Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award Presented at Xploration® 17

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Lutz, FL — March 28, 2017: Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today named the recipients of the Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was presented at Xplor’s Annual Conference, Xploration 17, on Tuesday, March 28th during the awards ceremony.

Tweet this: Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients Recognized at Xploration® 17 http://bit.ly/2mJd0JV #Xplor17

The Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2007 and is given to an individual, or individuals, whose efforts and contributions have significantly changed the course and development of the digital document industry. This award is open to Xplor International members as well as non-members.

This year, two Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented.

The first recipient is Kemal Carr. Kemal is the President of Madison Advisors, an industry research and consulting firm that provides project-based advisory services designed to assist clients with business strategy and technology selection decisions. Prior to forming Madison Advisors in 2001, Kemal held various system roles including three years with the industry analyst group at Doculabs and seven years in the systems company of Fidelity Investments. Kemal is also a frequent writer for leading industry publications and speaks at industry events around the world.

Mr. Carr supports the New York University Prism Award Luncheon, has served on the Board of the Colleyville Grapevine Youth Football Association, and volunteered on a committee working with his local City Council to pass a bond for improvements to area schools. He also supports the Woodland Hills Community Park, nurturing 100-year old pecan trees and planting more in an effort to beautify the area for all the community to enjoy.

A second Lifetime Achievement Award was also presented to Harald Grumser, who founded Compart 23 years ago and has run the company like a family ever since. The innovation that the company was built upon gives users the ability to convert any kind of print format to any other kind of print format. The unique approach Harald took to accomplish this any-to-any conversion is called “Docponents®” and remains an idea well ahead of its time that has proven to be a uniquely prescient approach.

In addition to Harald’s contributions to the industry, he has shown his deep social consciousness by sponsoring giving campaigns for victims of earthquakes, floods, famine and the tsunami caused by the Indian Ocean earthquake in 2004. His sense of humanity has been touched by the plight of Syrian refugees streaming into Europe and Germany. Sensing that money was not enough, he initiated a program to teach refugees German, using Compart’s office space, volunteers, and facilities. Volunteers were granted time off from their usual assignments in order to teach both adults and children the language skills they will need in order to thrive in Germany and adapt to their new country.

“I’d like to congratulate both Kemal and Harald for their achievement, it is well deserved.” says Skip Henk, EDP, President/CEO of Xplor International. “Our industry as a whole and the world around us are better places due to their efforts.”

Other Xplor annual awards, recognized and announced at Xploration® 17, include:

Technology of the Year
Winner – Pitney Bowes / Clarity Solutions
Honorable Mention – Xerox Corporation / Xerox Direct to Object Inkjet Printer 
Honorable Mention – Elixir Technologies Corporation / Tango+

Application of the Year
Winner: BMO Bank of Montreal / GMC Software / The CX Ecosystem and Digital Transformation
Honorable Mention: Gore Mutual / uBiz
Honorable Mention: Health First / Ricoh USA, Inc. / RICOH ProcessDirector

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

Xplor International and International Sign Association …. Why?

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By: Skip Henk, EDP – CEO of Xplor International

On April 20, 2017 Xplor International will be sponsoring an educational session, targeted to wide format printers at SIGN EXPO 2017. The session being held April 20th from 2:30-3:30 pm is part of a great educational program put together by ISA.

Since the announcement, I have had several members ask me why ISA? What does  Xplor and ISA have in common?

I have spoken many times about my theory that lines continue to blur between technologies.

  • That data differentiates applications
  • Data is simply dots on a media
  • One day there will be an “output center”, a kind of an expanded “in-plant” that will handle all output whether print or digital on all media

So back to ISA: The event which attracts approximately 20,000 attendees and features 600 exhibitors. It is a BIG event. Peeling back the onion:

  1. The event attracts a lot of printers, certainly a great target audience for Xplor education.
  2. There are many wide format vendors, from our space, that exhibit at ISA
  3. There are attendees looking for inkjet.
  4. There is an opportunity for Xplor to provide inkjet educational programming.
  5. Wide format and effective use of data, can be a great opportunity for ISA attendees.
  6. No organization knows data as well as the Xplor Community.

So, what does data and wide format printing have in common? Data allows versioning, segmentation, barcoding, QR codes, augmented print and more.

