Fully automating the Editorial Workflow: A Case Study of Klambt Verlag

Klambt Verlag is one of Europe’s larger media groups, originally founded back in 1843. Situated in Germany, Klambt publishes around 70 magazines, with content ranging from beauty and healthcare to food and other topics. They have a massive image archive, processing thousands of images on a weekly basis, and running through millions of files each year.

Learn from Rudi Beck, DAM Administrator at Klambt Verlag, how you can efficiently and securely manage large amounts of files.

The importance of images in publishing

There’s no secret that images are key when working with media, and for Klambt, this is no exception, with a vast amount of pictures running through the system each day. Finding the right one is crucial since it influences the production price and the overall value of the magazine.

A central repository for all content

To ensure full control of all images and work with them as efficiently as possible, Klambt has established one central system for the entire group, where all the files can be stored and managed in a common repository. By using Color Factory (a Fotoware product that has been specifically designed to automate the processing of large volumes of files) as the main engine, they have been able to build a full production system around their Fotoware Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution. This enables them to work much faster with their files by eliminating the need of sending images back and forth or uploading and downloading them, while at the same time ensuring that everything sent to print is of the highest quality available:

A system of this kind would not be possible without a high-functioning DAM solution at its center. Graphic designers and editors would have to spend too much time uploading, downloading, and sending different messages and images around. Still, with the Fotoware solution, Klambt manages to keep every note, suggestion, image, and design in one central hub. Even the graphical work of putting together the physical pages is conducted directly within the DAM, thanks to the Adobe CC extension.

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Managing content from remote offices

This centralized way of working has also been particularly helpful when it comes to remote work. With many agencies and photographers traveling far away from the office, Klambt depends on a secure system that can structure the files and make them easy to locate and manage from afar. This has been especially important during the covid-19 pandemic, causing many to work remotely.

Moving from folder structures to a data-driven workflow

Traditionally, Klambt Verlag has been processing their files using a folder structure. However, by building their editorial system around Fotoware and Color Factory, they are able to base their workflow on metadata. While the set-up still resembles a folder structure, it is all managed using metadata, enabling automation of several tasks. This way, while an employee navigates through the folders in the editorial workflow, he/she never has to download or manually move anything.

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Streamlining the printing process

The goal of this workflow is to get all the images from camera to print, as well as calculating the production costs, which may vary depending on the size, placement, and agency of each image. All while complying with German laws regarding copyright, which demand every magazine to include a photo-line with image information on each page.

Today, Rudi is working on automating the process of adding this photo-line to the magazine’s pages, which will save Klambt thousands of hours each year:

The efficient use of metadata also makes the task of calculating costs much easier since the pricing details are attached to each asset, automatically correcting itself when needed. For example, when adding an image to a page, you can later see a transcript of its price, which will adjust itself if you change the size or image placement.

Pre-defined access and efficient collaboration processes

While making the editorial workflow completely metadata-driven has many advantages - fast search, secure file storage, and improved control, to name a few - one of the most prominent benefits of this set-up has to do with internal collaboration.

Although the system itself is massive, it is structured in a way that makes it easy for employees to conduct their work. When logging in, they can only see the parts of the workflow relevant to them, and after finishing a task, it is automatically sent to the next step.

During the different steps, each department works on the part(s) of the magazine where they are responsible, easily delegating tasks between them. This is done using job tickets, which explain what is needed for a section of the magazine and end up as a fully designed page or two. For example, when a designer selects a job ticket, this action gets written into it; once his/her work is done, the metadata will include this information and effectively send the ticket to the next step where another employee picks it up. And so it goes until all the pages are ready for print, at this point, with a ton of information written into each of them:

One single system for numerous magazines

Additionally, having the entire system in one place ensures that the routines are the same for every magazine, which makes it easy for employees to help other departments when needed:

Do you need a DAM solution?

A DAM solution is much more than a typical image bank. It’s the center of your content ecosystem, enabling you to automate and streamline tasks, collaborate on content production, efficiently manage high-resolution images, and much more all, all without ever having to move files around manually.

If you would like to see how the Fotoware solution can work for your organization, don’t hesitate to book a non-committal meeting with one of our experts.