Fujifilm has bought Elara Software, which is responsible for developing the Elara newspaper workflow. The software has been popular in some European markets with the expectation that it will benefit from Fujifilm’s international marketing.
Kurt Smits, newspaper business development manager at Fujifilm Europe, says that it’s a proven system that has everything that a newspaper workflow requires from editiorial to production and can handle multiple print and editorial sites.
Smits explains that Fujifilm needed a dedicated workflow, distinct from its XMF workflow, as newspapers needs differ from commercial printers. He says that while commercial printers often deal with a complete publication, newspapers have to deal with different pages, often on different deadlines and across different editions. He adds that speed is another important aspect: “In newspapers we have to send thousands of pages around in a very short timeframe.”
Fujifilm will take on all of the Elara staff and continue to develop the software, which will now be branded as Fujifilm Elara. This will also strengthen Fujifilm’s position in the newspaper market, where it already supplies plates and processors. It appears to be part of a wider strategy from Fujifilm to play a more determined part in what have otherwise been niche markets.
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