success story

Deutsche Post

Deutsche Post uses Adobe solutions and the Web to enable reliable printing of pre-paid stamps for parcel delivery
The stamp is the tip of the iceberg
Online auction house eBay has revolutionized trading in goods for business clients and private customers. Until actual shipment, all stages of the online auctionfrom price quotes through bargaining to payment processingtake place over the Web. If it were also possible to ship traded goods as a parcel or letter via the Internet the digital workflow would be perfect. However, as this is not possible, international logistics service providers such as Deutsche Post World Net take care of shipment and delivery of postal consignments. Deutsche Post and Adobe Systems recently introduced STAMPIT WEB, allowing customers in Germany to securely generate pre-paid stamps for letters or parcels from their home PCs and printers. With the bundled logistics skills of its trademarks Deutsche Post, DHL, and Postbank, the Deutsche Post World Net Group offer services and customer-specific solutions for managing and transporting goods, information, and payment. In 1995, Deutsche Post World Net Group converted from a public agency to a joint-stock company with headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The basis for the quality and reliability offered by the company today is its modern infrastructure and the specialized knowledge of 380,000 staff working in 220 countries. Every day, Deutsche Post deals with over 70 million parcels, many of which are materials used in Direct Marketing campaigns. Where letters are concerned, Deutsche Post is the leading service provider in Europe.
Deutsche Post AG www.deutschepost.de www.stampit.de
Industry Business and consumer services Postal services Challenges Offer customers enhanced online services, including generating pre-paid stamps Deliver online services that are easy to use for customers and require no specialized software Ensure quality and security of prepaid stamps generated online by customers Solution Document generation Deutsche Post enables customers to generate and print quality, legally compliant stamps for posting on letters and parcels with Adobe solutions results Enhanced constituent services with easier access to Web-based stamping solution Laid flexible, powerful foundation for rolling out additional online stamping services in the future Provided additional revenue stream for Deutsche Post
Internet stamping: simple, safe, and swift
Normally, customers go to the post office to buy stamps and then place them on letters or parcels before dropping them into mailboxes. However, in the age of digital business and e-commerce, there are now simpler, more convenient alternatives for customers. In 2001, Deutsche Post was the first European postal contractor to introduce a new way of stamping, an option that is currently used on more than 80,000 PCs. STAMPIT, the PC stamping software from Deutsche Post, allows users to perform fast and safe stamping of their mail using home PCs. The less expensive variant, STAMPIT HOME, has been available to smaller business clients and private customers since 2004. Until this time, it was always necessary for users to install software at home and to produce the stamp directly on their PC. With the increased shift of transactions to the Web, Deutsche Post faced the challenge of providing a completely Web-based stamping solution. In cooperation with Adobe Systems Incorporated, Deutsche Post extended the service to include a Web-based solution that offers the same security features as PC-based STAMPIT solutions. Regardless of the opening hours of post office branches, STAMPIT WEB users can stamp their letters and parcels online without having to install special software. All they need is free Adobe Reader software, a standard Internet browser, and a printer. Adobe Reader software is already deployed on more than 800 million computers worldwide and comes standard on most PCs purchased today. The Adobe software solution fulfils two key requirements for Deutsche Post: security and correct positioning of electronic stamps printed on envelopes. It is necessary to print the stamp with all other data in exactly the right position, particularly when using sheets of labels, explains Bernd Meyer, product manager responsible for marketing services at Deutsche Post. Unlike other solutions we tested, there is no problem with this when using Adobe Reader software.
Adobe solutions comply with our requirements for secure and proper printing of stamps using STAMPIT WEB. With Adobe, we want to further develop innovative technology in the online stamping sector.
Bernd Meyer, Product manager, Marketing Services, Deutsche Post
Adobe solutions also met the stringent security requirements of Deutsche Post. Adobe Reader Extensions Server allows the postal service to generate intelligent documents in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The documents can be exchanged freely with external users without having to install special costly software. The Adobe software offers a Web-based interface that Deutsche Post can use to quickly embed rights of use and security features in PDF files. When users open the PDF file, special functions are enabled in Adobe Reader. With STAMPIT WEB Adobe Reader is used to automatically open a PDF in a separate window of the Internet browser and to print it directly. Once printing has taken place, the Adobe Reader print function is disabled and cannot be repeated. Adobe solutions comply with our requirements for secure and proper printing of stamps using STAMPIT WEB, says Meyer. With Adobe, we want to further develop innovative technology in the online stamping sector. With Adobe Reader, we can also build on standard software available on virtually all PCs worldwide.

