X-Pubs organises and delivers webinars, seminars, case-studies and whitepapers from some of the industry’s most valued technical minds to educate on and promote the latest content standards. The group seeks to critique the established business justification for the adoption of XML and DITA and to address issues such as ROI, migration, authoring best practices, and team and culture issues often under-represented in technology discussions, thus helping organisations to make the right choices for their situation.

We are currently looking for people who are familiar with X-Pubs and asking them to participate in our X-Pubs survey. It will take approximately 5 - 10 minutes to complete.  All participants who complete the questionnaire fully and leave their contact details will be entered into our Apple iPod Nano prize draw and get 15% off the next X-Pubs paid event.

Complete the survey before August 16, 2010 to be eligible. Complete survey now.

Technical Communication UK 2010 is the largest UK conference for technical communicators.  This annual conference aims to meet the needs of technical communicators, their managers and clients, from every corner of the industry.  Technical Communication UK 2010 will deliver more than 30 sessions over three days, with presentations, workshops, case studies, and hands-on product demonstrations from experts in their field.

Come and hear Julian Mufitt's keynote presentation - The Yellow Brick Road to Effective Content Strategy, Julian will be available throughout the event at the Mekon stand.

UA Europe is an annual conference that focuses specifically on software user assistance and online Help. It provides a unique update on all the latest industry trends, technical developments, and best practice in software user assistance. You'll learn the critical factors that contribute to effective user assistance, which in turn results in more successful software.

Mekon are exhibiting UA 2010 and Mark Poston will be presenting Interactive Dynamic Assistance - Engaging Users with the Functions They Want. In this session Mark focuses on how new XML-related developments, such as XML native databases and XQuery, can be used to create more engaging deliverables for end users. 

Other sessions will look at:

• Latest authoring tools and technologies
  
• New developments in XML and DITA


• User research and usability


• Case studies showcasing innovative user assistance strategies and techniques


• Content design and development


• Industry trends and predictions for the future


• All conference sessions and workshops are presented in English.

Mekon welcome Spencer Garlick to the team, bringing with him over fifteen years of experience working with structured publishing solutions for large enterprises. Spencer has gained extensive knowledge in SGML & XML, Authoring Solutions and Content Management Systems.  He has advised a large number of companies including GSK, Astra Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson, The Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Boeing and Ford Motor Cars.

Discover the Techniques used to Create High Quality, Consistent Content for a Global Market in our FREE Webinar.

Benefit from Spencer’s many years of Authoring experience and the lessons learned from projects in which he has configured authoring environments in his live X-Pubs webinar - Creating High Quality, Consistent Content, on 24 August.  This session will introduce you to the techniques and software used to enforce consistent writing style across your authoring team, even in a globally distributed environment.     

Elekta Estimate Efficiency Savings of Up To £500,000 A Year

Medical Technology Industry Is Wasting Up To Half Of Information Management Budgets, Warns Expert

Clinical solutions firm Elekta has identified annual cost reductions of up to £500,000 a year in their technical documentation expenditure, following a comprehensive review of their documentation development and management processes.

The human care company behind some of the world's most innovative devices for the treatment of cancer and neurological conditions recruited document management consultancy Mekon to identify and achieve efficiency savings in the way Elekta creates, manages, uses and delivers information for the large number of documents it produces.

The result of Mekon’s Consulting and Implementation Process is a new Global Information Management (GIM) strategy which augments the high quality of Elekta’s documentation with keener global management, a holistic structure, and more dynamic delivery and deployment of information. The strategy is being implemented by a global project team lead by Nick Rowlands, Elekta’s Information Systems Architect, with Mekon’s assistance, and the support and sponsorship of Elekta’s senior management.

Mekon worked closely with the various Elekta staff who share responsibility for creating and updating content that directly feeds technical, clinical and marketing documentation, including clinical applications specialists, product designers, field service agents, and support engineers. Mekon identified net efficiency savings of up to £500,000 per annum and enhanced Elekta’s control over the development of information, something that can inspire even greater confidence amongst the healthcare providers and patients that benefit from Elekta’s clinical advances.

Mekon’s senior consultant, Noz Urbina, said that it was common for medical technology manufacturers to waste up to half of their information management budgets because they take an inefficient and unstructured approach to the way that they manage their data. Unless these firms implement a strategic approach to content management, they can be wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds or more every year, he warned.

“Alongside their core product responsibilities, engineers of various types are expected to provide input into the huge amount of internal and external technical knowledge and documentation that accompany every complex diagnostic and therapeutic medical device, from MRI scanners to pacemakers,” said Urbina.