The session Xplor is sponsoring will be presented by Pat McGrew, M-EDP, CMP and is titled, “Wide Format: Using Data to Increase Profit and Create Opportunity.” Pat will focus on the opportunity for wide format printers to grow their market by using data-driven design techniques used by transaction printers and direct mailers.

Session Description: Wide Format printers can grow their market by using data-driven design techniques used by transaction printers and direct mailers. Xplor International, the go-to resource for education for transaction printers and direct mailers will share with you how to apply use of data to the sign, graphics and visual communications industry. Take a few notes, walk away with new ideas and see how some of your competitors are making money using these tried and true methods. The session being held April 20th, from 2:30 – 3:30 pm in room Islander C.

I see a great deal of opportunity working with ISA in the future and look forward to the possibilities.

Receive a free tradeshow entry as well as free entry to the 6 print sessions (ISA-09, ISA-15, ISA-18, ISA-20, ISA-28, ISA-33) plus 25% off additional education.  Check out our promotional flyer for more details: http://bit.ly/2nVCYeU

It is going to be a GREAT conference and GREAT session. Hope to see you in Vegas!

skip_Henk_Photo_2011

 

Skip Henk, EDP
President/CEO
Xplor International

Xplor International to Sponsor Session at Upcoming ISA Event

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Wide Format: Using Data to Increase Profit and Create Opportunity

Lutz, FL — March 21, 2017: Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced that they will be hosting an educational session, targeted to wide format printers, at the upcoming International SIGN EXPO 2017 being held in Las Vegas April 19-22, 2017.

Tweet this: Xplor to host session targeted to wide format printers at upcoming ISA event bit.ly/2m6Jpi8 #Xplor17

The session titled, “Wide Format: Using Data to Increase Profit and Create Opportunity” will focus on the opportunity for wide format printers to grow their market by using data-driven design techniques used by transaction printers and direct mailers. The session, presented by Pat McGrew, M-EDP, CMP of InfoTrends, a division of Keypoint Intelligence, and sponsored by Xplor International, will focus on how to apply the use of data to the sign, graphics, and visual communications industry.

“We are excited about working with the International Sign Association in Las Vegas this year. They are great people to work with and I believe Pat’s presentation will present new opportunities for the wide format industry.”, says Skip Henk, President and CEO of Xplor International, “Beyond Las Vegas, we are collaborating on ways ISA and Xplor can work together as we both see a great deal of opportunity.”

Pat McGrew, M-EDP is the Director of Production Workflow Services at InfoTrends, a division of Keypoint Intelligence. She has an extensive background in data-driven customer communication and production printing with offset, inkjet and toner. Ms. McGrew is the co-author of 8 industry books, editor of A Guide to the Electronic Document Body of Knowledge, writer in the industry trade press, and a frequent speaker at industry events around the world.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

About SIGN EXPO 2017
For nearly 70 years, ISA International Sign Expo has been breaking records in exhibit sales and attendance. Join 20,000 colleague and explore the nearly 600 knowledgeable suppliers who come together at this always exciting event. For further information, please visit http://signexpo.org/.

Clarity, Award Winning Technology by Pitney Bowes

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Interview with Marie-Pierre Belanger, VP Digital Solutions & Product Manager at Pitney Bowes
By: Skip Henk, EDP – CEO of Xplor International

Xplor’s annual Technology of the Year Award honors an individual, company or organization that has conceived and developed an original concept leading to a significant advancement in the industry.

Each year Xplor’ call for Award Submissions yields a plethora of hardware and software submissions as vendors vie for recognition which tasks the Xplor Award Committee.

This year’s winner of the Technology of the Year Award is the Clarity product by Pitney Bowes, a new cloud offering   that leverages data analytics and services to help increase productivity and lower the cost of running a print and mail operation.

I had the opportunity to speak with Marie-Pierre Belanger, VP Digital Solutions & Product Manager at Pitney Bowes to learn more about their award winning product. Marie assumed her role in August of 2016 with the mission of continuing the success of Clarity by leading highly skilled team of experts to define, develop and deliver PB Industrial Enterprise Mail equipment data optimization solutions.

Skip: First, congratulations on receiving the Technology of the Year Award. I have to say our judges were quite impressed.

