Rise of the Machines: How Workflow Automation Is Transforming Print

For an industry that has been around since the days of Gutenberg, the future is finally here.

In fact, commercial printing processes are rapidly moving out of the hands of skilled artisans – and into the tech-driven world of workflow automation. And, those who embrace this new paradigm will reap the benefits for years to come.

“Integrated workflow solutions help eliminate manual repetition of basic tasks, freeing your staff up for more productive, revenue-producing activities,” said Tony Tarpey, chief operating officer for SmartSoft.

Stephanie Pieruccini, product marketing manager for Crawford Technologies, agrees, noting that workflow automation solutions can dramatically improve the customer experience for print service providers (PSPs). “The more automation you have in place, the more services you can offer,” she said. “It is hard to have experts in many different areas of print. When you automate processes according to how individual communications need to be handled, that reduces the amount of on-staff expertise you need.”

According to Darrian Young, VP of product management, workflow for Aleyant, workflow automation solutions are also going mainstream because their costs are falling. “Workflow used to be an expensive system you had to install in-house,” he said. “Now there are more subscription and cloud-based options in the market, which are simplifying things and bringing down the costs. So, we are seeing the democratization of workflow – it’s not only for the top 500 shops anymore. Anyone can get into workflow if they want to put the time and effort into it.”

And, doing so is rapidly becoming a must, says Joseph Rouhana, VP/GM, software business group, Xerox. “Print providers are producing more jobs at lower value with shorter turnaround times, so the managing and processing of jobs has to be automated to reduce costs and lead time,” he said.

Susan Cotter, analyst for Madison Advisors, adds, “Workflow automation solutions enable PSPs to manage the chaos. The solutions provide the capabilities needed to take advantage of the PSP’s entire fleet of printers and inserters by putting the right job on the right equipment at the right time.”

Better Accuracy, Data Security

While faster turnaround times and cost efficiencies are valuable benefits of workflow automation, Pitney Bowes VP of global production print, Kevin Marks, emphasizes that the technology is about more than saving time and money. It’s about quality control. “As it relates to critical client communications, we think about the consequences of an inefficient or leaky workflow,” he said. “We think about regulatory imperatives like HIPAA. If I am in health insurance and, for example, information gets into the wrong document somehow, that can mean regulatory consequences, bad press in The Wall Street Journal, and heavy fines. For many companies, getting the flow of work right is absolutely critical.”

Pieruccini adds that the more hands-off a workflow is, the more accurate it tends to be. “When humans get involved, there tend to be issues,” she said. “When you automate the work, though, you can see who touched it and what processes it went through, and you are able to audit those processes.”

A capability that is also growing in importance as PSPs expand their production environments. “Different printing technologies, such as offset, digital, inkjet, and wide-format devices, all require a unique workflow process,” said Rouhana. “In addition, personalized communications and cross-media technologies, such as e-mail, SMS, and PURLs (personalized URLs), require highly sophisticated workflows. These changes warrant changes in the way print providers think about their workflow.”

Evaluating Solutions

While many PSPs recognize the benefits of workflow automation, selecting the right solution comes with its challenges.

“In terms of what print providers need to do before installing a system, a lot of them don’t know what they need,” said Young. “They know they need to automate, but they haven’t done an analysis on what their limitations are and what they are looking to become.”

He adds that some customers have issues managing a large amount of customization, while others struggle with turnaround times. “For others, it is cost,” he said. “It is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. The solution itself will also depend on the personnel. If you don’t have a person who can be dedicated to running the system, that will determine which systems will work for you, and which won’t.”

Pieruccini advises PSPs to formulate a long-term strategy when looking for a workflow automation solution. “Often when service providers shop, they are shopping for something in reaction to a problem,” she said. “A customer got the wrong pages, and that was a huge issue for the customer, and a violation of regulations. So, the print provider reacts by looking for a tool for insertion management. Instead, they need to be proactive. They need to make their production environment more transparent overall, so they can prevent issues – not react to them.”

That requires an integrated, end-to-end solution, says Tarpey. “Systems that include tools for online estimating and ordering, online proofing, order status, and shipping notifications help empower the customers, giving them more control over the whole print ordering process, and leading to greater satisfaction and increased loyalty,” he said.

