It’s been a big year for the team at Agfa in Australia and New Zealand. Not quite 12 months ago Agfa globally divested its conventional photographic business to focus on its business-to-business operations — that is, its Medical Imaging and Graphic Systems divisions.
“One in two hospitals and printers in the world have systems and consumables provided by Agfa,” said regional marketing manager Garry Muratore. “With the divestiture of the photo division we closed the chapter on what was an important part of our history — for almost all of the last century Agfa was effectively a photographic consumables company, but we realise our customers are changing so we need to adapt to better support them. We will do this by offering enterprise wide systems supporting all areas of a printer’s business, not just the consumables.”
The refocusing of Agfa’s business globally was timed well with a move to a new corporate headquarters in a business park in Melbourne’s east.
“Agfa was situated at the former Nunawading site for over 40 years,” said Muratore. “Originally it was the Henry H York building (a company that represented Agfa in Australia from 1920 until 1963). Basically, it was an office built around a large photographic processing laboratory and on-site warehouse. Forty years ago it was high-tech and suited our business back then. The recent move to Burwood has allowed us to establish an infrastructure that best supports our business in 2005 and beyond.”
The high-tech Burwood office shares the same grounds with Deakin University and many of Telstra’s business units. “Having neighbours that require state-of-the-art infrastructure has meant we can take advantage of a high-speed communications back-bone that supports the businesses located here.”
Agfa’s new home has allowed it to offer new services to its customers, such as tele-diagnostics, video-diagnostics and even face-to-face briefings with Agfa’s R&D centres around the world.
“On several occasions, when a customer has asked us ‘what if?’, we have The printer’s wired world Printed on CPI Silk Matt 113gsm ProPrint November 2005 21 been able to set up video conferencing links with key R&D staff and entertain new ideas from local customers. It’s a powerful tool when you allow customers to be part of a collaborative product discussion.”

The next big thing

“Our efforts with establishing :Azura globally as the market leading technology was certainly a priority,” he said. “It’s fair to say we got out of the blocks first and our competitors have a long way to catch up, but :Azura is a logical progression of CtP plate technology; it’s an evolutionary product.
“The next “big thing” will be JDF. It has the potential to completely revolutionise the way printers approach all facets of their businesses,” Muratore explained. “JDF (Job Definition Format) is a technology that has been collaboratively developed by like-minded vendors under the stewardship of the CIP4 committee. We (Agfa) intend to place JDF at the heart of all of our systems. These new systems will drive automated process functions, taking the print industry from what was essentially craft based to one that will be a highly sophisticated computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) industry.
“We already have a lot of JDF enabled technology in workflow systems such as :ApogeeX and :Delano. These products, employed correctly, will enable printers to build ‘lights out’ prepress departments that process files from JDF enabled MIS systems seamlessly to fully automated plate-making operations.
“Agfa describes this new way of production as ‘The Graphic Enterprise’. Printers are evolving to be communications companies — no longer will ink on paper be the only thing they do. Advanced technologies, specialised online sales and support systems and highly evolved MIS systems will mean that printers will offer marketing services never before dreamed of, with process-oriented automation which will make them very efficient manufacturers as well,” Muratore enthused.

Trends — changing roles around us

Not too long ago, the print process began with the brand manager and ended with the printer. There were various players in between in the manufacturing of the printed product — the agency, the prepress house, and the publisher. The role of each of these players was clearly defined and tasks moved from one to another in a very linear fashion.
Digital technology has transformed the printing process into a non-linear workflow. Instead of tasks changing hands from the brand owner to the agency to the prepress provider and then to the printer, in some cases a project goes directly from a brand manager to a printer. In other instances, prepress companies are performing tasks the agencies used to do, or vice versa. Because technology has eliminated so many steps, roles have shifted or become ambiguous.
Therefore, tasks have converged. Printers, for example, perform prepress in-house; some even offer design services. Clearly, the market has changed; the process has shortened, putting the brand manager closer to the print process.
Because of these changes, printers are beginning to reinvent themselves. They are rethinking the role they play in relationship to the brand manager or in reaction to a decline in business.
The production process reflects these changes. In the 1980s production was basically a series of manual tasks. In the 1990s technology allowed printers to automate some of these tasks, thus creating islands of automation. Today, these islands are being connected to form a streamlined, automated workflow that includes direct online communication with the brand owner.
Agfa believes that print will remain one of the most effective communications media. Offset will remain a predominant printing technology for many years to come.
Agfa sees the growth of digital printing as an opportunity that offers the graphic enterprise great potential in the way of diversification and customerrelationship building. Agfa also believes that inkjet technology, because of its versatility, provides customers with the ability to pursue the broadest range of applications, especially in areas of industrial printing traditionally dominated by silk screen printing and fl exographic printing.

