FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
We hope that the following information will answer your questions about the Bitstream acquisition of Pageflex and the impact it may have on you. If you would like to share your thoughts with us or ask additional questions, please email iWay-acquisition@bitstream.com.
Why did Bitstream choose to acquire Press-sense?
When Bitstream began to explore acquiring Press-sense, we discovered much synergy between the two companies. Our product lines, sales approaches, and customer bases complement each other, rather than overlap or detract.
- Press-sense has had significant success in selling through OEMs, while Pageflex (the product line in the same space as Press-sense) is sold primarily through direct sales.
- The Pageflex customer base is predominantly in North America, while Press-sense customers are located in the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
- Pageflex products focus on the front-end of the document production process, while Press-sense products focus on the back-office end of the process. Pageflex is known for robust web-to-print, variable data, pURL & campaign management, and the power and usability of its SDKs and APIs. Press-sense is known for powerful business flow automation and MIS functionality.
We expect the combination to far exceed the sum of the two parts.
What are the terms of the acquisition?
Bitstream paid $6.5 million in cash to acquire the assets of Press-sense, including all IP, and the assumption of liabilities related to deferred revenue.
Will Press-sense’s executive management join Bitstream?
The acquisition happened very rapidly, and decisions about the final management makeup are still being made. We will issue announcements as more information is available. The entire executive team at Press-sense has been and continues to be instrumental to the acquisition process and we appreciate all of their support.
Will Bitstream keep all of the Press-sense employees?
We expect to retain the vast majority of Press-sense employees both in Israel and abroad.
Will Pageflex continue to support iWay customers?
Yes. We understand that the past few months of uncertainty and limited support have been very difficult for Press-sense customers. We will work as rapidly as we can to resume standard support levels for all customers with active support contracts.
I own both Pageflex and Press-sense products. Can I now contact Pageflex support with my iWay questions?
Please continue to seek support through the channels you have used in the past. While we will be integrating our teams and some processes, this will take some time.
Will you keep the Press-sense and/or iWay branding?
The Press-sense product line and customer relationships will be integrated with Bitstream’s publishing product line called Pageflex. The acquisition has happened very rapidly and we are still evaluating how to incorporate or migrate the Press-sense and iWay branding to the Pageflex branding.
How do Press-sense customers benefit from this acquisition?
Our immediate goals are to resume support for customers, stabilize the product, and address functional concerns. We will then turn to future product development and will make further announcements as we are ready. Press-sense customers can expect to benefit from Pageflex’s rich capabilities in the areas of variable composition, customizable online storefronts, pURLs, and multi-channel campaign management.
Will Pageflex customers benefit from this acquisition?
Pageflex customers will not notice an immediate impact from this acquisition. But over time they will benefit as we are able to offer a wider range of support hours and extend the capabilities of Pageflex products into back-end data and job management functionality.
Is Bitstream going to combine the Pageflex Storefront and iWay products?
A combined product that offers a full end-to-end production solution is one of our goals for bringing these two companies together. It will take time to evaluate customer requirements and to develop this solution. We do not have a timeline in place yet for this development effort.
Will you be discontinuing any products or capabilities that overlap?
We will need time to bring our product planning and engineering teams together to make decisions on the best course of action for all of our products. We have no immediate or definite plans to discontinue any products or areas of functionality.
When will Pageflex Storefront customers be able to use iWay with Pageflex Storefront?
It will take some time for the two development teams to learn each other’s product and explore integration opportunities. We also want to get input from companies that work with both Pageflex Storefront and iWay or Press-sense Manager to understand how they would like them to work together. Please let us know your thoughts at iWay-acquisition@bitstream.com. We will make additional announcements as we progress.
Will Bitstream add the Pageflex variable composition capabilities to iWay?
Yes, we do plan to enhance iWay with Pageflex’s expertise in variable composition, in due course.
Pageflex partners with a number of MIS and workflow management vendors that integrate with Pageflex Storefront. What will happen to these relationships now?
Our MIS and workflow management partners are very important to us. We hope to maintain these relationships, although we understand that some of our existing partners will have concerns. Pageflex Storefront customers get a lot of value from integrating Storefront with third-party systems. We have made an effort to support a range of solutions so that our customers can choose the pieces that best suit their production environments and business needs. We still have this philosophy. We plan to continue to sell and support these integrations.
Will Bitstream sell Press-sense through Pageflex direct sales?
We plan to continue to offer the Press-sense products through the OEM channel. These relationships are strong and fundamental to Bitstream choosing to acquire Press-sense. We will be evaluating the best way to handle direct opportunities.
We further welcome your feedback and questions at iWay-acquisition@bitstream.com.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pageflexinfo
Blog: blog.pageflex.com
Pageflex web site: www.pageflex.com
Press-sense web site: www.press-sense.com
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