Simple, safe, and swift. Regardless of the opening hours of post office branches STAMPIT WEB users can stamp their letters and parcels online without having to install special software.
Stamping from an online postage account
To use STAMPIT WEB the customer needs to register on the Internet. This involves setting up a personal postage account that is credited by the customer for postage and can be used to pay for stamping. The purchased postage credit is charged to a customers account by direct debit. In the introductory phase, this facility is available only to users of eBay.
Systems At A Glance Adobe Reader Adobe Form Server Adobe Reader Extensions Server
To stamp an item for mailing, a customer transfers the necessary details from the auction via eBay, adds the product (letter, parcel, goods shipment), and specifies the print medium. eBay then transfers data to STAMPIT WEB. Using the data, Adobe Form Server produces a preview of the stamp in HTML, which customers can view and check in their Web browsers. When the postage is printed, the postage account is debited with the relevant amount and a matrix code generated. This detail is used by the Adobe solution, along with the address and other data, to create a consignment label in PDF. Printing takes place when the stamp is open in Adobe Reader software.

Strategic cooperation

Better by Adobe.
Adobe Systems Incorporated 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA www.adobe.com
Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Reader are registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
The joint STAMPIT WEB project between Deutsche Post and Adobe Systems was set up in a matter of months. Just two weeks after the program started almost 2,000 eBay vendors registered for the service. In the future, Adobe and Deutsche Post are planning further development of the service and product scope. Given the high level of market penetration and recognition, Adobe Systems is a key strategic partner for us, explains Meyer. We want to make use of our shared know-how to further develop innovative technology in the online stamping sector.

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Government _ Deutsche Post 15
Simple, safe, and swift. Regardless of the opening hours of post office branches STAMPIT WEB users can stamp their letters and parcels online without having to install special software.
With the increased shift of transactions to the Web, Deutsche Post faced the challenge of providing a completely Web-based stamping solution. In cooperation with Adobe Systems Incorporated, Deutsche Post extended the service to include a Web-based solution that offers the same security features as PC-based STAMPIT solutions. Regardless of the opening hours of post office branches, STAMPIT WEB users can stamp their letters and parcels online without having to install special software. All they need is free Adobe Reader software, a standard Internet browser, and a printer. Adobe Reader software is already deployed on more than 800 million computers worldwide and comes standard on most PCs purchased today. The Adobe software solution fulfils two key requirements for Deutsche Post: security and correct positioning of electronic stamps printed on envelopes. It is necessary to print the stamp with all other data in exactly the right position, particularly when using sheets of labels, explains Bernd Meyer, product manager responsible for marketing services at Deutsche Post. Unlike other solutions we tested, there is no problem with this when using Adobe Reader software. Adobe solutions also met the stringent security requirements of Deutsche Post. Adobe Reader Extensions Server allows the postal service to generate intelligent documents in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). The documents can be exchanged freely with external users without having to install special costly software. The Adobe software offers a Web-based interface that Deutsche Post can use to quickly embed rights of use and security features in PDF files. When users open the PDF file, special functions are enabled in Adobe Reader. With STAMPIT WEB, Adobe Reader is used to automatically open a PDF in a separate window of the Internet browser and to print it directly. Once printing has taken place, the Adobe Reader print function is disabled and cannot be repeated. Adobe solutions comply with our requirements for secure and proper printing of stamps using STAMPIT WEB, says Meyer. With Adobe, we want to further develop innovative technology in the online stamping sector. With Adobe Reader, we can also build on standard software available on virtually all PCs worldwide.

There was also another issue, says Antoni. And that had to do with electronic signatures. This factor weighed a lot in favor of our choice when the time came to decide that Adobe PDF was the right format for us. The online document service was not only going to be used by end users, it was also needed by Caixa Terrassa employees, both in the central offices and at the banks 200 branch offices. By this time, the development team clearly saw that the most suitable software for dealing with the challenge of electronic documents for customers was Adobe. What better solution than Adobe for PDF? What better solution than Adobe for project scalability, or short-medium-term improvements for customizing correspondence? says Mr. Ballesteros. Thats how a team from the bank, along with Adobe and Steria started to work together on a solution. Thus the new system for generating and publishing documentation, statements and notices in Adobe PDF was set up. To do this, Caixa Terrassa installed three components of the Adobe Intelligent Document Platform including Adobe Output Designer, Adobe Central Pro Output Server, and Adobe Document Server.
Caixa Terrassa generates and publishes bank documentation, statements, and notices in Adobe PDF. The banks business application generates information in its own documents, which are stored on an Oracle database. Data in text file format is downloaded and sent to the mail server, where Adobe Central Pro Output Server assembles the information and form data to create Adobe PDF documents which are then sent back to the central system which returns them to the database.
Financial Services _Caixa dEstalvis de Terrassa 33
What better solution than Adobe for project scalability, or short-mediumterm improvements for customizing correspondence?
Antoni Ballesteros, Director of Analysis and Development Projects, Caixa dEstalvis de Terrassa
Technical operation of the system works the following way: the business application of the bank generates information in its own documents, which are stored on an Oracle database. Then the index structure for access to each document is created. Periodically, this information in text file format is downloaded and sent to the mail server, where Adobe Central Pro Output Server assembles the information and form data to create Adobe PDF documents, without logos or images. The Adobe PDF files are sent back to the central system which returns them once again to the database. When a user needs one or more of the documents, Adobe Document Server retrieves them automatically adding logos and backgrounds, and, if necessary, creating various documents. The generation of Adobe PDF documents is automated in this way by Adobe Central Pro Output Server without the corporate image elements. This saves space on the hard drive of the database. Logos and backgrounds which take up more space are added when the user accesses the documents. Users have access to a file with information covering five to six years and containing all the documents generated on their behalf by the company. Various kinds of searches can be made, by date, type of document, related account, or type of transaction, for example. Results Two key issues must be kept in mind. First, the extraordinary savings for the company in printing costs, envelopes, stamps, handling, and mailing. Annually, it had been sending out close to 5,740,000 envelopes at an average cost of 20 cents on the euro per item mailed. Second, but just as important, we must consider the noticeable improvement that comes from offering customers a service of this kind, states Antoni.