Changing the print paradigm

“Businesses respond to change and position themselves differently. Printers who stop thinking of themselves solely as printers — ‘the ones who put ink on paper’ — and think of themselves as businesses instead, can develop closer relationships with their customers and decrease their market risk, and are less sensitive to price pressure. Marketers and graphic communications companies, therefore, are better placed in this respect,” said Muratore.

Agfa’s vision — the Graphic Enterprise

“Graphic Enterprises” are those printing companies that are moving toward a more efficient, streamlined operation to better serve customers and grow their business or become more profitable.
The Graphic Enterprise is different for each market category, and the needs change dramatically from the small commercial printer to the marketer. For example, small commercial printers may only need to transition to CtP to build their Graphic Enterprise, while marketers want the full expression of the Graphic Enterprise, which includes services that extend well beyond printing, such as asset management, internet delivery, multiversioning, multi-purposing, and more.
Agfa also believes that all printers can evolve towards the full expression of the Graphic Enterprise and will eventually need to do so for their longterm survival.However, this evolution can begin with basic efforts to gain efficiencies.
All printers regardless of size or speciality must stop thinking of themselves solely as printers, and instead think of themselves as Graphic Enterprises.
Within each category, goals and needs will vary so that printers can build their own Graphic Enterprise.

Agfa readies for “the next big thing”

“The mission of Agfa Graphic Systems is to be the enabler of our customers’ Graphic Enterprise,” said Garry Muratore. “We will bring technology, consultancy and services to assist printing companies in the transition to the Graphic Enterprise. This also includes advanced technologies that will spur the growth and diversification of the enterprise, such as digital inkjet printing.
“Because Agfa Graphic Systems has such a broad portfolio of technologies, the company can tailor solutions to match the needs of specific applications in the commercial, newspaper, packaging, display and industrial printing segments. Agfa defines its solutions by applications within market segments, such as book printing, magazine publishing or label printing, et cetera.
“Agfa Graphic Systems offers solutions that include software, hardware, consumables, services and application expertise. Agfa provides technologies to fill very specific needs or will offer complete turnkey solutions.”
Muratore said Agfa’s strategy is simple and obvious to position itself as the enabler of the Graphic Enterprise by delivering systems and staff capable of implementing them.
“It’s more than just smart products — our people are highly trained and motivated. They help our customers deliver benefits such as workflow efficiency, innovation, quality, connectivity, growth and profitability. Agfa can customise solutions for different types of businesses and applications. We will emphasise this by referring to ‘Your Graphic Enterprise’. By enabling the Graphic Enterprise for our customers we are delivering on our promise to help them get ahead and Stay Ahead (Stay Ahead is Agfa’s Graphic Systems’ tagline, which was debuted at PacPrint earlier in the year).
“Agfa’s technology solutions include CtF and CtP systems, film, analogue and digital plates, workflow and project management software, integrated proofing systems and screening technologies as well as digital inkjet printing. Agfa complements this wide assortment of technology with its experience and unique application expertise to deliver true solutions.”

JDF Powered Tools

Agfa’s JDF-powered workflow solutions fall into two categories — :ApogeeX, which is a highly automated page processing tool, and :Delano, which fits into a new category of enterprise-wide project management.
project management. Agfa’s :ApogeeX workflow system provides a real-time view of production cycles, letting printers monitor and control production tasks instantly. Its scalable architecture lets it accommodate small and large operations and its JDF architecture allows integration with other processes in production.
Agfa’s :Delano is a comprehensive production management solution that connects all departments and equipment in a printer’s workflow. It provides a complete communications infrastructure so printers can stay instantly connected with clients and production centres. :Delano can also handle all of the aspects of dealing with remote customers, including preflight, remote proofing online collaboration (approve/reject cycles).
With the ability to push and pull JDF :Delano works hand in hand with any JDF enabled MIS system to create a total enterprise solution.