Last month we took a deep dive into the world of the Automated Document Factory (ADF)—defining the ADF and the basic building blocks that make up the print and mail industry's variation on super-efficient manufacturing techniques. The ADF, a  large-scale print, mail, messaging and document management system, is a solution whose time has come. This is especially true in today's lean, unforgiving, zero-defect world where the champions are those companies that achieve the highest level of quality and efficiency with the fewest errors and lowest costs.

In the print-to-mail ecosystem, ADFs help business mailers increase integrity, minimize bottlenecks, manage capacity and optimize scheduling, accessing critical production intelligence and previously unattainable efficiencies across the mailstream. ADF process automation helps mailers reduce production cycle times, handling and lead times and implement controls, tracking and reporting to improve productivity and positively impact service level agreements. The results include continual mailstream improvements, cost savings and operational efficiencies.

Now, armed with an understanding of what an ADF is and the components that make it tick, a discussion of its design and implementation is the next step in the natural progression of the ADF story. The $64 million question is this: what's the best way to deploy an ADF? Is it door number one … the big bang, go-for-broke, out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new approach? Or is it door number two … a staged build-out that delivers incremental returns at a measured pace along the way? In this month's column, I'll explore the best ways to design and implement an ADF, provide an overview of a phased rollout, and introduce you to the first stage of an ADF implementation.

Building an ADF: Big Bang or Phased Deployment?

In the past, the tendency has been to build an ADF from scratch with a damn-the-torpedoes, full-speed-ahead mentality. However, these big bang approaches are rarely successful and often fail to even get off the ground. Attempts to implement complete factory production systems as part of all-at-once efforts can be complex, costly, and lengthy. As a result, the initial business benefits and competitive advantages are often delayed or lost.

Given its modular nature, it seems intuitive that ADFs would best be implemented as part of a phased rollout. Indeed, a staged approach is ideal—one that uses best-of-breed software tools that maintain flexibility, scalability and openness. This is true for several important reasons, chief among them economics. When you roll out an ADF in stages, you can identify requirements, implement the initial phase of the document factory, and fund subsequent phases with the resulting savings and efficiencies. The ADF becomes a self-sustaining, self-funding initiative.

Think Strategically, Implement Tactically

Where to start? Rather than turning the entire print and mail operation upside down, choose the most obvious pain points, architect a roadmap and implement a pilot scaled back in complexity and resources. In other words, plan strategically and implement tactically. Articulate your vision, identify your long and short-term objectives, define your requirements and work from there to roll out your ADF in strategic phases to achieve the highest return on your investment. Migrating to an ADF is a major undertaking and deploying successive phases of process automation delivers more immediate results with value that compounds over time.

Suggested Approach: a Three-Stage Roadmap

A suggested approach employs a three-stage roadmap. The first stage implements a basic ADF, which enables you to take control of print stream data and eliminate host or application-based reprinting. The second stage is an intermediate ADF, which automates delivery, sorting, workflow and finishing, and introduces document level integrity. Finally, the third stage is an advanced ADF that offers control, reporting, and scheduling throughout the mailstream.

The good news is that today, technology has advanced to the point where the original Gartner definition of an ADF— "a large-scale integrated mail, messaging and document management process that integrates digital document creation, production, distribution, receipt and updating of enterprise systems"—is becoming an actionable reality.  Today, we can map out all process steps, collect information, and report on jobs and documents within each process, within a framework that connects all aspects of output management and document production and  access to critical process information—production intelligence that optimizes the entire mailstream.

Stage 1: the Entry Level Phase:
Print Servers and a Starter Document Factory

When companies first began to catch on to the potential of ADFs, industry-watchers predicted that print/mail operations would roll out ADFs starting with hardware improvements. However, the inverse proved to be true. The majority actually began and still launch ADF initiatives by taking control of print stream data and eliminating host-based reprinting.

In a typical print and mail operation, most applications are processed on mainframes or other host systems remote from the printing process. Taking control of the print streams or data in these applications lays a solid foundation for building a full document factory over the long term. The print server provides the foundation for the document factory, enabling minor or major components and services to be added to increase functionality. With the implementation of print servers, print/mail operations can:

• Automate job submission and input with simple job ticketing
• Enable multi-host connectivity and compatibility for any-to-any printing
• Support closed-loop reprinting
• Merge multiple small jobs into larger jobs for printing on production-class printers
• Provide a store-and-forward mechanism for composition tools
• Re-engineer and transform print streams for one-to-one communications
• Modify documents without changing business applications
• Simplify maintenance and extend legacy applications
• Implement entry-level control and reporting
• Centralize resource management

For many print-to-mail operations, these capabilities solve long-standing challenges. Implementation of a basic, entry-level document factory can rule out many of the problems that have historically plagued operations … from difficulties with job submission and input to problems supporting multiple platforms to reprinting jobs and making better use of production resources. Case in point: simple improvements like automating the time-consuming, manual processes associated with identifying damaged pages, collecting reprint requests and instructing host applications to resend pages or reprint an entire job can deliver exponential returns. With a basic ADF, damaged pages are instantly identified, automatically regenerated, and reprinted through the existing print line. Likewise, a stage one ADF enables mailers to transform print streams on an any-to-any basis, and index, sort, split, merge and condition print streams on demand, on the fly.

In summary, there are tremendous benefits to implementing an ADF as part of a staged rollout. This approach makes excellent business sense, given the fact that the first 60 percent of the overall document factory typically generates most of the benefits. By adding production intelligence to the mailstream equation, business mailers are well on their way to achieving tremendous gains like end-to-end mail piece tracking, reporting and control; shared intelligence among work steps; uniform data collection and storage interfaces and flexible configurations that are scalable, modular, and device-independent. Not a bad return on the initial ADF investment.

Look for my next column, where I cover the second stage of an ADF rollout, the intermediate phase, in which the print-to-mail operation implements process efficiencies that automate delivery, sorting, workflow and finishing. Questions? Contact me at nkhatri@emtex.com.

To find out more about how an ADF can help you improve productivity, efficiency and quality, read the Emtex white paper, "A Common Sense Approach to Building an ADF".

Nick Khatri is the Worldwide Marketing Manager for Pitney Bowes Emtex Software, a wholly owned subsidiary and the leading provider of enterprise output management solutions (VIP, VDE, FlexServer and OptionPROM) for mission-critical, high-volume document production operations.  Prior to Emtex, Nick spent 10 years at Xerox Europe, and held numerous technical and marketing positions covering Systems Test (in El Segundo, California), Customer Support, Product Management, Product and Industry Solutions Marketing. Initially starting out as a Petroleum Engineer, Nick switched to IT and held IBM Systems Programming roles at Conoco UK, Chevron Oil UK and LloydsTSB Bank. Nick holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of London. Nick has developed a number of white papers, authored  several industry articles and has presented at Xplor and On Demand.

Emtex solutions form the essential components for an Automated Document Factory (ADF), providing centralized job and print management, any-to-any transformation, document re-engineering and real-time data collection and reporting.  Emtex solutions are utilized at over 800 production sites worldwide

For more information, please visit www.emtex.com.

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