SmartStream Analyzer is a software package that provides real-time production management and historical trend analysis of press performance.

"People want to improve their operations and to do this you need to understand them," said HP Indigo strategic product marketing manager Tamir Hativa. "We see SmartStream Analyzer as a platform for continuous operational improvement."

The tool can be used to monitor the performance of groups of presses, sites, individual machines, shifts, teams and individuals. Hativa described it as a "looking-glass into production".

Data can be compared within a printer's own business or against the average of HP Indigo customers, providing a useful benchmark to the rest of the digital print industry.

Metrics include total printing impressions and impressions per hour. Operators can check whether they are on or behind schedule and can analyse how press time is spent.

"The effect is that operators try harder when they compare themselves to each other and engage in friendly competition," said Hativa.

"One beta customer has improved productivity by 100%. They did other things as well, but the improvements were all underpinned by Analyzer," he added.

Analyzer will get its debut at Ipex and go on general sale in August.

It is sold as a software and hardware bundle running on an HP server. A server with a single-press licence costs €16,000 (£14,500), addi­tional presses cost €3,000 each. 

The software supports Indigo's commercial presses,  the 3050, 5000 and 7000 sheetfed machines and the 6000 web.