The problem extends far beyond technical documentation. There are overlapping sets of operational and reference information in every organisation. Some is for internal use and reference, and some for external publication, such as marketing materials and manuals. Engineers rely on, and input information into, all such documents. If they are working for a firm that doesn’t take a strategic approach to content management, these engineers are typically wasting between 30 and 50 per cent of their content-related time on wasteful activities instead of accessing or creating valuable content. In most organizations, instead of pushing content through such an inefficient workflow, engineering content is lost or left inside teams instead of shared across the other teams or customers that need it.

Urbina said, “Like Elekta, many medical technology firms operate in multiple world markets and need to publish content in multiple languages. Up to 50 per cent of internal content-related time can be taken up with performing manual tasks, such as formatting, translating, editing, and updating content across multiple outputs. What’s more, lack of automation adds extra process overheads, such as finding changes within a document or locating all the out-of-date files and performing quality assurance tasks manually. Localisation and translation costs are also often well over 50 per cent overheads that can be completely removed through application of best practices. The same infrastructure and skills upgrades that support the clinical product operational and technical maintenance information also benefit the product management, training and even marketing content.”

Tom Beazley, Vice-President Services at Elekta said, “In a global, export-led market, we need tools that enable us to transform the way we deliver value to our customers. The development and deployment of information is key to delivering value to customers. The global information value chain starts with the inception of an idea, through to the development of intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that deliver positive patient outcomes, and ends with best-in-class delivery of information that healthcare providers can use with confidence to reassure their patients.”

One of the major challenges facing medical technology manufacturers is information reuse and knowledge management, Urbina explains. Several different departments may be working on a particular technical document, such as a user manual, and it can be difficult to share locally-generated information with other departments, much less the outside world. This distributed base of information, held in local libraries rather than on a central, auditable, and access-controlled system, means that field experience and knowledge is rarely captured into official channels, making it much more difficult to share and reuse across a company. This can have a seriously detrimental effect on efficiency. For firms in the medical technology sector – who may employ hundreds of engineers working on numerous products and thus documents – the inefficiencies and associated costs can run into the millions of pounds.

“And it’s not just about the money,” said Urbina. “There are also numerous ‘soft gains’ such as more consistent, more structured content; different navigation options; content syndication and change notifications; the ability to deliver content in customers’ desired format and browsable web-based instances of documents wherever they’re needed.”

Beazley said, “Elekta’s acquisition strategy has seen incredible success and growth over the last seven years, but with this comes diverse working practices, technologies, storage and access points. Elekta was operating numerous servers, websites, document sets and knowledge bases. The diversity of processes and content that had to be managed across Elekta’s business units required a form of external consultancy, new technology and tools that were adaptable to the business, but based on a common platform and the latest industry standards to maintain document quality, enhance consistency, and deliver economies of scale.”

“Mekon’s consultants worked with us to provide a cross-departmental understanding of how information management strategy can be improved and to identify potential cost savings.  They started with a day of on-site staff interviews to gather priorities, goals and a picture of the business from a process and priorities point of view. Mekon then analysed the information gathered and delivered a management-oriented presentation and report which demonstrated the benefits to the business, employees, customers, healthcare professionals and patients. This report helped us to raise staff awareness of content issues and options as well as illustrating how, why and where existing content creation, management and delivery strategies can be improved.”

Urbina said, “Not many management teams offer the support and understanding like the senior management at Elekta gave its Global Information Management project.  Many struggle to let go of old processes or tools to recognise the potential and value that content and knowledge infrastructure investments have to offer. Elekta’s senior management connected with the vision, empowering Mekon’s Consulting and Implementation Process to structure the project for optimum success, meaning we were encouraged to recommend any new required technologies and facilitate change management in regard to working practices from the initial Mekon Content Strategy Audit^tm through to tool selection and implementation. Moving to a structure and reuse-based strategy paves the information highway to dynamic interactive publishing, intranet solutions and real cross-departmental collaboration platforms. Elekta’s employees and managers recognise the benefits of these tools to healthcare professionals and patients, not just the internal benefits to the company.”

Andy Scott, Elekta’s Service Engineering & Documentation Manager, and the GIM Project Sponsor said, “Radical change to working practices can be met with resistance, and this was anticipated. However the Global Information Management program, and in particular the content management module, acted as a common denominator where everyone, irrespective of geography, language, culture and business unit has seen the collective benefits of the strategy. As Elekta will continue to grow, with Mekon we have implemented an information infrastructure that can respond to business demand just by adding new modules.”

