Cloudflow is used to schedule print jobs
Accent Etiketten has called on the services of Hybrid Software to bring its production scheduling capacity into line with its printing capabilities. The solution came in the form of a customised production scheduling tool within Cloudflow.
Christophe Beke, quality assurance and project manager said, ‘We operate HP Indigo digital presses and flexo presses. We had originally written our own software for scheduling jobs, however, recent investment meant workload demands overtook what our package could handle. We liaised closely with Hybrid Software’s specialist team to tailor its existing production scheduling tool to our particular requirements and this cooperation enabled us to reach our current position.’
The family-run business specialises in supplying self-adhesive labels to customers in Belgium, France and Holland. It operates HP Indigo 6600 and 8000 digital presses as well as eight- and 10-colour flexo presses.
Bert Van der Perre, sales manager at Hybrid Software, was heavily involved in the project. ‘In the new environment, job information is sent from Accent Etiketten’s MIS system directly into Cloudflow using XML files. It can define the relevant details of each machine, providing parameters that include minimum run time, setup time, production speed, number of print stations, time to change rolls and cleanup time. Based on the technical details of a job and its due date as described in the XML, Cloudflow checks the machine’s availability and assigns the job to the press.’
Mr Beke concluded, ‘All of our pre-press operators use Hybrid Software’s Packz editing software, so we already had a connection with the supplier. Being able to liaise directly with its software engineers on this new project was excellent as this meant we benefited from extremely fast replies and solutions. This new scheduling tool helps us to remain at the forefront of technology and can be utilised with any future investment made in the pressroom.’
