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Part One: Taking Advantage of Advancements in ADF Technology

Mitigating postal costs and maximizing production efficiencies

The cost of printing and mailing has never been a more pressing corporate concern. Postage rates have risen 24 percent in just the past eight years, and organizations stand to lose millions in postal savings if they fail to comply with ever-changing USPS regulations.  How much money does corporate America spend on document production? Industry assessments vary, but the estimates range between 6 and 15 percent of total annual revenues—by any measure, a highly significant sum.

As a result, there is a commanding new interest in the concept of an Automated Document Factory (ADF). More and more companies now see an ADF as a logical, disciplined approach to reducing document processing expenses, improving their overall production operations and bolstering their communication abilities.

As is often the case with the development of innovative strategies, the idea of an ADF preceded the practical ability to capitalize on its conceptual benefits. But as the pressures of cost containment grow and advancements in ADF technology cultivate more affordable and flexible solutions, organizations that once may have rejected the concept might now benefit from reassessing an ADF model.

The advantages of the next generation of ADF solutions include a number of gains that were not possible just a few years ago. The opportunities and benefits are examined closely in the white paper, “The Revitalized Demand for an Automated Document Factory.” Visit bowebellhowell.com/adf to download the complete white paper for free. 

This excerpt briefly explores the benefits of an ADF as they relate to mitigating postage costs and maximizing document production efficiencies.

Postage Optimization

An ADF can help companies avoid hidden inefficiencies that result in significant postage overruns. The USPS reports that nearly one-fourth of all the mail that goes through its system contains errors – misspelled street names or outdated addresses, for example – that result in it being returned to sender. The additional costs include a returned mail fee, plus the postage and labor required to re-mail the corrected piece. An ADF minimizes the impact of these hidden costs by automatically cleansing addresses and updating pieces before they are printed and mailed.

By implementing an ADF, organizations are also more responsive to the evolving Post Office guidelines regarding mail preparation. By the very nature of the concept, an ADF positions any organization to more readily employ advanced postal techniques (including automated address cleansing and maximization of work share discounts) to mitigate ever-rising expenses in postage.

Optimizing Operations

The cost of day-to-day document production is a primary concern for any profitable organization. An ADF can lower the ongoing expense of printing and mailing by automating manual processes and instituting automated production tracking and monitoring.

As in the manufacturing industry, the notion of "super-efficient" document processing allows for an internal workflow to proceed with very few interruptions or errors: manual processing is minimized, and shop supervisors track and adjust workloads in real time. When errors do occur, an ADF allows organizations to quickly recover without the need for exhaustive human intervention or rework.

Organizations also gain with an ADF solution that works with and manages diversity within the various components (e.g., data formats, print protocols, and barcode specifications). By providing the “glue” between the various parts and pieces, an ADF helps optimize print/mail production with manufacturing-like precision across the entire document production process. 

Organizations benefit also from the ability to track operator efficiencies and examine how well hardware and applications perform in the flow of production.  Adjustments in staffing levels, optimization of services levels and real-time workflow monitoring are just a few of the operational benefits of an ADF.

Taking Advantage of Advances in ADF

An Automated Document Factory is a decisive response to the pressures of rising postage rates and an enabling approach to optimize the process used to create, produce, and distribute mission-critical documents. For years, automation techniques have helped the manufacturing industry improve production quality, eliminate defects, and manage workflow with increased profitability; now the ADF has emerged as a tremendous evolution in high-volume printing and mailing.  

Once monolithic and complex, ADF technology has developed to a point where a truly integrated strategy can be achieved. The arrival of open and flexible standards-based systems designed to work across proprietary brands and protocols has given new life to the vision of “factory-like” printing and mailing efficiency.

The gains available are significant and the time is right for organizations to reevaluate how an ADF can cut costs, improve operations efficiencies, and bolster customer-facing communications. For a more detailed look at ADF, download the white paper, “The Revitalized Demand for an Automated Document Factory.”

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Part Two: Taking Advantage of Advancements in ADF Technology

Improving production through greater visibility of data

Despite the popular notion of “the Paperless Office,” printing and mailing continues to be the primary way organizations communicate with customers. As a result, the cost of HVTO operations has never been a more pressing corporate concern. Industry assessments vary, but analysts estimate that companies spend between 6 and 15 percent of total annual revenues on document production?—by any measure, a highly significant sum.

Mitigating expense in the today's HVTO environment requires increased operational efficiency and Connectivity throughout the process.

Mitigating printing and mailing expense in the today’s high volume document processing environment requires increased operational efficiency and connectivity throughout the process. Striving to reduce costs, organizations look to leverage existing investments in technology and connect the islands of automation that exist in their document production systems. These benefits are gained by adopting an “Automated Document Factory” (ADF).  

As a result, there is a revitalized interest in the concept of an ADF as a logical, disciplined approach to reducing document processing expenses and improving production efficiencies. As is often the case with the development of innovative strategies, the idea of an ADF preceded the practical ability to capitalize on its conceptual benefits. But as the needs to optimize production grow and advancements in ADF technology cultivate more affordable and flexible solutions, organizations that once may have rejected the concept might now benefit from reassessing an ADF model.

