Print Solutions
Antalis is being added to the Zaikio Procurement platform.
Zaikio, a Heidelberg subsidiary, is an open platform that enables the entire printing industry (printers, customers, brand owners, suppliers, software producers, and equipment manufacturers) to communicate and share data. By joining the platform, Antalis is looking to give existing and new customers digital access to company- pecific procurement data. Other partners, such as MIS providers, are also set to benefit from easy access, meaning print shops can operate directly from their centralised system.
‘It is important to us to find solutions to the challenges and problems printers face. With Zaikio Procurement, we are aiming to give all print shops direct access to suppliers’ material and price lists. This will facilitate costings and orders, and also automate processes. Antalis is an important partner to have on board, helping us turn this vision into reality,’ said Christian Weyer, managing director technology at Zaikio.
‘We are already in talks with further big suppliers who would like to join the platform. By the end of the year, we are aiming to have all major suppliers for the German speaking market on the Zaikio Procurement platform, which will mean print shops will be able to use a single application to place orders with all their suppliers,’ reveals Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
There is plenty of added value for suppliers, too. Direct access to their portfolio and prices eliminates the need for a lot of phone calls and e-mail correspondence. It also makes linking their own ERP system to each individual customer system a thing of the past. ‘Zaikio has won us over with its one to many approach. This solution provides our customers with a quick, easy, and free link between their MIS and our ERP, saving both sides a great deal of time and money. Resources for creating and maintaining connections between systems are particularly limited. At long last, we can fully automate our processes based on the incoming data,’ said Dieter Becker, managing director Middle Europe at Antalis.
Besides gaining access to suppliers’ portfolios and prices, print shops will also be able to organise their material requirements in the future. A centralised table will give buyers an overview of all materials currently required, regardless of whether they are for a specific job or running orders. This makes Zaikio Procurement more than just an interface for material procurement – it is set to become the most important procurement tool of all.
With its App Store launch, Zaikio has taken a further step toward networking the entire printing industry. The connected systems are available in the App Store and can be viewed by potential customers.
The Zaikio App Store creates the necessary basis for software providers to network and share data in the future. Zaikio Procurement already enables MIS providers, printers, and suppliers to drive digitisation and save both time and resources by linking up via the platform.
Following on from Zaikio Procurement and the App Store, the company is now focusing its attention on Mission Control – a solution for standardised storage of data from connected systems and the release of specific data to other systems. This will complete the vision of a fully networked printing industry.
