Business Profile
BC DirectGroup’s commitment to innovation is evident in their use of cutting-edge technologies to optimize print and mail operations. From high-speed printers to automated mail sorting systems, the company continuously invests in technology to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver the highest-quality results. Their technology investments allow them to process up to 30 million letters and print approximately 105 million pages annually.
Industry
Service Provider
Follow BC DirectGroup’s Passion for Printing: Pioneering PDF Optimization with Solimar ReadyPDF
Innovation Meets Excellence in Print Management
Fifteen years ago, Guido and Elke Bethge embarked on an ambitious journey by establishing BC DirectGroup in Berlin’s competitive direct mail landscape. Their vision went beyond traditional printing services – they sought to revolutionize print management for direct mail and document outsourcing clients through cutting-edge technology and sustainable practices. This commitment to innovation has driven their growth from a local print shop to an industry leader delivering state-of-the-art print management solutions.
The company’s dedication to environmental responsibility shows in their careful sourcing of materials, particularly using paper from sustainable forestry operations. Over the past decade, BC DirectGroup has strategically expanded their capabilities, developing sophisticated data analysis and processing expertise while nurturing their core direct mail business. This dual focus has enabled them to extend their document output services across diverse sectors, including non-profits, healthcare, real estate, financial services, and hybrid mail operators.
Technology Infrastructure and Capabilities
A powerful combination of hardware and software solutions lies at the heart of BC DirectGroup’s operations. Their facility houses advanced Canon ColorStream 3000 and ColorStream 6000 web presses, working in tandem with intelligent inserting machines from industry leaders Bäuerle and Kern. This sophisticated equipment forms the backbone of their print and mailing services, capable of meeting the demands of businesses regardless of size or complexity.
Integrating cutting-edge hardware with industry-leading software technology enables BC DirectGroup to provide comprehensive security features, including piece-level tracking within a closed-loop system. This attention to detail gives clients complete confidence that their critical print and mail materials are processed precisely and delivered to the intended recipients. The robust infrastructure supports processing volumes of up to 30 million letters and approximately 105 million pages annually, positioning BC DirectGroup as a major player in the industry.
At-A-Glance
Locations (USA)
- Berlin, Germany
Business Solution
Solimar Products
Benefits
- Streamlined their workflow by standardizing on a PDF-based system, converting various input formats (AFP, PCL, PostScript) into PDFs for consistent production handling
- Eliminated inefficiencies, delays, and potential printer stoppages, impacting production time and paper waste
- Optimized problematic PDF files by automatically correcting issues like bloated file sizes, font redundancies, and inefficient image embedding, improving processing efficiency and preventing costly errors
- Implemented ReadyPDF’s application programming interface (API) that integrated seamlessly into their existing document workflows and technologies
“We previously optimized PDF documents with third-party libraries. Now, with ReadyPDF, we have a 100% success rate.”
Florian Rose
Chief Operating Officer
BC DirectGroup
Meeting Production Challenges Head-On
The sheer scale of BC DirectGroup’s operations – processing between 60,000 to 90,000 files daily from over 1,800 clients – demands exceptional workflow efficiency and automation capabilities. The company implemented a standardized PDF-based workflow for file onboarding and preparation to streamline their operations. While they continue to accept various input formats, including AFP, PCL, and PostScript, all files are converted to PDF before entering the production workflow. Many clients utilize BC DirectGroup’s OnPremise Managed File Transfer solution to submit PDF documents directly.
However, the standardization of PDF brought its own set of challenges. As the business expanded, BC DirectGroup encountered increasingly inefficiently structured PDF files. These files often originated from various sources:
- Office environment printer drivers
- Web applications utilizing open-source PDF libraries
- Corporate applications in sectors like insurance, healthcare, and banking that generate complex file structures
The Challenge of PDF Optimization
The diversity of incoming documents spans from basic letters to intricate files containing numerous pages and associated resources. Suboptimal PDF structures can significantly impact processing efficiency, potentially leading to increased processing time at the printer and, in more severe cases, triggering errors that halt production. These interruptions delay scheduled work, resulting in paper waste, and often require time-consuming reprints.
Most clients remain unaware of the technical inefficiencies in their PDF submissions. Common issues include:
- Files bloated with numerous repeated, subsetted font families
- Images containing unnecessarily high resolutions exceeding print requirements
- Redundant comment records added by enterprise production software
- Inefficient object referencing requiring multiple processing passes
The Search for a Solution
These challenges led BC DirectGroup to seek a robust PDF optimization solution, ultimately leading them to Solimar Systems’ ReadyPDF. Chief Operating Officer Florian Rose noted that the implementation has transformed their workflow efficiency: “We previously optimized PDF documents with third-party libraries. Now, with ReadyPDF, we have a 100% success rate.”
The Chemistry Solution:
ReadyPDF® Prepress Server™
Optimizes fonts, images, objects, colors and resources to allow PDF files to process more efficiently for production printing, ePresentment and archiving.
“The ability to develop optimization profiles and publish them as templates makes it particularly easy for developers to use ReadyPDF...”
Florian Rose
Chief Operating Officer
BC DirectGroup
Integration and Implementation Success
A critical requirement for BC DirectGroup was finding a solution with an application programming interface (API) that would seamlessly integrate with their existing document workflows and technologies. Solimar’s professional services team worked closely with BC DirectGroup to integrate the ReadyPDF API, enabling the creation and deployment of optimization profiles tailored to specific document types within their micro-services workflow.
The IT team at BC DirectGroup maximized the value of their implementation by leveraging Solimar’s comprehensive support resources, including the Solimar Online University (SUO). This allowed them to quickly find answers to integration questions and accelerate their launch timeline. Rose emphasized the value of this support: “The ability to develop optimization profiles and publish them as templates makes it particularly easy for developers to use ReadyPDF with special requirements. What we particularly appreciated was the quick personal response from the support team, who deal intensively with any problems and offer appropriate instructions.”
Future-Ready Operations
Implementing ReadyPDF has enabled BC DirectGroup to maintain automated workflows while focusing on their core mission – delivering passionate, quality print services to their clients. The solution’s ability to handle complex PDF optimization automatically has streamlined operations and enhanced their capacity to meet growing client demands.
As BC DirectGroup continues to expand their services and client base, the investment in ReadyPDF positions them to handle increasing volumes while maintaining their commitment to quality and efficiency. The combination of advanced technology, environmental responsibility, and dedicated customer service establishes BC DirectGroup as a leader in the evolution of print management services.