CreoScitex has finished the post merger process of integration and appraisal and has developed a roadmap for its strategy on workflow and CTP.


"Our first priority was to put the two companies into one," said European managing director Alon Lombroso. "I think if you speak to staff they see it as one company. From a managerial stance we're past that stage. I see myself as a CreoScitex employee, not an ex-Scitex employee."


Lombroso attributed an uncharacteristic post-Drupa reticence to the appraisal policy and the need to blend the two firms.


"It's true we were quiet, we didn't want to confuse the market every other day," he said. "We took our time to develop our product roadmap. It is only today we're ready to go out and say what we are doing."


In future, the firm will focus on developing platesetters using the SquareSpot thermal imaging head developed by Creo for the Trendsetter, as well as on-press imaging applications. At Graph Expo the firm released the first hybrid product, the Lotem Quantum, which uses the Lotem engine with the SquareSpot exposure system. "It's a top of the range machine combining the automation of the Lotem with the exposure and autofocus of SquareSpot," said Lombroso.


Set for launch next February, its 25 plate-per-hour performance puts it at the top of the firm's line-up. Pricing has yet to be finalised, but it is likely to be more than the 250,000 top-of-the-range Lotem 800V2. Users of the Trendsetter V and Lotem V2 will be offered a trade-in.


Workflow will be based on the Brisque as a production system, while Prinergy will become more of a job management and tracking system. The shop management software concept announced by Scitex before Drupa has been dropped in favour of developing Prinergy for that application. Prinergy will remain as an option for customers who want a PDF-based production system.


Brisque is already driving 10 Trendsetters in beta tests in America and is set to enter beta testing in Europe soon. "It would have been cheaper and easier to kill one product," said Lombroso. "But we took the decision to continue to develop both with the aim to put them together in the future. It is better for our customers if we support and develop both."


Story by Barney Cox