Note to editors

For further editorial information or to arrange an interview please contact the Mekon press office at or telephone 020 7609 1900.

About Elekta:  http://www.elekta.com/

Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.

Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible today.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.

Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb.

About Mekon Ltd: http://www.mekon.com/

Founded in 1990, Mekon are leading UK consultants and systems integrators. We are focused on increasing the effectiveness of your content creation, management and delivery.

Struggling with insufficient staff and ever increasing demand for output, organisations today require a customised roadmap to project success that incorporates best practice, risk management and ROI-led planning.  Mekon provide a well-defined, end-to-end methodology and service that balances strategic guidance and training with the technical capabilities to make a solution a reality. We specialise in systems that allow reuse and recombination of content for flexible, scalable two-way publication, across multiple formats.

Extensive experience with the all major publishing, DITA, S1000D and XML technology vendors gives Mekon a unique and un-biased insight into which technologies are suitable for specific client needs. We are one of the few organisations to successfully implement XML (DITA) in both the non-technical enterprise content space and traditional technical and professional publishing. As a result Mekon are ideally placed to help you use your content as a strategic business asset.

Most recently Mekon contributed the well received FrameMaker Adapter component for the DITA OpenToolkit and continues to provide leading Authoring products for the S1000D community.

Here is the next instalment of Mekon's 20-things series. This time we again focus on better communicating the diversity of Mekon's work.

As a vendor-independent consulting and integration firm, Mekon not only provide development and implementation, but help customers through the decision-making and solution design process.  Customers may need support narrowing down what it is they're after and what needs changing before things like customisation, training and templates even become relevant.

In this newsletter's "20 Things" list you'll see services and case studies that range from ready-made solutions for standards like DITA and ASD S1000D.

1.Tool Selection Consultancy
Buying a tool and getting sold a tool are different. We've helped many clients over the years make sure they're doing the former.

2.Mekon Content Strategy Audit (CSA)
About every other month, a new company opts to get help building their business case and formally reviewing how they collaborate on, create, manage, deliver and maintain content. Mekon have helped clients assess the technology landscape, win larger project budgets, and do it in less time than they could have alone.

3.DITA Training
Did you know Mekon employs some of Europe's leading DITA trainers and can train using most leading authoring tools?

4.Mekon Project Scoping and Planning (PSP)
Setting the scope correctly will be the life or death of a project. Did you know we have a standardised method for avoiding scope issues?

5.Conference Room Prototype (CRP)
You test drive several cars before you buy one based on how you like. For a project with a value of 6 figures, various users (who might not yet even know to drive) you need to go even beyond that. The CRP is a structured, facilitated session to fit the right tool to solve a problem.

6.XSLT Development
XSLT is the path XML goes through to become print (XSL:FO), HTML, CHM and many other formats. Here are some places we've helped clients walk the path.

7.Guided Authoring
The bills and acts of parliament that govern the lives of all UK citizens are drawn up by some 80 lawyers in government using a guided authoring tools that Mekon implemented.

8.DTD Development
Yes, DITA and S1000D usually negate this need, but now and then, a custom DTD can make sense. We've done the job at Eurocontrol, Oxford University Press (OUP), the Prescription Pricing Authority and more.

9.SDL Trisoft CCMS implementation
SDL and Mekon both recognised the quality product offered by the Trisoft CCMS platform InfoShare. Mekon started working with Trisoft, SDL acquired them and it's now called SDL Trisoft CCMS. Here are the projects where we're working with Trisoft users.

10.XMetaL Author / Developer training and implementation
Mekon has worked with XMetaL for years and employs Noz Urbina, who has trained and consulted on XMetaL solutions for the past decade. Did you know we offer evaluation and implementation support, and both Author training and Developer training.

11.Corena product implementation
Corena is a recognised leader in tools to support military documentation content complying with the S1000D standard. Recently we've implemented a solution at a major Portuguese Dockyard and have also implemented Corena tools at BAE Regional Jets.

12.Forms design and development
Sometimes a good-old fashioned form is the best way to control your data here are some examples of where we've 'thought inside the box'.

13.Antenna House implementation
XSL:FO is the tool of choice for many projects and Antenna House XSL Formatter is one of the leading tools for rendering it. Here's some examples where we've made this high-speed work-horse run.

14.Ovidius TCToolbox implementation
Manufacturers around the world rely on the component content management features of TCToolbox. Here’s a recent project where we worked together for a luxury car manufacturer.

15. Quark XML Author training and implementation
XML in MS Word? Yes with a little external help MS-Word can produce XML. Key Note Research proved it.

