Production

A production project gathers everything that belongs to producing a title, from the first costing to the carbon-accounted print run. Every project carries a production number, is linked to one or more titles from title data and takes its defaults from there.

The central working surface is the project list, with full-text search across title, production number and ISBN, a status filter from “in planning” to “archived”, cover preview, columns for print run number, print count and dates, plus favorites and export. The detail view is divided into the tab navigation on the left (grouped into production, contributions, planning, communication and tasks), the tab area in the middle, and the dynamic workflow panel on the right.

The general details hold subtitle, medium, extent and delivery status, the prices for Germany, Austria and Switzerland with their tax rate, the ABC classification, publication and delivery dates, and the markers for climate-neutral, CE logo and budget-relevant. Then come the technical tabs: typesetting with basic setup, styling and delivery dates per partner; paper/print with a paper picker per component; proofing stages with comments; repro, binding and packaging from maintained lists of values; delivery address; digital and POD.

What is recorded in the paper/print tab does not have to be entered twice. Values are inherited into other tabs – into consumption, for instance – are marked there as inherited and can be reset to their origin. Consumption itself collects paper, ink and energy quantities and is thus the basis of the carbon footprint.

The print run tab brings together the planned print runs and those from the title data, along with production batches, parts lists and the split into sales, complimentary, author and voucher copies as well as spoilage. Costing happens in versions: the entries are pre-filled from the project data, the calculation engine delivers the results, the royalty scheme grades by copies sold, and every costing shows total PCF, PCF per copy, credits and carbon costs alongside. The templates behind it are themselves versioned: draft, preview, publish.

The unit cost is created as a snapshot per print run and can be frozen; after that it is unchangeable. The planned/actual analysis runs against it: lines from incoming invoices are assigned to the project, and the stock is valued for inventory through write-down profiles.

The carbon footprint is calculated to ISO 14067 and ISO 16759 from the consumption figures and maintained emission factors. System boundary, scopes, reference year, country, printing process and energy mix are selectable; the result is broken down by life cycle stage and marked as primary data, proxy or credit. Versions can be recalculated and finalized; the final footprint freezes the set of factors. Add to that the data sheet PDF, the export for the digital product passport and CSRD reports, and comparison calculations – print run against reprint, say, or print against print-on-demand against e-book. The paper master data carries carbon attributes too, with factor, source, validity, recycled content and certification to FSC, PEFC, Blauer Engel or recycling.

And the project stays connected to the other areas. Partners, contributors and delivery addresses come from the CRM; a contribution becomes an order in Orders & invoices; inquiry and order letters create a draft in correspondence; and the tasks tab hangs the production workflow on bryve, with a work lead, a production group and standard tasks from the template. A project with contributions, snapshots or incoming invoices cannot be deleted by accident – the system names exactly what is still attached to it.