Marie: Thank you and we are honored to accept this award recognizing our work in the Industrial Internet and it’s especially gratifying to be recognized by Xplor.”  

Skip: Clarity is part of the Enterprise Business Unit of PB. Could you share with our readers how it fits within the PB family?

Marie: Our clients include many of the world’s leading insurers, telecommunications companies and financial institutions who have come to rely on Pitney Bowes to process billions of pieces of mail annually. Faced with increasing competition and cost pressures, mail operations are constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency and productivity, and maintain a competitive advantage. By connecting industrial sensors, machine data, people and processes, the Clarity solutions suite helps clients access new intelligence to drive higher levels of operational performance.

Clarity Solutions is a cloud based SaaS offering available on our global fleet of production mailing systems.  It integrates and organizes data collected from sensors on our machines to drive greater operational performance for our clients.

Skip: In a nutshell, what is Clarity and what does it represent to the industry?

Marie: Clarity is a disruptive technology that brings the transformational benefits of the Industrial Internet to production print and mail.   The data and real-time insights enable the predictive analytics, and prescriptive maintenance that drive optimized performance and improved business outcomes.   The Clarity suite is comprised of three offerings:

Clarity Advisor, launched in early 2016, is our new service delivery model that offers an intelligent view into the performance of our client’s equipment to help drive higher levels of machine efficiency.  It proactively monitors trends and patterns to diagnose and resolve issues before they occur resulting in up to 10% greater machine efficiency.   Our technical experts leverage these analytics and insights to prevent system downtime and predict anomalies allowing us to start moving to outcome based service support.

Clarity Optimizer leverages actionable insights and industry benchmarks to identify an optimal combination of jobs, machines and operators to help clients improve equipment performance, operational productivity and capacity.

Clarity Scheduler provides real-time adaptive scheduling to help clients meet critical service-level agreements and drive productivity.

And in late 2017, Clarity for Production Print Systems will provide a detailed view of machine efficiency and consumable usage.

Skip: Clarity utilizes the “industrial internet”. For those not familiar with the term what exactly the industrial internet?

Marie: The Industrial Internet brings together industrial machines, advanced analytics and people in a network of highly secured connected devices to monitor, collect, analyze and deliver data-driven insights that help drive transformational business outcomes.   The business benefits include lower cost of operations, greater productivity, output and increased service levels.

Skip: This seems to be a collaborative effort with GE. How do they fit in to the equation?

Marie: At Pitney Bowes, we are leveraging a combination of physical and digital technologies to transform our businesses, which include mailing and shipping, global ecommerce and location intelligence.   We chose to partner with GE to transform our enterprise mailing business with GE Predix, the software platform for the Industrial Internet since GE has expertise in industrial manufacturing.  Our production print and mail equipment is very similar to the large scale industrial GE equipment.

Skip: What makes Clarity unique? 

Marie: This cloud based Industrial Internet technology, the first in the mail industry, allows Pitney Bowes to provide unique innovative capabilities to our clients.  Many systems collect and report data; however, by coupling the cloud analytics with our technical system knowledge and expertise, Clarity Advisor delivers the intelligent insights needed to drive higher levels of operational performance.

And by leveraging the data collected across our global install base, our clients can begin to understand how their operation compares with industry benchmarks and obtain insights that will drive the most optimal combination of jobs, machines and operators through Clarity Optimizer.

Truly innovative and unique, Clarity Scheduler leverages machine learning capabilities along with in-depth insight into the productivity relationships, trends and reoccurring patterns between operators, machines and jobs.  This provides our clients with a dynamic, adaptive real-time scheduler that learns from historical performance to unlock additional capacity and maximize yield.

And finally, all this is delivered through a secure cloud platform that allows our client to focus on their core competencies and automatically receive new features instead of supporting and maintaining complex IT infrastructures.

Skip: Marie, once again congratulations to Pitney Bowes. Do you have any closing comments? How can our readers learn more about the Pitney Bowes Clarity product?

