Focus falls on JDF at Ipex 2006

Ipex takes place at the NEC, Birmingham during April next year, and the Process Automation and JDF Pavilion will be prominently positioned in Hall 20 just a few steps away from a main entrance. Given the market forces and trends in the industry, process automation is expected to be one of the priorities for printers and graphic arts companies in 2006.

“At Drupa 2004 the industry saw the first wave of JDF-enabled products introduced into the market,” said Laurence Roberts, president of Ipex 2006. “There are more and more examples of what printers and graphic arts companies have been able to do with JDF-based process automation and the return on investment is compelling.”

“At the Process Automation and JDF Pavilion we will provide information on what is and can be done with JDF today, in the real world,” says Roberts.

The Process Automation and JDF Pavilion will feature demonstrations of interoperability and data flow between systems of the different vendors featuring software and systems available for purchase by Ipex attendees. There will also be a theatre area that will feature user case study presentations to be held throughout Ipex, including CIPPI (CIP4 International Print Production Innovation) Award winning case studies.

Martin Bailey, CEO of CIP4, claims the JDF technology is no longer tentative or experimental. “It's stable, tested, and proven and Ipex affords CIP4 members the opportunity to deliver the proof by demonstrating implementation examples.”

Dr. Rainer Prosi, CIP4 technical officer from Heidelberg, claims JDF has been extended since 2004 to support a broader range of print workflows beyond commercial sheetfed and digital, including web offset, newspaper production and packaging.

“I think Ipex attendees will also get to see more JDF-enabled process automation solutions, covering a broader set of printing segments, than ever before,” says Prosi.

Ipex organisers claim the Process Automation and JDF Pavilion will provide a place where attendees can get a clear picture of the solutions available at the show, and serve as a hub for many attendees looking for such options. For more information on Ipex, visit www.ipex.org, or to view the official packages available for Australian travellers visit Printing Industries.