Ayelet Szabo-Melamed, director of marketing for XMPie, agrees. “While workflow automation typically covers improving the workflow for processing the jobs once they’ve arrived, you mustn’t overlook how critical it is to efficiently acquire the jobs in the first place. A web-to-print solution is important for automating job acquisition, and one that can connect to other tools, such as an MIS, is important.”

According to Rouhana, the ideal workflow solution should have the flexibility to address a breadth of resources and processes. “Specifications, such as JDF (Job Definition Format) and JMF (Job Messaging Format), support interoperability within a production workflow, making it possible to achieve unprecedented levels of automation in digital printing environments,” he said.

For many PSPs, the complexity of all this is nothing short of mind-boggling. “We may go in and ask, ‘What kind of MIS system do you have?’” said Young. “A lot of times, they don’t know.”

Marie-Pierre Belanger, VP of digital solutions for Pitney Bowes, advises PSPs to stay committed to automating their workflow, even with the technological headwinds involved. “These tools can tell exactly how you are using the capacity you have,” she said. “You might be onboarding a lot of small jobs, but not running them on the right technology. Related to human resources, it is an environment and a market where it can be hard to find the best operators to run equipment. So, we have the ability now to measure operator performance. Are they making errors, are there redos, or are they stopping the machine to look for materials? You can see if they are setting up their workflow correctly.”

Marks adds, “Ultimately, we provide the ability to see where the time is lost and where lean manufacturing can be achieved over a 24-hour period.”

Operational Shifts

While many productivity gains can be made through workflow automation, PSPs need to understand how these tools will impact them organizationally.

“Workflow automation is not about adding another tool to their toolbox,” said Young. “You need to do a process redesign in the company. Often this requires shifting departments around – so automation becomes about restructuring your organization chart.”

The good news, he adds, is that the tasks being automated are typically those employees find boring. “Designers can be designers again, instead of adding cut lines and bleeds,” said Young. “You can also offer creative services that you haven’t been able to support in the past, like 3D design. That is how we see it.”

That is not always how employees view the changes, though. “Anything having to do with automation of the everyday production work can be terrifying for them – they think automation is going to remove their jobs,” said Pieruccini. “So, make sure your employees understand that the goal isn’t to replace them; the goal is to make it easier for them, to change things a bit, and get work out the door more efficiently.”

To that end, Belanger notes the importance of employee training. “We spend time on-site with clients, post-implementation to help them adopt the tool better. The companies with the best success have designated a champion – a person who is willing to adopt and use both the tool and the data it provides – and who has the willingness to push discipline within the factory.”

And, be ready, says Young, for success to come unevenly. “Automation isn’t a zero-sum game,” he said. “It’s a matter or reducing the number of manual interactions or touchpoints. Sometimes it will allow 100 percent automation, and other times you will achieve a 40 or 60 percent reduction in manual tasks – and all of those are successes. Even if you save half an hour a day per employee, the incremental gains in productivity add up.”

For Marks, the true value these tools bring to PSPs is the ability to see what is working well, and what is not. “It is not enough to have a processing tool,” he said. “The question is ‘How can you use analytics to see what you should be doing this afternoon and tonight – instead of what you have always done?’”

Belanger adds, “And, if you don’t invest in workflow automation, how will you compete tomorrow against those who do?”

Side Bar:

Asking All the Right Questions

Before you make a purchasing decision on a new workflow automation product, you’ll have plenty to think about. Here are Tarpey’s top questions to ask both your own personnel and potential partners in this space:

• Are you committed to making a change, and is your team willing to put in the time and effort required?

• Do you have an understanding of your current workflow, and of how you see it working with the software? What are your core, must-have requirements?
• How much will it cost, including any modules you may need to purchase?
• What is the subscription model? SaaS or purchased? Is it cloud or locally hosted?
• What are the costs of implementation and maintenance? Are there hardware costs?
• Training – how long does it take to get up and running? Is training included or extra?
• Technical resources – do you have the IT capacity to manage the hardware and software?
• What about integration with existing applications? Are there API and IT costs involved to use it?
• Is it a good fit for both your current and future needs?