manager of Self Service Concepts at SNS Bank. The same goes for private banking. When large amounts of money are involved, trust and personal interaction become a crucial part of the sales process. In order to succeed, SNS Bank realized that its online mortgage service would have to facilitate face-to-face contact between an advisor and the customer. They also realized that they were raising the bar for the type of services delivered to customers. Many features, one interface Undaunted by that prospect, SNS Bank sent out a request for proposals that essentially asked for one thing: an interface that incorporated chat, file sharing, co-browsing, video, and voice. It turned out that Macromedia Breeze from Adobe was the best tool on the market that encompassed all those features, Pouwen explains. Other solutions, such as those from Microsoft and Skype, required one or more third-party tools to cover our request. For SNS Bank, using multiple tools was not an option. The bank wanted to write the entire application in a single programming language to keep development and management as simple as possible. Macromedia Flash from Adobe proved ideally suited for that purpose. SNS Bank hired some of the best Flash programmers available who were excited to work on the ground-breaking project. Within four months, the bank developed a fully interactive interface tailored to the practices of its mortgage advisors. The new SNS Live@dvies application allows customers to view the mortgage advisor in person during an online advice session, using only a web browser with the ubiquitous Adobe Flash Player plug-in. Moreover, they can establish two-way communication by means of a normal phone, chat, IP telephony (with a headset), and even a webcam. The mortgage advisors in turn have a host of tools at their disposal to make the session as pleasant and useful for customers as possible. In addition to showing dynamic graphs and calculations, they can change the layout to match customer preferences or even allow customers to play a game while a mortgage proposal is prepared.
38 Financial Services _ SNS Bank
Fast, error-proof and centralized service From an advisors perspective, the biggest advantage of Live@dvies is that it makes the mortgage process easier to understand for customers, says Martijn Hekkenberg, mortgage advisor at SNS Bank. Because the application is so visual and well structured, you can always go back and retrace a few steps. Whats more, with Live@dvies it only takes half an hour from the start of the advice session to the moment a customer can print a mortgage proposal. Thats a huge advance over traditional house calls, where it can take days before customers have proposals in hand. An additional benefit of Live@dvies is that it helps eliminate errors by the advisor, thereby making risk management considerably easier. The application walks advisors through every step in the process, increasing the effectiveness of advice and saving SNS Bank potential trouble. For instance, under Dutch law financial consultants are obliged to explicitly point out to customers the risks associated with mortgage products. Thanks to Live@dvies, online advisors never forget to do that. And, since every session is recorded, if the customer still complains afterwards advisors can show that they acted correctly. Live@dvies also enabled SNS Bank to expand its hours. We are now able to offer personal mortgage advice every day up to 10:00 p.m. anywhere in the country, says Pouwen. We never could have done that the traditional way because of logistic limitations. Its not economically feasible to keep enough advisors on the road that long. But with Live@dvies, we can service the entire country from a single site without having to drive anywhere.

Other Industries _ Grundfos 49
data from the Grundfos directory database. In this way, it is possible to maintain users from one location, and as many as 6,000 users can be set up in less than hour. With a hosted Breeze Training module, Grundfos offers training to customers and partners. Breeze monitors who has gone through the training presentation and uses short tests to measure whether the messages have been understood. With Breeze, the company can quickly update customers with the latest product information. Breeze enables us to deliver timely product training to our distributors and wholesalers, so they can always recommend the right pump for a project, says Hansen. Wed like to train 10,000 customers using Adobes Macromedia Breeze, which would give a real upswing in pump sales. Grundfos also uses a hosted version of Breeze Meeting to organize e-Meetings. A Breeze meeting does not require an AV room, and can be carried out from an individuals workspace over the Internet (IP). It requires just a web camera and a microphone. Through live meetings, the course participants have the opportunity to take part actively in training programs, asking questions and sharing their knowledge with the other participants. In addition to live course meetings, Grundfos uses Breeze Meeting for normal business meetings. A complete learning solution At Grundfos, e-Learning is an important part of the companys training strategy. Macromedia Breeze from Adobe provides the opportunity to manage the entire e-Learning flow, from production and design of learning content that includes integrated tests through to following up and monitoring activities. Grundfos can see the test results of individual users and assess whether e-Learning is working. Everything is controlled from the Breeze server. Breeze also offers the possibility for live training via the Internet. Breeze is so userfriendly that production of the training process is assigned to the individual departments. In this way, e-Learning can gain acceptance as a natural tool for knowledge dissemination and competence development at Grundfos.
Macromedia Breeze from Adobe in action Breeze enables us to deliver timely product training to our distributors and wholesalers, so they can always recommend the right pump for a project, says Kim Hansen, Director of the Poul Due Jensen Academy at Grundfos.

