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Product category: Printing Pre-Press Systems and Materials (Repro, Platemakers, CTP, Workflow, Document Management, Design Software, etc.)
News Release from: EskoArtwork | Subject: Webcenter
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial Team on 09 August 2006

Packaging Pre-Production Software Wins
Major Award

Esko, the packaging pre-production systems manufacturer has won a 2006 Printing Industries of America and Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) Intertech Technology Award.

Esko, the packaging pre-production systems manufacturer has won a 2006 Printing Industries of America and Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) Intertech Technology Award The company's Webcenter secured the prize

It is part of Esko's Scope suite of packaging pre-press software.

It is a communication platform that brings together all packaging supply chain partners, from brand owner to retailers, to discuss jobs, perform approvals and view 3D models of products with their packaging.

Webcenter is the second recent Esko winner of an Intertech Award.

The Fastvariants suite of workflow tools received a 2003 Intertech Technology Award.

Whilst package printing, touchless workflow and automation were common themes for many of this year's product entries, judges specifically had praise for Webcenter.

They commented: "With its seamless, hands-free production, the packaging industry has needed this." Judges also cited the product's ease of use and the customer-focused front end: "Everyone can look at the same package at the same time." Just as importantly, Webcenter's ability to create 3D product views was deemed significant, particularly with its packaging focus.

Craig LaBossiere, packaging manager at Optium, in his testimonial letter that accompanied the award application, said: "Webcenter has enabled us to easily integrate the system in to three different business areas - for package, commercial and large format printing.

Key for us was availability of on-line collaboration tools and the ability to utilise 3D structural viewing, as well as individual separation viewing." He added: "When a CSR releases a file to Webcenter, anyone in the chain - a printer, creative director, or brand owner, for example - will receive an email invitation to log in, review the file, make any annotations and send comments.

Critical for us will be the resultant action history, a record of edits and job approvals." Esko said that in the packaging supply chain, it is important to supply the 'glue' between all parties, making it easy for everyone to communicate, collaborate and share files.

The company added that using a standard web browser, Webcenter resolves a number of customer issues, such as tracking and maintaining different versions of files, as well as supporting approval workflows on virtually any file from structural and graphic design files to Office documents like Word, Excel, or even palletisation files.

Webcenter is claimed to have the ability to 'speak' multiple languages to communicate around the globe.

With features designed for specifically for packaging, Webcenter can automatically create 3D models on-demand to communicate a product, complete with packaging, to a variety of stakeholders, said Esko.

If the 3D model also contains animations, Webcenter will use them to show folding sequences and entire assemblies for multi-part packaging or displays, it is claimed.

Jan De Roeck, Esko's marketing director for packaging software, said: "We are very pleased that PIA/GATF's panel of independent judges has acknowledged the importance of packaging pre-press tools and has honoured Webcenter.

The judges agree with us that it is an exceptional tool to facilitate collaboration between all partners in the packaging supply chain." He added: "Webcenter is not only innovative, it also delivers very tangible benefits and prevents typical problems by enabling the right communication.

Packaging is a critical component for a consumer product company.

Reduced packaging costs of a fraction of a cent can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

Meanwhile, packaging errors can be financially devastating." He explained that delays in a product's launch can affect shelf space, market share and competitiveness and result in losses of millions of dollars for the consumer product company.

The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), now known as The Printing Industries of America and Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) created the Intertech Technology Award as an industry service to promote an understanding of advanced technology in the graphic arts, honouring innovative excellence.

The criteria for nomination stress that the technology should be recently developed, proven in an application but not yet in widespread use.

For over a quarter of a century, the recipients of this award have not only proven to have a major impact on the graphic communications industry but they have also consistently been commercially successful in the marketplace.

Of the prior award recipients, 80 per cent have proven commercially successful in the marketplace.

A special committee comprised of industry technical experts carefully reviewed the nominations and made selections.

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