Adobe, Hiflex, KBA, Kodak and Quark on the business of process automation.
JDF Seminar at
Ryerson University
February 19, 2009
CANCELLED
2009 Spring Interop
March 30 - April 4, 2009
Montreal Doubletree
Montreal, Canada
Graphitec Convertec 2009
June 9-12, 2009
Paris, France
2009 IPA Technical Conference
June 8 - 10, 2009
JDF Test Drive Lab
Intercontinental O'Hare Hotel, Rosemont, IL, USA
Print 2009
September 11-16, 2009
JDF Works and JDF Demonstration Pavilion
McCormick Place
Chicago, IL, USA
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Can't access the information you need?
Many of our news links in the JDF Bulletin are intended for CIP4 members only. Join CIP4 today and gain access to:
· News on all the latest JDF developments
· Priority access to new versions of the JDF Specification
· Active participation in focused JDF Working Groups
· Valuable interaction with experts on JDF Open Forums
· Open admission to all CIP4 Interops, the testing ground for new JDF implementations
Join CIP4 and get on the fast track of JDF implementation!
For more information, contact:
Stefan Daun, CIP4 Secretariat
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EDITORS
Mark Wilton, CIP4 Education & Marketing Officer
Barbara McGowan, B2Marketing
The JDF Bulletin is published by CIP4, c/o VISCHER,
Schützengasse 1, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland. This newsletter is part of
CIP4's mission to bring together vendors, consultants, and end-users of
the graphics communications industry and associated business sectors to
encourage computer based integration of all processes and streamlining
the print production process.
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE
A complimentary copy of The JDF Bulletin is distributed to all CIP4 members as part of their membership benefits.
To Join CIP4
To Subscribe to CIP4 Info as a non member (CIP4 public email distribution list)
To Access the JDF Bulletin Archive
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All Contents Copyright© 2008 by CIP4. This
newsletter may be copied and forwarded freely, as long as it is
distributed in its entirety. For information or inquiries contact: newsletter@cip4.org.
All company and brand, product, and service names are for
identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
Distributed by Barbara McGowan, B2 Marketing
Email: b2marketing@comcast.net |
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