Leiden University streamlines print jobs with MultiPress

Leiden University, with its rich history since its foundation in 1575, remains committed to excellence in all its facets. A crucial player in this endeavour is the University Facilities Department (UFB), which provides all kinds of facilities services including copying and printing. And that is where the MIS/ERP software MultiPress provides excellent automation.

The UFB as a central point for print jobs

Leiden University, founded in 1575, is a leading international research university with seven faculties. To keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes, there are eight expertise centres that perform all kinds of tasks on behalf of the board. These include the University Facilities Management Company (UFB), which provides facilities services for the entire university, such as catering, mail processing, lecture room provision and also repro print jobs ranging from posters and exams to dissertations and business cards.

To further expand their range of print products, UFB works closely with established partners, to whom they outsource orders when they cannot be handled in-house. The UFB thus takes care of all the administration involved in outsourcing. 

Automated workflow for in-house and outsourced orders

The University Facilities Bureau quickly realised that a more automated and centralised workflow was an important step for them to support the efficiency of their facilities printing and outsourcing. This will free up more time and resources to provide students and staff with even better support for their print jobs. 

The ERP/MIS software MultiPress helps with this in several ways. The software integrates all administrative, commercial, financial and logistics business processes, together with production and reporting, into one powerful MIS/ERP printing system. It considerably lightens the administrative task load, saving a lot of time and costs for the UFB.

MultiPress's great strengths

One of the major strengths for the facilities department was the powerful set of workflow tools integrated into the software package, which enables them to guide most incoming jobs through production flawlessly:

• The integration with Callas/pdfToolbox: Validation and correction of delivered pdf documents is best done as early as possible in the workflow. With the 'Check & Repair' module, delivered pdf files can be checked and automatically repaired in MultiPress. The user then receives a report with errors and warnings. MultiPress uses Callas' pdfToolbox technology for this purpose.
• The Imposition engine automatically converts a pdf file into an optimal imposition as early as the preparation phase of an order. This saves time in both preparation and execution and enables fast and accurate pricing based on realistic production data.

In addition, MultiPress has some modules that address specific bottlenecks of the facilities business:

• Based on some carefully prepared presets, the Calculation Wizard can select the raw materials, printing processes and finishing forms relevant to that type of print job. In just a few clicks, the full calculation and quotation is created. 
• The Dashboard module ensures that the right business information, is available on any device and by the right key people. The dashboard not only helps keep an eye on business processes, it also sends alerts if things are going differently than expected. The module also gives the University Facilities Management a better view of outsourcing.

API connectivity was the decisive factor in choosing MultiPress

MultiPress is the central data source that connects with customer, intermediary and partner systems. The many integration possibilities with the API connectivity module is one of the decisive factors that made Leiden University's print business choose MultiPress:

Integration with accounting software: UFB sends invoices to faculties and regular printing partners. Their accounting software SAP is integrated with MultiPress, allowing the UFB to create invoices smoothly. The information on both platforms are automatically synchronised. It couldn't be easier.

Ahead with MultiPress!

With print automation, Leiden University's UFB can focus on what really matters: supporting the university in the best possible way. By tackling manual processes and replacing them with automated solutions, UFB can offer an integrated and streamlined printing process to staff and students. And MultiPress is the driving force behind this!