Marie: We are proud of the recognition we have received from Xplor for Clarity.   This innovation offers the Xplor community a solution that will transform the way print and mail operations provide high quality service to their clients and driver better business outcome.  We invite you to learn more about how Clarity might benefit your operation.  Click here to do so.

skip_Henk_Photo_2011

 

Skip Henk, EDP
President/CEO
Xplor International

Leading Vendors Line Up to Sponsor Xploration® 17

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Lutz, FL – March 9, 2017 – Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced the line-up of conference sponsors for Xploration® 17, being held March 28-30 at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida.

“Our sponsors are critical to the success of our programming.” said Skip Henk, EDP, President and CEO of Xplor International. “I’d like to thank our long-time sponsors for their continued support and welcome a few new players as well!”

Xploration® 17 Conference Sponsors include:

Registration:

  • Conference Bag– Canon Solutions America
  • Lanyard/Badge Holder– OpenText
  • Writing Pad – Appvion

Food and Beverage

  • Tuesday Lunch – Elixir Technologies
  • Wednesday Lunch – Crawford Technologies
  • Beverage Breaks – GMC Software
  • Thursday Breakfast – Xplor Canada

Networking Events

  • Opening Reception – NEPS, Inc.
  • Wednesday Happy Hour Reception – Crawford Technologies and RenderX, Inc.

Conference Programming

  • Industry Analysts’ Workshop – GMC Software
  • Track – All Things Data – Compart North America
  • Track – Customer Experience – Elixir Technologies
  • Track – Business Management – OpenText
  • Keynote Speaker / Gary Vitti – Ricoh USA

There are a couple more sponsorships still available. Vendors interested in either a sponsorship or becoming an exhibitor should contact Xplor’s Director of Sales, Deborah Green at 770-444-3845 or via email at deborahgreen@xplor.org.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

Xplor Announces 2017 Technology and Application Award Recipients

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Award Recipients to Be Recognized in Orlando at Xploration® 17

Lutz, FL — February 21, 2017 – Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced the recipients of its 2017 Technology and Application of the Year Awards. The awards will be presented at a ceremony Tuesday, March 28, 2017, during the Xploration® 17 event at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida.

Tweet this: Congratulations to the #Xplor17 Technology of the Year winner: @PitneyBowes & Application of the Year Award winner: @gmc_net!

Application of the Year Award:
The Application of the Year Award is presented to an individual, a company or an organization to recognize outstanding achievement in the imaginative application of current technology and/or unique implementation of existing document and communication systems. This award is open to members and non-members.

Xplor will award two honorable mentions in addition to the 2017 winner.

  • The winner of the 2017 Xplor Application of the Year is BMO Bank of Montreal and GMC Software. The initiative BMO undertook is a one-of-a-kind customer onboarding project that pioneered an end-to-end digital account opening process, enabled by the creation of dynamic eForms and eSignature capabilities. BMO Bank of Montreal embraced digital transformation to achieve operational efficiency, significant reduction of cost, and an improved customer experience.
  • An Honorable Mention is being awarded to Gore Mutual who leveraged technology from OpenText Exstream, Infusion and Duck Creek Technologies to create uBiz – a platform that plugs directly into broker websites, replicating their design palette to provide their small business customers with a seamless digital experience.  New customers can get quotes, policies and secure insurance all online.
  • An additional Honorable Mention is being awarded to Health First and Ricoh USA, Inc., who collaborated on identifying areas of improvement and best practices in workflows, as well as implementing a centralized monitoring and management solution. Working together Health First and RICOH Managed Services utilizing RICOH ProcessDirector to reduced errors, increase security, and improve overall efficiency.

Technology of the Year Award:
The Technology of the Year Award honors an individual, company or organization that has conceived and developed an original concept leading to a significant advancement in the industry.  This can be a new program, product, or technology that notably enhances the capabilities of document and communication systems.

Like the Application of the Year award, Xplor will present two honorable mentions, in addition to the winner of the award, due to the large number of submissions.