Thanks to Breeze, we can train our employees worldwide faster and more cost effectively than ever.
Kim Hansen, Academy Director, Grundfos
With Breeze, we can rapidly create and assemble a complete training presentation in less than three hours previously it could take three weeks just for the planning and storyboard.
Ole Kristensen, Senior e-Learning Project Manager, Grundfos
With Breeze and Flash, we are confident that people can participate in trainings without problems. We can even reliably train people who have low-bandwidth connections in remote areas worldwide via Adobes Macromedia Breeze.
50 Other Industries _ Grundfos
The Poul Due Jensen Academy The academy is the hub of competence development at Grundfos. Right: Senior e-Learning Project Manager, Ole Kristensen. Top right: Ole Kristensen with e-Learning Developer Ib Steen Jrgensen at a sound test of Breeze. Bottom right: Voice recording can be done using a normal PC microphone. Of course, the quality will be absolutely perfect when it is recorded in a sound studio as shown here.
Phonak Group, Switzerland www.phonak.com
Reduced employee and travel costs for training staff and partners worldwide Enhanced relationships with partners and customers Delivered more timely, readily available training Improved quality of training materials
Reduce costs to train thousands of staff and partners worldwide Improve access to training for all employees and partners
e-Learning Ad hoc meetings Phonak uses Macromedia Breeze software from Adobe to enable thousands of staff and partners worldwide to easily participate in product trainings, marketing programs, and ad hoc meetings.
Adobe Flash Macromedia Breeze Communication Server from Adobe Macromedia Captivate from Adobe
Other Industries _ Phonak Group 51
Phonak Group www.phonak.com
Leading manufacturer uses Macromedia Breeze from Adobe to link global network of employees and partners with virtual online trainings and ad hoc meetings
Training a global network of staff and partners The Phonak Group is the worlds third-largest manufacturer of advanced hearing systems. With annual revenues of more than 430 million euros, the Switzerland-based company delivers a range of products, including in-the-ear and behind-the-ear instruments based on analog or digital technologies. In addition, the company produces systems with radio technology and software packages for customizing hearing instruments and accessories. Phonak products are manufactured in production plants in Switzerland and China and delivered to more than 70 countries. To support distribution, a global network has been established, consisting of 20 international distribution companies known as Group Companies and a multitude of independent distributors. Given the large size of the organization, efficient knowledge transfer between everyone is critical. This includes formal marketing training programs to educate staff and partners on new product features and optimal uses for new technologies. Innovations require rapid knowledge transfer A team of seven trainers travel around the world to provide training to Group Company colleagues, who then pass on their newly acquired knowledge to other distributors and hearing instrument acoustic specialists. Typically, these training seminars have been organized once or twice a year in locations worldwide, says Daniel Stoller-Schai, education design manager at Phonak. What were seeing is that our trainings push the boundaries of traditional classes. As cycles of innovation accelerate at Phonak, so do training requirements. To cover the growing demand for training, Phonak had two options: significantly increase the number of trainers and manage a corresponding increase in travel and accommodation expenses; or adopt a proven, efficient web-based e-Learning and meeting solution.

20 Group Companies should be using the solution. At that time, iLEARN will be the sole method for training the worldwide network of distributors via the Swiss portal. This will largely dispense with the need for additional training personnel and the high costs associated with travel and accommodations. Daniel Stoller-Schai pinpoints one benefit of the new e-Learning solution: We are realizing considerable cost savings, which directly impacts our bottom line, says Stoller-Schai. Our eLearning web portal gives us an advantage in our industry, and the Breeze solution addresses our objectives for presenting, training, and bringing people together. Customer relationships are also changing. By aiding the training requirements of customers, Phonak is increasingly perceived as a business enabler, strengthening relationships with its partners through training and information transfer. For Phonak, the more efficient environment for communication, training, and collaboration has resulted in new sales contacts, an increase in product inquiries, and more discussion with customers.
Our e-Learning web portal gives us an advantage in our industry, and the Breeze solution addresses our objectives for presenting, training, and bringing people together.
Daniel Stoller-Schai, Education Design Manager, Phonak
Other Industries _ Phonak Group 53
DSG international plc (DSGi), UK www.dsgiplc.com