The advantages of the next generation of ADF solutions include a number of gains that were not possible just a few years ago. The opportunities and benefits are examined closely in the white paper, “The Revitalized Demand for an Automated Document Factory.” Visit bowebellhowell.com/adf to download the complete white paper for free. 

This excerpt briefly explores the benefits of an ADF and how the cost of HVTO operations can be cut by optimizing production and improving workflow.

Visibility of Data

In response to shrinking margins and growing competition, organizations are ardently searching for new ways to optimize their printing and mailing operations. Clearly, the main roadblock is the ability to identify internal inefficiencies, make the necessary changes, and monitor and analyze those changes to ensure the achievement of desired results. Increased visibility of data within an ADF meets these demands with the ability to monitor and analyze production activities as they occur: data processing, print management, finishing, sorting and delivery. This real-time visibility of data provides a number of gains:

• Operator and resource optimization
• Reduction of inefficient or duplicate efforts
• Operational productivity tracking and reporting
• Trend analysis
• Multi-site support
• Increased profitability through production cost management

In the past, collecting production data across multiple vendor platforms was problematic, if not impossible. But new reading and camera technology allow the development of a comprehensive view of print/mail workflow, regardless of the makes, models or brands of machinery used. Via a Web-based interface, ADF shop supervisors can administer multiple facilities in different locations, manage equipment downtime, and optimize capacity to meet a variety of production requirements. Managers also find that an ADF’s increased visibility of production data aids in the setting of proper thresholds for staffing—especially during periods of peak demand.

Productivity and Optimization

As companies look for ways to maximize their existing mailing and printing infrastructure investments, they increasingly seek to extend the functional lifespan of their owned equipment instead of acquiring replacement machinery. Similarly, efforts to optimize productivity within current staffing levels have gained favor in lieu of hiring additional workers or running additional shifts to increase output.

An ADF is an attractive approach in both of these areas. By virtue of print job and mail piece tracking, supervisors gain the ability to plan workloads according to immediate processing demands as well as analyze the efficiency of every employee and system. This makes it easier to identify areas for improvement, such as training, system maintenance, delivery of stock during setup, etc. As a result, organizations make more pointed and profitable decisions regarding productivity, staffing, and equipment utilization.

Data Integration and Manipulation

Data integration drives ADF mailroom efficiency by allowing companies to proactively stipulate what elements need to be tracked on an inserter, instruct a sorter for optimum setup, or inform the Post Office of the specifications of soon-to-be delivered mail. Additionally, an ADF’s reach can be extended beyond the boundaries of the host organization with the ability to track out-bound mail and discern exactly when mail pieces arrive at their intended destinations. Tracking the progress of business replies (e.g., in-bound payments) can broaden the value of ADF data integration even further.

Taking Advantage of Advances in ADF

An Automated Document Factory (ADF) is a decisive response to the pressures of cost containment and the need to optimize production operations. For years, automation techniques have helped the manufacturing industry improve production quality, eliminate defects, and manage workflow with increased profitability; now the ADF has emerged as a tremendous evolution in high-volume printing and mailing to accelerate efficiency, integrity, and quality, while maintaining maximum operating economy.

Key benefits to consider include:

• Automated processing efficiencies reduce operating costs
• Job and piece-level tracking result in increased document integrity
• Auditable tracking data reduce exposure to legal and regulatory risk
• Real-time production workflow monitoring enables better operations analysis
• Automatic reprint file generation reduces the cost and time of manual reprints
• Enhanced document personalization increases customer satisfaction and revenue
• Optimized workflow brings increased return on hardware and software investments

Early solutions ADF solutions lacked the infrastructure and flexibility to support the mix of various systems at work in typical printing and mailing operations and siloed solutions prevented the dream of an ADF from becoming a reality. But a new breed of ADF systems now use hardware and software that has been designed to be modular and flexible, and bring expanded capabilities and new life to existing hardware and systems. The resulting affordability and flexibility bring an ADF within the reach of organizations that previously could not afford the enterprise-sized investment. 

The gains available are significant and the time is right for organizations to reevaluate how an ADF can cut costs, improve operations efficiencies, and bolster customer-facing communications. For a more detailed look at ADF, download the white paper, “The Revitalized Demand for an Automated Document Factory.“

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Leveraging existing investments through integrated reader technology

Striving to reduce costs and optimize workflow, HVTO organizations look to leverage existing investments in technology and connect the islands of automation that exist in their document production systems. Making the most of existing investments, important for any organization, is often crucial for companies that have recently been through mergers, acquisitions or industry affiliations.

Banks, service bureaus, insurance carriers, healthcare organizations, and utility providers are just a few of the vertical markets experiencing broad consolidations of players—with restructuring efforts often sparking significant concerns over redundant functions, incompatible systems, and outdated equipment. Indeed, one leading objective of any merger or acquisition is to simplify and streamline how acquired organizations process information. These benefits are gained by adopting an “Automated Document Factory” (ADF).