  • The winner of the 2017 Xplor Technology of the Year is being awarded to Pitney Bowes Clarity Solutions.  Harnessing the power of the Industrial Internet and “industrial data science”, Pitney Bowes Clarity solutions is a new cloud offering for Pitney Bowes systems that leverages data analytics and services to help increase productivity and lower the cost of running a print and mail operation.   Clarity collects, integrates and organizes existing sensor data from remote systems to support real-time insight, predictive analytics and prescriptive maintenance.
  • An Honorable Mention for Technology of the Year is being awarded to Elixir Technologies Corporation for their Tango+ product. Elixir’s Tango+ is a 100% browser-based content lifecycle management platform that enables companies to create, manage and deliver business-critical contracts, correspondence, and other communications via print and e-channels.
  • An additional Honorable Mention for the Xplor Technology of the Year award is being presented to Xerox Corporation for their Direct to Object Inkjet Printer. This inkjet drop on demand printer can print directly onto a wide range of substrates (including plastics, glass, ceramics and metal) and virtually any surface type (including smooth, rough, slightly curved or stepped).

“I want to first congratulate the 2017 Award Winners and thank all those who submitted a nomination.” said Skip Henk, EDP, President and CEO of Xplor International. “The Awards Committee once again had a difficult time selecting the winners from such a broad range of submissions.”

Xplor International will also be announcing the recipients of the Xplorer of the Year and Brian Platte Lifetime Achievement awards at Xploration® 17 on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.

For more information regarding Xploration® 17, or to register, visit www.xplor.org/xplor17. Questions should be directed to Register@xplor.org or +1-813-949-6170 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (ET), Monday through Friday.

Vendors interested in being an exhibitor should contact Xplor’s Director of Sales, Deborah Green at +1-770-444-3845 or via email at deborahgreen@xplor.org.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

Much More Than a City in France

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An Interview with XLPrint USA CEO, Gerard Callaghan
By: Skip Henk, EDP – CEO of Xplor International

At our last conference I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Gerard Callaghan, CEO of XLPrint USA, about the various changes in our industry.

I must admit, I was not familiar with XLPrint but after speaking with Gerard and spending some time on their website  (http://www.xlprint.com/) it is apparent that their platform, Paris, is relevant, agile and totally focused on transaction documents.

I decided to circle back with Gerard and get him to share a few additional thoughts on XLPrint and his vision for our industry.

Skip: Gerard thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with the E-Document News audience.

Gerard: It is my pleasure Skip.

Skip: For our readers that are not familiar with XLPrint and its Paris product, give us your 15 second elevator pitch?

Gerard: XLPrint is a software company and Paris is our flagship product. Paris has been employed in over 55 countries, in almost every industry and in thousands of customers producing billions of printed and digital transaction documents a year. Paris is the culmination of more than 30 years of development and refinement of the tools required to efficiently design, compose and deliver transaction documents. Everyone knows that you need the right tool for a job and XLPrint remains focused exclusively on delivering exactly the right tool for transaction document workflow. We do not attempt to make tools for marketing automation or graphics arts, for example. We focus entirely on transaction document production and workflow. We believe that we continue to excel at this.

Skip: Looking ahead 2-4 years, what will our industry look like?

Gerard: I can’t think of a more exciting time to be in our industry. The rate of change and evolution in the customer communication management (CCM) and customer experience (CX) industry is astounding. Having been in this industry for over 30 years I can’t think of any other period of such great innovation and value creation. However, as exciting as these new opportunities are, companies are still very focused at fulfilling the most basic obligation of delivering transaction documents. This is usually done from business systems that have been in place for a decade or more and will remain in place for another decade or more. Many companies need a solution like Paris to handle these requirements, yet be confident they are investing in solutions that support future requirements. ‘Transaction Document Production‘ may not sound as glamorous as ‘Marketing Automation‘ or ‘Customer Experience’, but it is a vital component of any business and its workflow.

Skip: What effect will emerging technologies have on our customers and our industry?

Gerard: We are working on some very exciting ideas for transaction document content and delivery which will appeal to some of our more forward-thinking customers, but the truth is that the majority of our customers expect only incremental change in this area. Our customers still expect to be delivering significant volumes of printed and PDF/Email transaction documents in 2 to 4 years. As we saw with email delivery, there was no overnight change. Print and mail is still the main medium for transaction documents and it has been, and continues to be, a very gradual change to digital delivery. We believe that businesses will continue to look for specialized, robust, future-proof tools for transaction document production and we believe that XLPrint is one of the most focused and reliable providers out there.

Skip: What does the longer view look like? What will transaction document production look like in 15 years?