Retail

Eliminated potential downtime Established a new professional and efficient workflow
Needed a strategic approach to software buying Creation of a share and review process that works across remote locations
Adobe Creative Suite. Components used include: - Adobe Acrobat Professional - Adobe Reader - Adobe Illustrator - Adobe Photoshop - Adobe InDesign Platform: Apple Mac OS X
Document collaboration DSG international turned to Adobe Acrobat and Adobe PDF for its design, review, and production workflow.
54 Other Industries _ DSG international plc
DSG international plc www.dsgiplc.com
Leading European electrical retailer turns to Adobe Acrobat Professional and Adobe PDF for a streamlined, collaborative design and production workflow
DSG international plc (DSGi) is a leading European electrical retailer of consumer electronics with operations in 27 countries. Through its wellknown high street brands such as PC World, Currys, currys.digital, and The TechGuys, it provides value to its customers through its range and quality of products, competitive pricing, and high standards of service. A job to be done Phil Speight is graphics production manager at DSGi headquarters. He and his team are responsible for the creative design and photography for point-of-sale materials, brochures, and press advertising used across the companys retail brands. We provide a service that is similar to a full service creative agency, Speight explains. The copy comes from an internal marketing department but the rest is up to us. When the DSGi graphics production team began using Adobe Acrobat in earnest, they were already committed fans of Adobe software having migrated to Adobe Creative Suite when Speight decided to standardise on software applications and versions across his teams. I wanted to take a strategic approach to software buying, with the decision based on what is best for the business both today and in the future, rather than legacy or tradition being the rationale, says Speight. Speight has three studio managers, one each for brochures and literature, point of sale, and photographic. The team decided to move all three studios to Apple Mac OS X and Adobe Creative Suite, with Adobe Illustrator CS, Adobe InDesign CS, and Adobe Photoshop CS becoming the tools of their trade and Speight praising the tight integration among the Adobe Creative Suite applications. The teams also work with 30 to 40 freelancers who have also started to use Adobe Creative Suite. Our previous graphics package was in a state of decline. Adobe Creative Suite is the industry tool for today and the future. It is now much easier to find freelancers and exchange illustrations and designs both in the U.K. and Europe, says Speight.

Other Industries _ Indo 57
Indo www.indo.es www.capgemini.es
Indo revolutionizes online ordering of ophthalmic lenses with Adobe Flex software
Founded in 1937 with headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, Indo manufactures and markets ophthalmic lenses, frames, sunglasses, and equipment for opticians and ophthalmologists. With its leadership in the Spanish market and its growing presence in more than 80 countries worldwide, the companys revenue reached 145 million euros in FY2005. Presently, Indo has 1,847 employees around the globe. A driving force behind Indos growth is its commitment to innovation and technology. In 2002, the company launched Indonet, the first online system in the Spanish market for ordering lenses. The arrival of Indonet meant that opticians could submit ophthalmic lens orders to Indo online via an HTML application. However, as time went by, users of Indonet began complaining that the HTML-based system was too slow and complicated. To address customer demands, Indo turned to Capgemini the IT consultancy that supported the initial rollout of the web services to help devise and deploy an online application that improved usability and customer communications, as well as boosted the volume of online sales.
A profitable application Approximately 15% of our customers connect to Indonet at least twice daily and we would like it to be a pleasant task, says Ainhoa Aguirre, technical marketing manager for the ophthalmic lens business unit at Indo. The company also wanted to strengthen its image as an innovator and be the first in the market to advance this type of application. Updating Indonet had the support of senior management due to the systems excellent results. Last year, the number of units sold increased by 72%, and sales via Indonet increased by 84% so it was not difficult for them to approve the project, says Ms. Aguirre. Another significant detail is that customers who did not use the application were growing by 6%, but as soon as they started to buy through Indonet, growth rose 9 percentage points to reach 15%. With this information, it was clear that the system had to evolve into an easy-to-use and flexible tool. RIA-based solution As soon as Capgemini was approached, the firm knew exactly which computing tool could meet Indos needs: Adobe Flex. Flex is a development environment for creating Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) that combine the power and functionality of desktop applications with the broad reach and low-cost development of the web. User experience was paramount in developing this application, says Ramon lvarez, senior manager at Capgemini. HTML has its limitations in that pages need to be refreshed and application browsing can be complicated. In any case, HTML is meant for constructing text and placing it on the Internet, not for developing applications. Flex offers a web-based interface that has the same flexibility as traditional desktop applications. In addition, Indo customers have to take several steps to process orders, which were very controlled. It would be better if they had more freedom in moving through their orders, such as being able to move forward or backward.