16.SDL XPP implementation
The division of UK Parliament called Hansard has to get every word of every parliamentary discussion out in print and web formats by the next morning, despite the complex pagination requirements, and the fact that the house often sits until well after midnight. Mekon implemented XPP to help them do it on time every day.

17.MarkLogic Server implementation
When publishing highly complex, data-linked content but employing non-technical subject matter experts to write, how can you manage?

18.PTC Arbortext implementation
Hundreds of authors around the world use Mekon's Eclipse tools on top of PTC Arbortext Editor and FrameMaker to comply with the militaries strict S1000D data standard. Mekon have recently increased our skills-base for Arbortext technologies to better support customers like LSC, Universal Engineering, TMS and Adep.

19.FrameMaker training and implementation
Whether you're talking DTP or batch server-side processing of XML, Frame is still a publishing tool par excellence. Here are some recent clients where we've worked with FrameMaker.

20.MathML tool integration
Complex mathematical equations have puzzled most of us for years. The national exam organisation Edexcel has some XML-based MathML tools we installed to help guide the next generation, and we've put in technology to help maths experts at Schlumberger, Edexcel, UK Parliament who already made the grade do their jobs more efficiently.

Mekon announce an industry leading S1000D solution for PTC Arbortext Editor, especially designed for use by experienced Arbortext Editor authors creating S1000D Data Modules in a busy production environment.

Find out more

Intelligent Content 2010

Feb 25-26 2010, Palm Springs, USA, Event Homepage.

Intelligent Content 2010 is in its second successful year, bringing together a dynamic group of speakers to share their insights, case studies and solid suggestions for success.  Speakers include Mekon's Noz Urbina who will be presenting Integrating Information Intelligently Across Customer-Facing Services on 25 February.

Experiencing problems getting the right content in the right format out the door in a way that engages your customer? Tired of slogging away with mountains of content? Does the proliferation of channels seem overwhelming? Need to find ways of doing more with the same? Then Intelligent Content is for you. 

For design engineers in the Aerospace and Defence (A&D) industry, time is at a premium. Alongside their core engineering responsibilities, they are expected to provide input into the vast volumes of internal and customer-facing technical documentation that A&D companies need to produce. Mekon’s research shows that engineers can spend as much as 15 per cent of their time dealing with documentation. These experts are under pressure to be more productive without an increase in resources, yet their documentation process often receives little to no investment or attention.  

While there are technology standards specifically designed for the A&D industry which make document creation easier and more efficient, companies often fail to use them. The industry standard S1000D helps connect engineering processes with documentation, leading to major efficiency gains and cost savings. Yet many companies only implement the standard if it’s been mandated in their contract. Companies that only implement S1000D to fulfill contractual obligations are unlikely to understand how to use it to its full potential, resulting in considerably less efficiency and higher costs than usual. 

These are the urgent issues facing engineers whose firms still cling to old-fashioned and inefficient documentation workflows, which take an unstructured approach to the way that they create, manage, use and deliver data. This is especially true when dealing with multiple information inputs and outputs, such as multiple equipment components and contributors feeding into many documents for various audiences. These demands are further multiplied when documentation must be delivered in various formats, such as print, web, PDF or other types of media.  

The crux of the problem lies in the process of moving content around between teams, and is exacerbated by poor support from tools. Whenever a design engineer creates a new innovation, it immediately creates the need to update supporting information for that design variant. Engineers are the initial source for this content which is then passed to the technical documentation team to prepare externally-facing documents. External documents are reviewed extensively, and it is often at this stage that errors in the content are discovered. However, corrections rarely get made in the original source materials, meaning that mistakes are reused when variant designs are made or components of designs are reused, only to get caught again next time around. 

Engineers thus spend much of their time cutting and pasting bits of content from old sources, with no tracking of the source or easy access to approved content held in technical publications. Because traditional publishing systems lack automation, all these processes have to be done manually – an extremely laborious process for design engineers and authors alike. Typical jobs include searching for changes within a set of documents, locating all the out-of-date files, updating shared content across all variants and versions, and re-writing or re-formatting documents for different contexts. Not only is this extremely time-consuming; it also gives greater opportunities for errors to creep in. 

Mekon has helped many leading A&D firms to simplify their content management through its Aerospace and Defence division. Mekon’s research found that design engineers who help to produce technical documentation are typically wasting between 30 and 50 per cent of their document-related time on unnecessary overheads instead of creating content.  Mekon Aerospace and Defence helps its clients to stop this haemorrhaging of time and money by taking a holistic view of a company’s approach to content and document management.  

