From Silo Thinking to Systemic Solutions

TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF SUBSCRIPTION IN PRINT

By Andreas Weber, Head of Value 

The entrepreneurial-economic success factors of subscription for print companies are evident. But which technical achievements are behind it? Clearly: software. Or rather: smart forms of integrated and open software architectures. 

What this looks like in detail came about in early summer in the context of the International Prinect User Days in Heidelberg. "It's amazing what our Prinect users can do on their own and what we can achieve together," commented Jürgen Grimm, Head of Software Solutions at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. 

Jürgen Grimm (left) and Andreas Weber during the conversation about subscription and technologies.

And indeed, the two-day program showed the full spectrum of what committed and highly motivated print professionals are dealing with today and tomorrow. In addition to news about the software architecture Prinect, topics such as professional training, leadership and talent acquisition in the digital age, as well as Smart BI, a dynamic-interactive approach in order to visualize in real time economic evaluations, were in the foreground. 

For Jürgen Grimm, the topic of interfaces is increasingly coming to the fore. This refers to optimal interfaces to technical systems as well as to people as operators. "Since the launch of Prinect in 2000, we've moved from printing press-related workflow management that supports all the relevant production aspects of a printing business, to comprehensive MIS / ERP solutions. All in all, we have more than 140 software modules that ensure a smooth, transparent and dynamically controllable process, "explains Jürgen Grimm. Over 5,000 installations worldwide operate to the full satisfaction of the users. 

With the Whitepaper ’Smart Print Shop. Prerequisites and Potentials' provides Heidelberg with a valuable and useful document which shows new, software-driven solution possibilities in detail and provides fact-rich evidence. 

Switch to subscription and cloud 

"We have now reached a point where we can completely renew the billing models as well as the technical fundamentals", continues Jürgen Grimm. Because today it is important to reduce the complexity in dealing with software or to increase the flexibility and always be up-to-date. In other words, customers no longer have to buy individual software licenses, but subscribe to the workflow they actually need. 

You can start 'small' and successively, depending on your needs, and with the course of the individual business you can switch seamless to additional functional areas. In addition, there are so-called Fremium offers that Heidelberg customers can use for free, such as: These include, for example, the Heidelberg Assistant in certain basic functionalities (which is currently already done by around one thousand Heidelberg customers). 

According to Jürgen Grimm since summer 2019 in addition to the conversion from software purchase to subscription, all software solutions from Heidelberg switched to the cloud. The company has had experience with cloud applications for many years, but strengthened in June 2019 through the acquisition of the cloud specialist Crispy Mountain, based in the Gutenberg city of Mainz. 

With Keyline, Crispy Mountain already offers a successful and expertly recognized cloud-based management platform for print companies. With the acquisition of Crispy Mountain, Heidelberg expects its strategy to drive forward, decisively strengthen and, above all, accelerate digital business models. Because cloud technology enables solution development in the context of an iterative development process, which uses and advances further developments, adaptations, optimizations etc. in constant dialogue with users. 

Outlook: New marketplace 

The objectives of Digital Solutions will go far beyond the renewal of existing ones in the future. It should and must be created completely new. Probably at drupa 2020, Heidelberg will be presented a new digital marketplace. 

It not only integrates all Heidelberg solutions and offers, but will also be open to relevant third-party providers. Paper manufacturers offer themselves as well as specialist providers of premedia and digital marketing solutions. 

My POV: For the print industry, this means a quantum leap. 

Sources

Images from the Heidelberg Annual Report presentation 2018/2019. | #Hotspot-Subscription