Gerard: So, even in 10 years’ time, transaction documents will still be printed and mailed and Paris will be there for them however we believe that by then we will be reaching (or have reached) a tipping point and that the majority of transaction documents will be electronically delivered. At this point, there will be an incredible opportunity to deliver spectacular functionality. We believe there will be an explosion in functionality and capabilities. We are already envisioning and working on these ideas and plan to be there for our customers as they evolve into this very bright future. XLPrint has both feet firmly planted on the ground focusing on what customers need “today” but we are very excited about what lays ahead in the longer term.

Skip: Gerard, thank you for your time. If someone would like to get in contact with you and learn more about XLPrint what is the best way to do that?

Gerard: There is obviously our web site at xlprint.com however you can also contact me directly at gcallaghan@usa.xlprint.com

About XLPrint
2017 sees XLPrint celebrate its 31st year in the business of document production and workflow solutions. We have witnessed, and been a party to, incredible changes in the way that documents are produced, distributed and managed and continue to be at the leading edge of that evolution. With thousands of installations spanning more than 55 countries, producing billions of physical and electronic pages each year, our global industry and market experience is unparalleled.

We pride ourselves on thinking beyond today, and strive to revolutionize how your business will manage tomorrow’s document production opportunities. We base our success on leading-edge technology, reliable and knowledgeable support and solid partner relationships

skip_Henk_Photo_2011

 

Skip Henk, EDP
President/CEO
Xplor International

Acadami to Again Host Production Workflow Basics Course in Conjunction with the Xploration® 17 Program

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Two-day course is Included as part of full-conference registration

Lutz, FL — February 1, 2017—Xplor International today announced that acadami will once again present their two-day Electronic Document Body of Knowledge Production Workflow Basics course as part of the Xploration® 17 conference, being held March 28-30 at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Florida. Attendees can register from www.xplor.org/xplor17.

Tweet this: acadami to present two-day #EDBOK Production Workflow Basics course as part of #Xplor17 http://bit.ly/2kWSg0J

The ten module course makes up the “fundamentals” educational track of the conference. Acadami classes are recognized internationally for their electronic and transactional document courses.

The course, based on A Guide to the Electronic Document Body of Knowledge (EDBOK) available at www.edbok.org, provides industry professionals a standard that establishes a base level of knowledge about document application development and production for the industry as well as providing a road map for the next generation of industry professionals.

This EDBOK-based program focuses on the EDBOK Document Production Workflow.

“This is a great opportunity for people new to the industry as well as veterans”, says Skip Henk, President and CEO of Xplor, “In two days attendees can get a baseline of knowledge as well as better understand the components and processes of the transactional document industry.”

Attendees participating in all 10 modules are eligible to participate in an optional final exam to earn 20 Education Credits towards an EDA designation or EDP certification. Current EDPs will earn 20 re-certification Credits. The class is limited to 30 attendees.

Graduates will also receive a complimentary copy of A Guide to the Electronic Document Body of Knowledge – 1st Edition, a $150 value.

Attendance is included with the Xploration 17 Platinum Passport registration.

For more information regarding Xploration® 17, or to register, visit www.xplor.org/xplor17. Questions should be directed to Register@xplor.org or +1-813-949-6170 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (ET), Monday through Friday.

Vendors interested in being an exhibitor should contact Xplor’s Director of Sales, Deborah Green at +1-770-444-3845 or via email at deborahgreen@xplor.org.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org

Why should my company look at EDP Industry Certification?

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An Interview with Scott Draeger, M-EDP, Architect of the EDP Challenge
By: Skip Henk, EDP – CEO of Xplor International

When I was asked to interview someone who has done something significant for the EDP Program that no one else has, I immediately thought of Scott Draeger, M-EDP, Vice President of Product at GMC Software. Scott is the architect of what we today call the EDP Challenge.

To give you a little background about Scott, he has been involved with Xplor now for over 15 years. Over the years, Scott has attended Xplor conferences, spoke at events, chaired education tracks, served as a board member, served on a variety of panels/committees, and much more. His insight and forward-thinking has really helped the industry and Xplor as an association.

Skip: Scott, thank you for taking the time today to speak to me about something I know you are passionate about, the EDP Certification program.

Scott: It is my pleasure as it certainly is a passion of mine.

Skip: When did you get your EDP and what drove you to strive for it?

