French RIP software specialist Caldera has announced its intention to offer project management services based on its recent SportsFactory concept collaboration with MS Printing Solutions, JK Group, Monti Antonio and Zund, which was showcased at this year’s FESPA Global Print Expo, held at Messe Berlin in May.
Caldera will offer project management services based on its recent SportsFactory concept collaboration
Caldera says it will be involved in solutions projects that will show clients how to connect the dots on their E2E digital workflows across digital printing applications. These solutions, the company continues, will comprise the implementation of standardised digital printing set-ups tailored to deliver colour management, workflow and bi-directional business data between brands and print-contractors.
Digitalisation revolutionised the textile printing industry, but unique problems to digital printing quickly emerged which have not been eradicated to this day – one such issue is colour management. Changing from a Pantone colour chart to CMYK has been tricky for a vast number of textile print houses, many of whom – having just invested heavily in new machinery – didn’t devote enough attention to the education that is required when implementing digital machinery. Nevertheless, companies like Caldera are now using Industry 4.0 solutions to create software that can aid a textile manufacturer who is struggling with colour management problems, as well as a plethora of other difficulties.
To be precise, Caldera explained that the SportsFactory Project has been brought into being to meet clients’ needs for micro-factory specifications, RIP and workflow solutions, a drive towards greater automation and textile ecosystem E2E. Caldera is able to use its experience to offer project management and colour management solutions. Together with strategic partners, and bringing in other strategic partners as required, Caldera will project manage the creation of bespoke micro-factory and workflow solutions which might involve ecommerce storefronts, configurators, RIP and workflow software, integration services, colour management, printers, ink and finishing equipment, the company says.
“The aim is to create smooth connections between brands or websites and print producers,” explains Caldera’s vice president, marketing and communication, Sébastien Hanssens. “We will be using APIs to build connections between web applications and the RIP software, via our StreamLive SaaS application. This will allow for job management, tracking and production agendas and can be up-scaled to cover multiple suppliers or multiple brands.”
The intention is that the project should provide a combination of bespoke solutions – micro-factory and project management, e-commerce, product configurator, RIP software, workflow solutions, integration services and colour management – to clients ranging from brands to print contractors and industrial printers.
Hanssens says: “We will be using the SportsFactory concept that we developed for FESPA earlier this year to demonstrate how this new project management concept works. This means showing clients and trade show delegates a live printing application that demonstrates exactly how a workflow solution looks in action. Then we will explain how the SportsFactory model can be precisely tailored to their own E2E digital workflow.”
