JDF in the Bindery: Are We There Yet?

By now, JDF (Job Definition Format) has sunk its proverbial teeth into the prepress and press departments of the printing process, and no one can argue the benefits of adopting this technology in these areas of print production. However, for a true end-to-end JDF workflow, the technical innovation can’t stop at the press—it must continue into the bindery.

So where are we in the pursuit of JDF-enabled bindery equipment? To find out, I asked several leading bindery equipment manufacturers/distributors, and got some interesting information from those who responded.

When asked whether customers are requesting JDF-enabled bindery equipment, the overwhelming response was “yes, but there is a need for better education on the topic.” It seems an initial education process is necessary to answer questions, to help the customer sort the good information from the bad, and to clarify misinformation. Even though JDF has been a buzzword since 2000, there is still a lot of confusion as to what it is and what it does.

JDF: A Business Advantage

The manufacturers that are currently integrating and supporting JDF/JMF in their bindery equipment and processes cite it as a business advantage.

“More and more forward-looking customers require finishing vendors to offer true JDF capability before they’ll make a capital investment, so it is an advantage for us to be able to plug into a JDF workflow when and if the customer is ready,” notes Mark Hunt, director of marketing for Standard Finishing Systems.

Is there a demand for any one area of the bindery to be JDF-enabled, over others? Hunt says no.

“We see demand for JDF integration in each corner of the bindery—folders, perfect binders, trimmers, saddle stitchers, collators and paper cutters,” states Hunt.

In my opinion, this is a very good sign. After all, why stop at the folder? If print production facilities are investing in JDF technology for every area of post press, this trend shows a broader commitment to truly JDF-enabled process, rather than partial adoption solely through the more mainstream JDF functions such as ink key presets.

The most compelling feedback came from a question regarding the challenges and obstacles of providing further automation and JDF integration to their customers. Peter Doyle, corporate integration and workflow manager at Muller Martini, spotlights the JDF controller as the single greatest challenge of post press JDF integration.

“There are four components required to create a JDF/JMF workflow for post press,” he explains, listing them as follows:

• The agent (which generates the JDF file)

• The controller (file router)

• The device

• A machine that is JDF capable

“The controller is a big issue,” he continues. “Each equipment manufacturer makes their own workflow controller for routing JDF/JMF files. This can be an issue is the company has cutters, folders, saddle stitchers, perfect binders and case-in lines from different manufacturers. The pressroom has the same issue. If the printer owns presses from different manufacturers, they have to purchase a controller from each company.

“In my opinion, to advance JDF/JMF workflows, the industry needs to provide a more standardized controller,” he concludes. “That is the point of CIP4; open software architecture between multiple manufacturers.”

Other noted challenges relate to customization and expectations.

“Each customer’s needs are a little different,” says Hunt, “so each implementation requires some degree of customization. We look forward to the day when JDF is more plug-and-play and customers can perform simple integrations with less fuss.”

Seeming to be in agreement, Markus Schluep, Muller Martini’s project manager workflow systems, states, “Customers often have dreams of what would be solved [with JDF]. When the project becomes more concrete, obstacles appear with simple networking up to a point where special requests outside the scope of JDF arise.”

It All Comes With A Cost

So, are the challenges worth the investment? Of course, when talking to equipment manufacturers/distributors, the answer is going to be yes, but there must be a reason why manufacturers are investing so heavily into the future of post-press automation.

“The new data-enabled equipment is outstanding, but it is also a lot more expensive than it used to be,” points out Don Piontek of Finishing Resources, Inc. “Gone are the days of the $35,000 folding machine. A new automated one can cost up to $200,000. But you may be surprised to hear that the automated bindery equipment is selling very well because it’s more productive on all levels. If we’re talking about the efficiencies of the new binders/folders, it’s pretty amazing. The data for the next job is sent while the current job is in progress. It actually takes longer to clear away the previous material than it takes to set up the next job. Makeready and waste go down dramatically.”

The dramatic cost increases in bindery equipment bring the inevitable question of the possibility of retrofitting existing equipment. Piontek rebuts this thinking

“Is there a business in retrofitting the bindery? Absolutely not,” he declares. “It’s too complicated and costly—it’s a zero-sum game. You’d be better to buy new in this case.”

ROI = Efficiency

It appears that customers have come to accept that ROI for JDF in the bindery means leaner manufacturing processes, which amounts to dollars.

“Customers realize that they need to process their work more efficiently with less variation and wasted effort,” says Muller Martini’s Doyle. “They are basing their ROI on labor and paper savings. For example, JMF files can be used to achieve precise counts from press through post press. 2 percent of the company’s paper purchase can be easily saved.”

Although the JDF-enabled bindery equipment exists across all major manufacturers, and the ROI and greater process efficiencies are evident, JDF in the bindery is not yet considered mainstream.

“It’s still early adopters who are pushing hard to implement JDF across their enterprise,” observes Hunt. “Most walk before they run, and they tend to walk first in prepress and press, where the savings are more obvious and immediate. JDF in the bindery is really the last frontier, but it holds great promise for streamlining and cost control.”

After reading all of the responses from my survey, I was newly encouraged about where JDF stands in the bindery. And even with a strong base of legacy equipment currently in use in binderies, which surely limits the broad scale implementation of JDF in the bindery in the near future, we’re definitely seeing an industry-wide push (inspired by Drupa) to plan for the future and to ensure that any new purchases are JDF-enabled. I think it’s the push we’ve all been waiting for.

Trish Witkowski, the president of Finishing Experts Group, Inc., has conducted more than 10 years of research around the need for education on folding and finishing. She created the concept of “naming conventions” to define a standard process for communication, and is the creator of the GATF InterTech award winning FOLDRite System. She is the author of “A Field Guide to Folding,” “FOLD: The Professional’s Guide to Folding,” “Folding for the Graphic Arts: A Teacher’s Handbook,” and “JDF: A Guide for Managers.” Visit her online folding community at www.foldfactory.com. You can contact Trish at trish@foldfactory.com.