Imprimerie Léonce Deprez is a French commercial printer that specializes in medium-run magazine production. The company has successfully integrated ECO3's Apogee workflow software and an ePS Technique ERP system to automate its prepress operation and manufacturing.
Established in 1992, Léonce Deprez in northern France specializes mainly in medium-run magazine printing and distribution for independent publishers, but it also produces leaflets, catalogs, guides, booklets and various tenders. The company employs 70 people and has a turnover of approximately 20 million euros.
Its manufacturing facility in Wancourt, near Arras, houses two web offset machines — a 16-page Rotoman and a 32-page Komori — along with a new Heidelberg sheetfed press that handles four colors and acrylic varnish, all under one roof. Around 200 magazines are produced here every month.
Léonce Deprez had been using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that dated back to the 1990s. In 2016, the team decided that an upgrade was needed and began investigating various solutions on the market.
“We conducted an extensive market study and requested bids. ePS Technique, which I had seen used by colleagues, seemed to be the most effective tool for web printers. The data collection module was particularly interesting, as our machines would be connected to the ERP system,” explains ECO Léonce-Antoine Deprez.
The choice of ePS Technique helped automate and streamline the workflow at Léonce Deprez, reducing the need for manual interventions and boosting overall efficiency.
“The big challenge was the integration, because changing an ERP system is always complicated, but we were well-supported and able to adapt the system to our needs. It has made a big difference, we previously had ten people handling quotations and invoicing. Today, there are just three.”
After transitioning to ePS Technique, the company was keen to integrate other systems, including prepress. Many of its customers who were using Apogee from ECO3 were finding the web-based collaboration platform very useful and operator-friendly. Again, the team did their due diligence, researching all options before concluding that Apogee would be the best solution. An essential feature was the online cloud hosting which allowed staff to work from anywhere.
Reaping the benefits
The integration has been a great success. Around 80% of jobs are now automated, saving a lot of time. For example, it allows Léonce Deprez to produce 80,000 plates per year with just one and a half people in prepress.
The combination of the two software solutions also offers increased flexibility in prepress and production, ensuring that the team can respond very quickly to customer needs. Once files are submitted, the customer receives a proof in less than an hour.
Following approval, the job travels seamlessly through the JDF workflow, with data going to the CTP for plate making and to the press for setting the printing parameters. Meanwhile, JMF messages about the number of plates are made, which is handy for costings.
In the next step, the company is looking to automate versioning print orders, which it estimates will save a further 5 to 10% in preparation time.
“We participated in this integration of ECO3 Apogee and ePS Technique, and today, it's an integral part of our workflow. We're very pleased because it was a lengthy task, but we have achieved great results.”
Léonce-Antoine Deprez, CEO – Imprimerie Léonce Deprez
Website: www.leonce-deprez.fr
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