Printing and mailing operations often work with a range of applications and equipment, with mixed shops and specialized document attributes interfering with optimal operations. Companies faced with this situation find that an ADF model is an effective way to gain flexibility and interoperability, and provides the ability to repurpose documents and equipment to meet the changing needs of the organization.

As a result, there is a revitalized interest in the concept of an ADF as a logical, disciplined approach to leveraging existing investments and improving production efficiencies. As is often the case with the development of innovative strategies, the idea of an ADF preceded the practical ability to capitalize on its conceptual benefits. But as the needs to optimize production grow and advancements in ADF technology cultivate more affordable and flexible solutions, organizations that once may have rejected the concept might now benefit from reassessing an ADF model.

The advantages of the next generation of ADF solutions include a number of gains that were not possible just a few years ago. The opportunities and benefits are examined closely in the white paper, “The Revitalized Demand for an Automated Document Factory.” Visit bowebellhowell.com/adf to download the complete white paper for free. 

This excerpt briefly explores the benefits of an ADF and how recent advancements in technology allow greater flexibility and interoperability across the document production process.

ADF Integration

In the decade since the Gartner Group coined the term “Automated Document Factory,” the concept has grown in scope and identity. Despite the initial excitement, however, the full opportunity is just now being realized with the development of next-generation systems and the realization that an ADF can start with one machine, one department, or one production process.

Flexibility in mail handling systems is a key benefit to an ADF and expands the viability of older applications and systems. For instance: no two barcodes are created equally, as any mail industry veteran will testify, and efforts to track mail piece integrity are fraught with the never-ending development of new and diverse codes. Everything from legacy OMR marks to the recent introduction of an Intelligent Mail Barcode makes the integration of optical reader hardware a primary ADF gain.

Camera technology is now installed on production printers – most often regardless of brand or model – that eliminates the “black hole” between printing and mailing operations.

Camera-based readers, frequently referred to as vision systems, provide the ability to interpret any barcode. Users are no longer held captive by proprietary reader technology or vendor-centric systems. With more flexible and comprehensive hardware integration, an ADF enables the viable optimization of a mixture of independent and vendor-supplied systems. Some gains available include:

Open architecture supports the widest range of potential configurations

Increased asset utilization improves productivity and efficiency

Comprehensive management brings multiple systems and locations under a single structure

Full integration significantly reduces complexity and manual processing

The same techniques used to track items in finishing can extend up stream into the printing process. Camera technology now being installed on production printers – typically, regardless of brand or model – can eliminate the black hole between printing and mailing operations. Once isolated and often unknown, print production attributes, like page counts, paper stocks, color and barcode quality and print processing time, are tracked, monitored, and integrated directly into overall ADF management.

An efficient workflow is critical to the productivity and profitability of any operation and ADFs introduce the flexibility to support a range of applications reaching beyond printing and mailing to include manual processing in staging areas, the loading dock, and special handling teams; opening the door to a variety of scenarios that encourage broader efficiencies and greater economy.

Integrated Piece Tracking

Regulatory requirements impose increasingly strict standards on how confidential and sensitive mail pieces are handled. Integrated piece tracking is essential to ensure compliance and an ADF enables truly integrated piece tracking by virtue of increased data integration and more flexible hardware options. Cameras, unique identifiers and comprehensive management software provide the levels of visibility into the production process needed to insure the integrity and security of sensitive documents and information. Available gains include the ability to:

• Track individual document sets and mail pieces through the printing, finishing, sorting and delivery process
• Verify that mail was actually sorted and sent to the USPS
• Confirm that high-value mail has reached the recipient
• Access tracking reports in real time via a secure Web server
• Segment tracking data for specific customers or departments
• Automatically reconcile a mail run
• Generate reprints on the fly
• View on-line versions of statements

Integrated piece tracking is important for process management as well. Real-time visibility of tracking data helps shop supervisors better optimize their workflow and capacity. Trend reporting and resource planning encourage greater return on investment in existing hardware and improved utilization of labor. Additionally, the development of hand scanners and desktop document feeders enable convenient tracking of manually processed mail in an ADF system—from activities performed in staging areas and between production stations all the way out to the shipping dock—resulting in greater integrity.  

Taking Advantage of Advances in ADF

An Automated Document Factory is a decisive response to the pressures of cost containment and regulatory compliance, and an enabling approach to leverage investments in existing printing and mailing systems. For years, automation techniques have helped the manufacturing industry improve production quality, eliminate defects, and manage workflow with increased profitability; now the ADF has emerged as a tremendous evolution in high-volume printing and mailing.

The gains available are significant and the time is right for organizations to reevaluate how an ADF can cut costs, improve operations efficiencies, and bolster customer-facing communications. For a more detailed look at ADF, download the white paper, “The Revitalized Demand for an Automated Document Factory.”

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