Issue 6
T-Systems, a French Systems Integrator, and Quark Deploy a Dynamic Publishing Platform for Airbus
T-Systems deploys "Magnet,” a platform based on Quark® Dynamic Publishing Solution for its client Airbus, to create a magazine for several different media and in multiple languages.
Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution (Quark DPS) combines end-to-end publishing functions – including content creation and automated workflows to content management and multichannel delivery - that until now were managed by multiple processes. Quark’s approach to dynamic publishing with Quark DPS enables workflows to be streamlined, productivity to be increased, overall costs to be reduced, and information provided on demand.
The Challenges: Cross-Media Publishing and Time Savings
For many years Airbus has produced an in-house magazine in four languages (French, German, English, Spanish) and five versions* every two months. This 24-page internal communications magazine, with a print run of approximately 65,000 copies, serves not only as an information journal for employees, but also as a liaison and integration tool between workers at all the company's different locations and levels.
The key challenge the Airbus team faced from a technology perspective, other than optimizing the production processes, was to enable the production and distribution of localized versions of the magazine to a variety of media, based on centralized content. At the same time, the team needed to maintain brand integrity and respect the graphic charter. The final, but no less significant challenge, was for all contributors worldwide to share the same tool and the same processes seamlessly.
From a reader’s perspective, the Airbus communications department responsible for the magazine wanted to offer the ability to access it through multiple media, both hard copy and on the employee portal via a true on-line magazine, as well as through low-res PDF files for reading in a web browser. The question of reduced production times was also carefully considered because the team aimed to publish the print magazine more frequently for people without computer access. Over time, the ultimate goal was to bridge the "digital gulf" between on-line and off-line employees.
The Answer: Quark and T-Systems in France
Airbus chose T-Systems in France, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom's Corporate Customer unit, to select and produce a single platform to meet their various challenges. Following in-depth research into the dynamic publishing solutions available, T-Systems selected and presented the Airbus teams with a solution based on Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution.
T-Systems designed, developed, and now operates a platform called “Magnet” for Airbus. The platform collects a complete stream of Web content from the Airbus teams via QuarkXPress licenses installed in the editorial offices to enable real-time generation of the various versions of the magazine. The editorial offices are distributed across five locations in four countries.
Each Airbus editorial team places their content on the platform; the contents are then automatically inserted into the magazine layout and put back on the server. The chief editorial team, based in Blagnac, France is responsible for centralizing all versions and approving them before returning them to the different Airbus locations for publication through their own channels.
Significantly Reduced Costs
The SaaS (Software as a Service) platform went live in February 2009. The editorial teams at each location soon took up the system and saw the added value of such an implementation with an exemplary return on investment, both in production times and in terms of cost.
Optimization not only enabled costs to be cut down but the increase in productivity has allowed the Airbus team to move towards a monthly publication cycle. The time savings have also created the opportunity to redesign the magazine’s layout for increased readability.
What’s more, it is now possible to access the Airbus intranet and read the magazine in a low-res PDF format. With this multi-channel approach, Airbus has been able to reduce printing costs and lower its impact on the environment.
* French, German, Spanish, UK English and International for Airbus' non European locations.
