Esko Offers Turnkey Workflow Automation
- Published: October 12, 2017
GHENT, BELGIUM | Esko recently announced the official launch of two simplified turnkey workflow solutions, Automation Engine QuickStart for Labels and WebCenter QuickStart for Labels. Both are said to help label converters instantly improve productivity and profitability, since these pre-configured, easy-to-use workflow solutions address many challenges that constrict throughput and cause inefficiencies in label manufacturing.
“Given the challenges facing label printers, the idea of simplifying the production process was of considerable interest to Esko. Indeed, we have made a very strong effort to simplify packaging,” says Esko president Udo Panenka. “Esko recently announced our intent to offer turnkey workflow solutions that are fast and easy to set up and deploy. We believe we have a solid offering at an attractive price to offer label converters a ‘quick start’ approach to workflow automation and project management—systems that are fully comprehensive yet can be even further enhanced as workflow needs expand over time.”
WebCenter QuickStart for Labels is an out-of-the-box solution, either cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) or deployed on premises, with pre-configured process flows. A built-in graphical viewer is coupled with collaborative approval tools for the review and approval of both 2D and 3D assets. The software manages a database of these centralized digital assets, reportedly allowing easy asset search and re-ordering of existing labels. It also comes with a dashboard and built-in operational reporting. Once installed, WebCenter Essentials for Labels drives a true paperless process, making it easy for both converters and their customers to always know exactly where jobs are in the process.
Performing label printing prepress work manually can create capacity and throughput problems, causing prepress to be a bottleneck, triggering delays that affect the entire plant. Automation Engine QuickStart for Labels makes it extremely easy to automate workflows, immediately increasing production capacity to deal with the growing number of smaller jobs without adding extra headcount.
Automation Engine QuickStart for Labels is scalable. It can be upgraded with more functionality, such as automated quality control, color management, and output device control, which deliver higher throughput and can be plugged into the customer’s existing business system as necessary. The software can be installed and put into action with full operator training in as little as three days. The system has been specifically designed to include digital label printers in a seamless workflow process, particularly HP Indigo label presses
“As an extension of our successful ten-year relationship, HP and Esko have incorporated the Esko Color Engine into the new HP Production Pro for Labels & Packaging,” says Alon Bar-Shany, general manager of HP’s Indigo Division. “It analyzes the artwork and determines the best color space and ink separations to print the job at the right quality, helping to get to color with fewer clicks. We are also extending our relationship to focus on optimizing prepress, where HP will resell Automation Engine QuickStart for Labels, the turnkey solution that optimizes printing and allows converters to ramp up prepress productivity in a simple and cost-effective manner.”
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