It really is easier to construct applications with Flex because you have a rich interface to work with. This allows us to concentrate on application problems and business logic and forget about constructing HTML.
Ferran Garcia, Project Manager, Capgemini
58 Other Industries _ Indo
Built with Adobe Flex software, Indonet is the first system in the Spanish market that enables opticians to order ophthalmic lenses online using an HTML application. Using Flex allowed the team to develop a Rich Internet Application that is integrated with Indos SAP system and has the same flexibility as traditional desktop applications.
Easy integration with SAP Another important factor was the high level of integration between the Flex solution and the SAP management system used by Indo. Recently, Flex was incorporated into SAPs Netweaver platform, which was instrumental in Indos willingness to adopt the technology, says Mr. lvarez. Also, the fact that analyst firms like Forrester or Gartner are mentioning RIA technology more frequently helped convince Indo that this was the best approach. For Indo, adopting this technology shows a commitment to innovation, a value the company wanted to highlight. Indo immediately realized that the solution offered the benefits that they wanted. The main qualities we saw in Capgeminis proposal were that there were fewer difficulties, more flexibility, and a cleaner image, explains Ms. Aguirre. Once approved, Capgemini began working on the project and devised two phases. The first phase was creative: brand concepts were redefined and the logo and communication strategy were redesigned. The second phase involved more technical issues and dealt with developing the application a user-friendly task thanks to Adobe Flex. It really is easier to construct applications with Flex because you have a rich interface to work with, explains Ferran Garcia, project manager at Capgemini. This allows us to concentrate on application problems
and business logic and forget about constructing HTML. In projects, you frequently lose 40% of effort on business logic and 60% on HTML. Mr. Garcia does not doubt the future of RIA technology: I think that it will gain ground. I cannot imagine that in five or six years people will continue to develop applications in HTML. Simplifying work Ramon lvarez emphasizes just how innovative the project is. As far as he knows, Indo is one of the first to integrate SAP and Flex on a global scale, he says. With all the validation logic in SAP, a user can process an order in the SAP interface. As a result, the application includes a radically different presentation, and then a layer of intermediate connectivity. We believe that this is an interesting solution for customers who have SAP and these types of requirements. The updated Indonet application was launched with great success, receiving kudos from its many users. The feedback is very positive, says Ms. Aguirre. People congratulate us and comment on how easy and flexible our application is. It is very intuitive, and individuals working in opticians offices know how to use it without any explanation. We didnt even have to produce a user manual something that is required for other systems.

With the Adobe solution, we can make one change and update all localized output in just a few seconds. It takes just a simple operation to amend a logo or company name on all of the companys business forms printed across Europe.
Daniele Chiarini, Information Systems Manager, RGZ Magneti Marelli After Market S.p.A
Other Industries _ RGZ Magneti Marelli 65
The Catalonian Association of Architects (COAC), Spain www.coac.es
Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC)
Accelerated review and approval of projects by combining multiple document types into one compact Adobe PDF file Achieved user adoption rate of more than 80% Streamlined document archival Improved customer satisfaction
Restructure manual processes into automated, digital processes Deploy one valid and scalable document format
Document creation Document collaboration Digital signatures The COAC adopted Adobe Acrobat software and an Adobe PDF workflow to automate its project approval processes and deliver electronic, digitally signed project documents.
Adobe Acrobat Professional
66 Other Industries _ The Catalonian Association of Architects
The Catalonian Association of Architects www.coac.es
The COAC automates manual project approval processes with Adobe Acrobat and Adobe PDF
Migrating paper-based processes to a digital environment The Catalonian Association of Architects (COAC) is a professional-based corporation of public law in Catalunya, Spain, to which practicing architects are obliged to become members. The organizations two main functions are the defense and representation of the interests of professional architects and the protection of the social interest of architecture and town planning. The COAC has over 8,800 architects registered as members and has approved 49,521 projects through its Endorsement Office. To meet the needs of its members, the COAC decided to migrate its paper-based processes to a more streamlined digital workflow. The Endorsement service undertook a restructuring of all its processes; a complete reengineering, explains Beatriz Ruiz, a PhD in Architecture and head of the COACs Computer Applications Department (SAI, in Spanish). At first, the transformation was to focus on back-office applications but the time was ripe for a very important qualitative leap. We wanted to achieve the highest attainable level of automation of a largely manual process, continues Ruiz. As our assessment progressed, the idea of migrating the entire process towards a digital environment gained force. The road to Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) Bringing the project to maturity was complex and required a broad team including an outside company that programmed the entire back-office system, the COACs Department for Infrastructure and Systems that was responsible for application and hardware maintenance, an outside consulting agency that handled security issues, the SAI, and the Endorsement office. The first thing we did was to carry out an in-depth analysis of the Endorsement Office to make a distinction between its mission and its operational processes, explained Ruiz. The mission of the COACs Endorsement Office is to certify that a project has been completed by an Association of Architects member and that it complies with all current regulations. The issue of digital signatures was considered at the forefront of all initiatives. However, at that time no existing certification organization allowed us to electronically certify an architects membership in the Association, says Ruiz, emphasizing the need to create an independent entity that other professional associations could use when starting their own electronic processes for project approvals.