Scott: When I graduated from UNLV, it was a tough job market. I applied for a “Document Designer” position at National Data Services of Chicago, and I was hired by Louise Wilhelm, EDP (then EDPP). She was especially passionate about the EDP program, because she was part of the first class. She invested time into her team, showing me and my coworkers how the EDP program can turn a job into a career.

From that meeting, I had a personal goal of getting my EDP as soon as possible. I moved on to a different position in the industry, gained my five years of experience, and then went for my EDP. I asked Louise to be my mentor, and she agreed. We put together a portfolio, and I was awarded my certification on stage in Dallas in 2004. I was proud to be recognized as an EDP by a large new group of peers, and I am grateful to Louise for introducing me to this community.

Skip: What does it mean to you personally to be an EDP?

Scott: Being an EDP means that I can prove longevity and dedication in a profession that has a deep well of knowledge, a requirement to constantly learn, and a commitment to improving our craft. EDPs care about how we can improve things, why we are doing these projects, and increasing the impact of the things we to in the design, creation and delivery of electronic documents.

It also means that people often ask me, “What’s an EDP?” (M-EDP in my case.) I love telling them about Xplor, the EDP concept, and how our industry is committed to leading valuable changes that streamline the business aspects of our projects while we are bringing new features and channel to the customer experience.

 

Skip: Has the certification helped you professionally throughout your career?

Scott: Most often, this has helped when I meet people. Every time someone asks, “What’s an M-EDP,” I get a chance to show passion about our industry. This passion then reflects positively on the work I am doing as well as the company I represent. Many times in my career, other EDPs and I have networked to solve some difficult technical, business, or Xplor-related topics. EDPs can find and resolve difficult problems.

 

Skip: A few years ago, you approached me wanting to put your company through an “EDP Challenge”. You have since done it for three years and you’re looking at a fourth. How did the EDP Challenge come about and why did you push for your organization to do an EDP Challenge?

Scott: I was on the EDP Commission, and I saw that the numbers of applicants appeared low to me I know that it is a great program that has added value to my career. I realized that the numbers were low, because I wasn’t doing my part. I looked around at my colleagues and saw a bunch of great potential EDPs. Adding EDP to a business card or an email signature brings credibility to a person. Even when it brings a question, “What does EDP Mean,” it is a chance to show passion for our skills, industry and work.

Once I realized there were many great candidates with a low level of awareness, I looked around for some budget, and negotiated a way to get a large number of EDPs through the program on a single portfolio submission price. Then, it was a matter of hosting some lunchtime webinars about the designation, the process, and the program. The first one generated over 20 new EDPs from several countries. 

 

Skip: What does the certification mean to all the people you’ve guided through the program?

Scott: Over the years, I have mentored or assisted over 50 people through the program. However, I am the worst mentor in all of Xplor’s history, as I believe I have the highest portfolio resubmission rate.  I started to notice that a lot of new skills were becoming requirements for some of the projects. I noticed that a lot of “electronic documents” were moving away from projects run by Xplorers, and moving to some digital, mobile or web agencies. So, I worked a bit with the Xplor EDP Commission to get some of these new skills recognized. Today, applicants can get points for some of these web, mobile, and marketing skills.

This is usually because I am trying to bring people with new roles into the program, because our industry is changing rapidly. Some of these experiences have made earning the EDP designation more valuable for both me and the EDP (they all passed.) Some of the people I have mentored have gone on to achieve some wonderful things in this industry and have even mentored other EDPs. As Xplorers, we need to stop the erosion of communications to fragmented digital projects, so younger EDA applicants with new types of experience are of particular interest to me.
Skip: What does it mean for your company to be investing in their people?

Scott: At GMC Software, two of our shared corporate values include Performance and Passion. We are looking to constantly improve our skills and make sure we are excited about what we do. We invested time in 2 EDP Challenges at GMC. This helped people see that our industry has a lot of skills.

Once they go through the process, Support people see a deeper importance of sales and marketing. Marketing people see the depth of knowledge needed to make great campaigns that speak to potential clients, and the product owners learn more about the deep requirements of integrations into larger processes. So, every applicant learns to appreciate the value of the part they contribute as well as how their part fits into the larger process. Once people see this mix, they have more pride in their work and more awareness of the value of their work in the wider world.

