Faster and More Efficient Time-To-Market for Elopak Packaging With ADAM Software

Date:2009-5-4 16:49:00

Elopak, listed in the top three packaging companies worldwide, supports clients who are producing tens of different types of packages in at least as many countries. To manage this smoothly, image and media management are an absolute necessity. ADAM offers a flexible digital asset management system to manage all possible content. ADAM’s solution can be easily adapted to the customer’s needs and can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT infrastructure.

Faster time-to-market for Elopak packaging

For Elopak the implementation of ADAM Software represents the last link in a graphical automation process that started in 2000 with the set up of the company’s in-house prepress department. This development was stimulated by a KPMG research report, indicating that the time-to-market for Elopak packages was too long because too much time was lost in prepress. Niels Goossen, prepress development manager at the packaging giant from Terneuzen, the Netherlands, who was involved in this process from the outset, sees this as the basis of the powerful prepress and media management system distinguishing Elopak from its competitors today.

In 2000, digital asset management was still in its infancy and packaging printers entrusted their prepress work to specialist companies, hosting image archives comprising hundreds of directories with films. Elopak therefore decided to manage prepress in-house but also to work towards a fully online system which would offer Elopak sales offices, and their customers, an online insight into every phase of an order. As a result the new PakTrack system was created.

PakTrack keeps track of the history of an order and regulates the creation and approval of files. The system will be entirely based on ADAM, an innovative digital asset management system that connects the various prepress and image production systems to each other. It is also important to exchange data with the company’s internally developed ERP and management information system.

Mr Goossen said: "The concept, possibilities and vision of ADAM perfectly fit Elopak's strategy. We are striving for technological innovation and development in packaging and workflow processes in order to serve our customers as effectively as possible."

Flexibility and scalability

ADAM software will direct all processes between development and production. This is why ADAM is linked to the Elopak design and prepress systems, which operate not only in Adobe PDF but also in ARTpro and other formats. Elopak uses this flexibility and scalability to allow programmers to add functionality to ADAM Software, or to build a completely new user interface which makes it even easier for customers to work with PakTrack.

According to Mr Goossen this is a feature he has not found with any other product and which saves a lot of money and time for Elopak. The Company now determines priorities and budgets for these applications and does not have to wait until a software provider translates its wishes into a standard product. The ADAM characteristics are useful for the next phase of the development of PakTrack. As such, now that customers have become used to PakTrack's options, they are coming with a list of requests for characteristics suited to their own needs. This means they no longer have to invest in hardware and software themselves and Elopak becomes their dedicated partner.

ADAM Software reduces makeovers to 30%

Mr Goossen said: "The time-to-market for a Packaging item is normally weeks instead of months, all communication from the design to the production of Packaging items goes online via a standard web browser without special software, and customers see the status of all of their assignments in real time.

"The gain in time we want to achieve with ADAM Software will not be limited to the 70% saving in lead time. A substantial gain is also reached by reducing makeovers, an expensive and time consuming feature in packaging. After introducing ADAM Software we can reduce makeovers to 30%.

"One important step is the further development of the remote proofing controlled by ADAM Software which we now offer in all of our sales offices worldwide. This allows customers not only to go online but also to approve their packaging order based on tangible proof. We are, in this way, placing automation at the service of our customers and they can reap the benefits of our investments."