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By Significans Automation
With labor costs reduced by 30 percent, turnaround times by up to 50 percent, and return on investment (ROI) in just one year, Minuteman Press Westendorf transformed its business with customized workflow automation solutions from Significans Automation.
In February of 2025, Westendorf Printing of Dayton, OH, converted to a Minuteman Press Westendorf. The franchise is under the new owners Frank and Melissa Hiti, who also owned a Minuteman Press Franchise in Lebanon, OH. However, the journey was not without major obstacles, according to Scott Allen, senior operations manager, Minuteman Press. “Our current workflows were built primarily for traditional offset and needed updating,” recalls Allen. “We were moving rapidly towards a more efficient digital workflow with the purchase of a new Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM- 1e inkjet press. We needed a robust workflow to give us maximum flexibility with our layouts.”
Next came the most challenging task—connecting the digital front ends of all printing and finishing devices with current in-shop workflows at both locations. “We had a location in Lebanon and Dayton,” says Allen. “We needed to ‘knit’ those two workflows together—from our front end workflow through to prepress, and from prepress to our traditional and digital assets, as we had purchased a Printware iJet Color 1175C Inkjet Printer. All of our customer service team, prepress, printing, and finishing devices needed to work seamlessly together, and we needed expert help with this.” That search took them to Significans, led by workflow automation specialist Darlene Roy, who partnered with Allen and his team.
The final solution involved deployment of a highly customized system based on Enfocus Switch software. This resulted in a seamless workflow where production and prepress teams could send files directly to customers for approval. Turnaround times and file handling errors plummeted. Imposition software was also integrated into the workflow, eliminating manual layout work and ensuring that each job met precise press specifications. Files were archived into structured, organized folders, allowing for easy retrieval and reuse.
Automation Journey Begins
The first step was combining all three of Westendorf and Lebanon’s servers into one for seamless remote access. The shop then began developing unique, open ended workflow solutions for its teams. Its desktop applications were soon integrated into a new, centralized server. “Our intake teams started working cohesively as a group at both locations,” says Allen. “Staffers began loading files that flowed smoothly to prepress, regardless of where they were located.”
Significans also developed metadata intake prompts that instantly pinpointed which location jobs came from, placed the correct file into the proper directory, and created folders each with a unique job number. The second major improvement was getting proofs to customers much faster using Switch instead of traditional email. Third, as well as simplifying file intake and quoting, was having the ability to assign any job to any press costing in order to minimize costs. Allen eventually wants to integrate direct mail and variable data into his new system. The open architecture of Significans’ designed workflow allows seamless integration.
ROI in One Year
“Significans created a highly customized workflow. Our two production facilities and CSRs now communicate seamlessly together, saving hours of work and reducing errors,” says Allen. “Plus, three full-time prepress staff was reduced to two—and we’re still just as productive. That move alone saved us $60,000 per year.” Turnaround times have been reduced up to 50 percent. Jobs that previously took seven to ten hours are now completed in five hours or less. Allen’s team will continue to work with Significans Automation and expects to recover its original investment in just 12 months.
For an assessment of your current workflow, and to discuss current and future integration goals, call Significans at 877-463-4465 or email president Marc Raad at marc.raad@significans.com.
Nov2025, DPS Magazine
