We encourage all our partners to become certified in PrintVis!

PrintVis provides a rigorous online certification program for all of our Partners. It includes a series of in-depth lessons and subsequent tests, developed and written by our own experienced Consultants, who know what is needed to successfully and repeatably implement PrintVis for end-customers.

Once certified, our partners are able to demonstrate the level of competence in the PrintVis solution that will establish credibility and earn the confidence of our clients in the print world.

This week we are happy to hear from Rumonda “Rod” Smith, Implementation Specialist for Kodak Print, with whom we’ve been so proud to engage in partnership since December 2020. Rod has also successfully completed his PrintVis certification and has some thoughts to share.

Thoughts on PrintVis Certification

Was it difficult? What do you perceive as the value of being certified?

The certification was extremely challenging. This certification requires a deep dive into the platform and challenges your knowledge of system configuration, system usage and your problem-solving aptitude as a consultant. Customers – and potential customers – can be assured that certified PrintVis consultants have a thorough understanding of, not only the basics of PrintVis, but understand how to leverage the flexibility of the platform for use in their bespoke production environments and use-cases.

Do you think the format lends itself to retaining the information?

The certification was very immersive and challenging. From the nature of the questions and the feedback that was offered, it became clear to me early on that the certification questions were NOT crafted for the user to simply parrot the “right” answer. Suppressing the notion to obsess about getting the single “right” answer proved to be particularly challenging. The right answers lie in the exploration of the solution. And as we all know, there are many different ways to get to the same place.

That being said, I think it must have taken as much effort to evaluate these exams as it was to take them. Much appreciation to Kit Tomshøj and the other PrintVis consultants that had to decipher our thought processes and evaluate our responses.

Additionally, any insights on Kodak’s methodology that you’d like to share (without giving away any trade secrets of course). 

As a print production industry leader, Kodak has the unique position of not only understanding PrintVis as a tool to help manage your business; we have a thorough understanding of the entire print production ecosystem and how a comprehensive integrated workflow solution can reduce costs, eliminate redundancies, provide real-time business analytics, and in my opinion, most importantly, paint a clear picture of the overall health of the business.

Is your team working entirely from satellite offices? Locations? Geographic area of strength? 

Most of the team is working remotely. Our North American team stretches from the east to west coasts; north to south from Canada to Mexico. We also have team members throughout Europe. Internally, it makes scheduling team meetings quite interesting, but it also means there is always someone available to support our customers worldwide.

What would you like a prospective customer to know about Kodak? 

I am a new member of the Kodak team. I have been in the print industry most of my adult life. As a matter of fact, my first printing gig was shooting and developing film and stripping flats. Kodak products and support were a staple for me. In the reinventing of the print production landscape, I believe Kodak is BACK!

The industry is ready for Kodak take back its place on the stage as an industry leader. Kodak is leveraging technology to revolutionize automated workflow solutions. PrintVis will allow us to expand and integrate that solution to the entirety of the business. It’s an exciting time and why I joined the Kodak team.

And then, perhaps some personal history, how did your career path lead you to software consultancy?

I am an old school print guy. I started my career in the darkroom and running small duplicator presses in high school. The years have taken me throughout the southeast in facilities from Narrow-Web Flexo to Grand Format Offset; in capacities from Production to Operations Management.

In all honesty, I was never and still am not, a “tech geek.” However, I was always very interested to learn about and involved in process improvement and management. Having led and contributed to multiple MIS implementations and process improvement initiatives, I understood quite early that the printing industry in general needed to embrace change – and SOON.

A long career in the printing industry has afforded me the opportunity to observe and compare numerous process differences and commonalities, how they are managed and sometimes, how they are mismanaged. Being able to “speak the language” and having a desire to be an agent for change in the industry, I sought an opportunity as a print consultant. I wanted to help printers learn and embrace technology from one of their own.

This path has allowed me to explore the industry internationally, learning and helping companies develop workflow solutions, implement best practices, and ultimately embrace change. I have a “what happens on the floor is reality” approach and I’m excited to bring that kind of practical thinking and experience to the Kodak team and our customers.

Many thanks, Rod, for sharing your thoughts, and congratulations on your achievement!

Be sure to check out Kodak’s website for tons of information on their unique approach to print software solutions, including of course the powerful, cloud-based platform Prinergy on Demand – to help you on your buyer’s journey toward a comprehensive print management solution to run every aspect of your business.