 

Skip: Who do you think should attain their certification?

Scott: I think people who go through the process will be surprised at how large the return on investment of time can be. So, I think that anyone interested in learning about themselves should attain this designation. If you are mildly interested in this as a career, get an EDA. If you’ve been here for five years, and you think you have a story to tell, go for an EDP. I promise you have three great stories to tell, which is the basic criteria for a gret EDP portfolio. I can also promise that going through the process will improve your perspective about where you fit in the industry. With some passion, this context, and an EDP, you can take your career to some amazing places based on the personal insight you gain through the process.

Skip: Thank you very much Scott for taking the time. I look forward to seeing you in Orlando from March 28-30 for Xploration 17 where your newest class from your EDP challenge will be awarded!

If anyone has any additional questions regarding the EDP Certification program, please visit www.xplor.org/edp and take a look around.

Until next time! Take care.

skip_Henk_Photo_2011

 

Skip Henk, EDP
President/CEO
Xplor International

Xplor Announces First Collegiate Communication Design Competition

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Xplor Ryerson and Cal Poly University Chapters to Participate

Lutz, FL – January 25, 2017 – Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced their inaugural Communication Design Competition. The contest is open to Xplor University Chapters students and is created to challenge students and promote real life application development, while having a bit of fun.

Sponsored by GMC Software, the winning team will be recognized at Xploration® 17 in Florida at the Caribe Royale Orlando, March 28-30, 2017.

Tweet this: #XPLOR17 Communication Design Competition Announced! @XplorRyerson @CalPoly @GMC_net http://bit.ly/2ktPPCF

Teams consist of up to five Xplor student members from the same university. A team can only submit one entry, but the university can have multiple teams. Each student can only participate on one team.

Teams will be challenged to redesign an ordinary, bland  credit card statement making it more functional, aesthetically pleasing and expanding its purpose to include making the communication a marketing opportunity.

It is the responsibility of the team to research and determine how to integrate various options and enhancements while re-designing the communication into a final submission.  The communication needs to be accessible via print, web and mobile.

“This is a great opportunity for students to apply the skills they have learned at their respective universities”, says Skip Henk, president and CEO of Xplor International, “I want to thank GMC Software for sponsoring this inaugural event.”

Winners will be selected based on their team’s presentation and explanation of the re-design to a panel of judges.

The winning team will be presented a trophy at Xploration 17 during the awards ceremony on March 28th and a cash prize. Each member on the team will receive a complimentary full-conference pass and the opportunity to present their design to Xploration 17 attendees in a 25-minute educational session.

About Xploration 17: The two-and-a-half day event is the perfect blend of educational sessions, panel discussions, general sessions, and daily networking events. Other features include:

  • 60+ Educational Sessions
  • Panel Discussions
  • Keynote Speaker
  • Vendor Forum,
  • Evening Networking Events (Tue/Wed
  • Networking Luncheons (Tue/Wed)
  • Thursday Breakfast
  • Analyst Workshop (Thursday)
  • Production Workflow Basics Course by acadami (included in registration fee)

For more information regarding Xploration® 17, or to register, visit www.xplor.org/xplor17. Questions should be directed to Register@xplor.org or +1-813-949-6170 between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (ET), Monday through Friday.

Vendors interested in being an exhibitor should contact Xplor’s Director of Sales, Deborah Green at +1-770-444-3845 or via email at deborahgreen@xplor.org.

About Xplor International
Xplor International is a not-for-profit association that provides thought leadership to the customer communications industry. As a community Xplor provides advocacy, education, training, mentoring and networking opportunities.

Our members are decision makers and recommenders who are involved in the conception, design, implementation production and delivery of multi-channel client, member and customer communications.

Xplor’s mission is to enhance organizational success and advance the careers of our members by providing research, publications, industry certification, professional development, web-based events, and conference programming. Xplor International has its worldwide headquarters in Lutz, Florida, with affiliated offices around the world. Further information is available at www.xplor.org.

Facebook: facebook.com/XplorInternational
Twitter: twitter.com/Xplor_Int or @Xplor_Int

Xplor International Media Contact:
Chad Henk
Marketing Manager
+1-813-949-6171
Chad@xplor.org