As part of COACs Vis@t system, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe PDF enable architects and authorized institutions to access approved and digitally signed projects online. This represents an invaluable savings in cost, time, and procedures.
Adobe Acrobat and Adobe PDF were the only option that met all of our needs.
Beatriz Ruiz, PhD in Architecture and Head of the Computer Applications Department, Catalonian Association of Architects
68 Other Industries _ The Catalonian Association of Architects
Holland Railconsult, the Netherlands www.hr.nl
Enhanced customer satisfaction Accelerated review of project materials by combining multiple document types into one compact Adobe PDF file Streamlined document archival and retrieval Improved business processes by delivering materials in Adobe PDF
Meet client requirements for delivering reliable, easy-to-access project documents Distribute documents without having to provide the applications used to create them Adhere to regulations governing archival of project documents Improve collaboration among staff and with clients and partners
Adobe Acrobat Professional Adobe Reader Platform: Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows Terminal Server HP-UX Core Applications: Bespoke In-house AutoCAD Microsoft Office Bentley Microstation Peoplesoft HR Baan Financials
Document Creation Document Collaboration With Adobe Acrobat software, Holland Railconsult streamlined operations and improved customer satisfaction by delivering project documents in Adobe PDF.
Other Industries _ Holland Railconsult 69
Holland Railconsult www.hr.nl
Leading Dutch engineering firm improves information sharing, collaboration, and archiving using Adobe Acrobat and Adobe PDF
Keeping projects on track Holland Railconsult is an engineering firm that provides capacity, safety, and integration solutions for some of the worlds busiest railways. The company began as the in-house engineering department of Dutch Railways and today is an independent market leader with more than 1,300 employees and annual revenues of 132 million euros. The company serves clients across Europe, with offices in the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, and Germany, and projects in several other countries. Working on large railway engineering projects, Holland Railconsult can face daunting document management challenges. Every year, staff generates 1.5 million to 2 million technical drawings and specifications using hundreds of CAD and mathematical modeling applications. These materials have to be shared with clients, partners, and subcontractors, and then later archived. Because the firms clients and partners generally use a variety of computing applications, it had no way to ensure that project members could open and view the digital files sent to them. To compound the problem, archived engineering drawings were often inaccessible because the programs that created the documents were no longer used. For Holland Railconsult, there was a clear need for project teams to be able to communicate using a common file format and to easily access project files now and in the future. Adopting an industry standard Holland Railconsults largest client, ProRail the agency responsible for capacity, reliability, and safety on Dutch railways was also struggling with these problems. To address the challenges, ProRail evaluated options for electronic document sharing and collaboration, determining that Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) provided the best solution. Holland Railconsult was already using Adobe PDF for select projects, but ProRails recommendation prompted the firm to adopt the technology company-wide. Holland Railconsult standardised on Adobe Acrobat Professional for several reasons. First, Acrobat made it easy to create PDF files that retained the fidelity of the original materials in CAD, word processing, and other applications. In addition, the software integrated seamlessly into existing business workflows. We wanted to standardize on software that would consistently create PDF files that looked exactly like original documents in native applications. For that reason, we chose Acrobat software, says Ren Dorleijn, team leader, Engineering Applications, Business Department, Holland Railconsult. Additional factors that led Holland Railconsult to select Acrobat and Adobe PDF included Adobes customer service, the companys commitment to enhancing Acrobat, and the ability of Adobe PDF to support document archiving. We selected Adobe Acrobat Professional because business continuity is important to us, says Dorleijn. We need to be able to read documents up to 30 years from now. Plus, we want to work with a company committed to ongoing product development. Holland Railconsult licensed 1,500 seats of Acrobat software to run on Microsoft Windows XP desktops and laptops, and a Windows 2003 Terminal Server environment. We consider Acrobat a fundamental extension of the operating system, says Peter Dubbelman, IT consultant, IT Department, Holland Railconsult.

To address the problems, the firm adopted Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop on the Mac OS X platform. Ogilvy & Mathers designers and creative directors were already familiar with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. To accomplish full mastery of the applications, they needed only brief courses over a period of two to four days. The classes helped them to understand how to make the most of the full integration across applications in the Adobe Creative Suite. After standardizing on Adobe Creative Suite, the firm realized faster design cycles and noticeably shortened times to print files. Designs can be output easily from Adobe InDesign CS to Adobe PDF files that retain all the requirements for high-quality printing. Materials print reliably in-house or whether handled by outside print service providers.
88 Media & Publishing _ Ogilvy & Mather
Thanks to Adobe Creative Suite the agency optimized and simplified the work of creative staff and designers. Creative Suite applications are so well integrated that users can work easily in any program without encountering the tedious task of converting files into several intermediate formats, said Barbara Bartoli, network manager, Fast Solutions (Gruppo WPP). Achieving real returns The seamless integration of Adobe Creative Suite applications, including Adobe InDesign CS, Adobe Illustrator CS, Adobe Photoshop CS, and Adobe Acrobat Professional, is delivering real returns to the firm. By using Adobe Creative Suite solutions, Ogilvy & Mather Italia has reduced the time to produce designs, reduced costs for software licensing, and expanded creative possibilities from initial concept development to final layout. With Adobe Creative Suite, we realize benefits in design and creativity, as well as in the costs to buy software licenses. In addition, managing the installed software is simple, thanks to the use of a unique serial number for all suite applications.
Thanks to Adobe Creative Suite the agency optimized and simplified the work of creative staff and designers. Creative Suite applications are so well integrated that users can work easily in any program.
Barbara Bartoli, Network Manager, Fast Solutions (Gruppo WPP)
Media & Publishing _ Ogilvy & Mather 89