Mekon works closely with an organisation’s staff to gather priorities, goals and a picture of the business from a process and priorities point of view. They then analyse the information gathered and deliver a management-oriented presentation. This report raises staff awareness of content issues and options; for example, showing how S1000D can be properly implemented to improve efficiency. The report enables decision makers to see how, why and where existing content creation, management and delivery strategies can be improved, saving design engineers time which they could spend on their core responsibilities. 

Taking a structured, strategic approach can slash content budgets by as much as 50 per cent, delivering a clear return on investment for managers and significantly improved productivity for engineers. There are also numerous ‘soft gains’ such as more diversified, more structured content; different navigation options; content syndication and change notifications – all of which will make life easier for design engineers.

Mekon have been invited by Antenna House to support them at Online Information 2009.  New for this year is the XML Pavilion which will host XML technologies and includes a dedicated XML theatre offering a full XML seminar programme.

Come and meet Mekon on stand X03 in the XML Pavilion and enter our prize draw to win an iPod nano.  Mekon staff will be available throughout the event, to share their mark-up technology and publishing experience and discuss your needs on a one-to-one basis.  

If you would like to take this free opportunity to arrange a private meeting with Mekon and explore further into your organisations XML needs, email . We look forward to meeting you in the XML Pavilion!

Mekon welcomes two new highly experienced members to the team with a specialism in PTC Arbortext Solutions and a background across various tools and industries. 

Paulo Newman

After years of experience at Arbortext (then PTC Arbortext) and Quark, Paulo Newman takes on the role of Mekon Account Manager.  Paulo has worked with blue chip clients like Rolls Royce, Schlumberger, BAE, Bentley Motor Cars, Thales Group, GE Oil & Gas, GSK, Lexis Nexis, and Wolterskluwer.  Paulo had previously competed against Mekon in commercial situations, and was able to evaluate the company from a unique outsider perspective before deciding to join. 

Paulo brings with him a deep understanding of client issues, and passion for our industry.  His focus on an analytic and consultative account management style made him a perfect fit for Mekon's way of working.

Adrian Jordin

Adrian joins us from BAE Systems as Senior Consultant in our Aerospace and Defence team. A FOSI development expert, Adrian continually proved his skill aerospace and defence market and its industry standards S1000D and ATA iSpec 2200. 

Adrian built his specialism in PTC Arbortext Solutions with his years with the Piper Group and brings Mekon solid technical knowledge honed in some of the world's most demanding production environments.

Martin-Baker Choose Mekon to Create Document Authoring Application for F-35 Ejection Seat.

A British firm has been chosen to develop complex software which will ensure documentation compatibility on the revolutionary fighter aircraft that will equip the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers.

Mekon, the specialist documentation management consultancy, will create bespoke software for creating and editing vital technical documentation concerning the ejection seat on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The software will simplify the creation and editing of technical documentation concerning installation, maintenance fault finding and repair; while also ensuring that these manuals are interoperable with all the aircraft’s other documentation.

Mekon were selected by Martin-Baker, the world’s leading manufacture of crew escape systems, who are providing ejection seats for the F-35. The company’s ejection seats have saved the lives of more than 7,250 airmen.

The application will be based on Mekon’s long-running and popular Eclipse Suite for
Adobe FrameMaker, which contains applications for authoring documentation in the Aerospace and Defence documentation standard S1000D. The F-35 project will enable technical experts to write vital documentation according to the Joint Strike Fighter XML Document Type Definition – a heavily modified version of S1000D.

Martin-Baker’s Documentation Manager Chris Morgan said, “We’re a long-standing client of Mekon, so we’re well aware of their expertise in the Aerospace and Defence industry. Mekon’s Eclipse Suite is the broadest and best range of applications for authoring in S1000D, providing an easy authoring environment that requires virtually no training to use. Naturally, they were always going to be the leading candidates for the F-35 documentation project.”

The project will cater for three broad types of Document Management structure: Descriptive, Flight Reference Card and Procedural Data Modules. There is also a further requirement for the creation of Warnings, Cautions and Hazard Material communications, known as the Alert structure.

Mekon’s Director Julian Murfitt – himself a leading aerobatic pilot – said: “Poorly conceived content management structures and tools can add millions of dollars to a project as complex as this. Fortunately, Lockheed-Martin has invested well in the development of a sound XML structure to ensure interoperability between the multitude of components that make up this astounding aircraft. Mekon’s authoring tools will dovetail seamlessly with the F-35’s other documentation processes, ensuring that authors can easily produce and update content in the right format, and get it right first time.”