IDG, Spain www.idg.com

Changing to InDesign has impacted my job. The designers are happier. We are generally a happier ship at JBCP, he added. The future is bright When asked about Adobe Creative Suite 2 Richard Sacre thinks the future is bright. With Creative Suite 2 Adobe have basically skipped at least 3 releases, so really it should be called Creative Suite 5! The development team obviously listened to industry feedback and then actually developed the tools we at JBCP need to lead in a creative graphical workspace. Photoshop CS, InDesign CS and Illustrator CS have each been enhanced far beyond all expectations there are additions to the suite that ensure design, reprographic, picture and editorial professionals all have equal involvement in a creative world. The impact of this will be momentous and early adopters will shine. The impact on our business, in terms of efficiency, enhanced workflow, and the inclusion of all users into a world that has historically been reserved for designers, will be immense and truly tangible, Sacre concluded.
In Adobe Creative Suite 2, Photoshop CS, InDesign CS and Illustrator CS have each been enhanced far beyond all expectations. The impact on our business, in terms of efficiency, enhanced workflow and the inclusion of all users into a world that has historically been reserved for designers, will be immense and truly tangible. There are additions to the suite that ensure design, reprographic, picture, and editorial professionals all have equal involvement in the creative world.
Media & Publishing _ John Brown Citrus Publishing Group 95
Peter Schmidt Group, Germany www.peter-schmidt-group.de www.basf.de

In Cooperation With:

Peter Schmidt Group Brand consulting and design agency Employees: 100 Locations: Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Tokyo Established: 1972
Creation of customer publications using Adobe InDesign Server and iBrams

Applied Products

Adobe InDesign Server iBrams

Sector

Chemical Corporation
ROI (Return on Investment) was reached after the production of two issues
BASF Aktiengesellschaft Employees: 82,000 Headquarters: Ludwigshafen Established: 1865

Media & Publishing _ Peter Schmidt Group 97
Perfect Cooperation By applying iBrams based on the Adobe InDesign Server, BASF AG was able to use a more efficient production process and thus save costs in the creation of its employee magazine Euroscope.
iBrams and InDesign: flexible and user friendly In August 2004, BASF AG decided to start producing its employee magazine Euroscope with the aid of iBrams and InDesign. The conversion took place quickly and without problems allowing the production of the first issue completely within the new system in late September already. To us, it was crucial that it was easy to use and competitively priced. The system has been positively accepted by all involved, translators and editors in the various countries did not require any training, said Stefanie Hofmann, in charge of the production of Euroscope at BASF AG, expressing her great satisfaction. The solution based on the InDesign Server presents BASF AG with numerous benefits. It is now possible to conduct translations with line-by-line accuracy in the layout, rendering the numerous coordination and correction stages of the language and layout control obsolete. This process can now be handled by the editors in one step, added Hofmann. Saving costs and facilitating communication The introduction of the new system paid off for BASF AG within a very short period of time. After the production of two issues, the acquisition cost was already redeemed, the layout costs alone have been reduced substantially, said Andreas Michalski, Executive Director of the Brand Management Systems department of Peter Schmidt Group. In addition, coordination no longer takes place via several means of communication (telephone, fax, e-mail, mail). Instead, the publication is available online during the production process for editors and journalists via a comfortable web presence. iBrams reduces transmission paths and steps, which in combination with the permanent access to the production status and layout, leads to shorter release and production processes. In addition, the online availability makes the production
processes considerably more transparent. The editors have access at all times to the production status and layout of their own pages. Different language versions can be compared more easily, while the editorin-chief can interfere with and guide the process at all times. BASF plans expansion of application Due to the comprehensive savings and efficient workflow introduced by iBrams and the InDesign Server, BASF AG already plans to expand the use of this application, said Stefanie Hofmann. At this point we are already applying the solution in other corporate areas. For example, some pesticide catalogs are also being produced via this system. The solutions modular structure and integrative nature allow us to precisely use those elements that are needed. In conjunction with its output capacity, this is what makes InDesign und iBrams so interesting to us. We can only recommend this solution.