Educational Publishing at a Turning Point
Educational publishers today face the challenge of balancing rising expectations, complex product portfolios, and ever-shorter production cycles. Together with the Austrian Federal Publishing Office (öbv), EBCONT implemented a modern publishing architecture that centralizes content, streamlines processes, and enables automated multi-channel delivery—from mathematics textbooks to interactive digital exercises.
A content-first approach that simplifies production
The öbv’s production previously relied on Word manuscripts, PDF-based corrections, and separate systems for digital exercise formats. As product complexity increased, this approach became increasingly labor-intensive and difficult to scale.
With the introduction of a centralized content model in SiteFusion, öbv is moving toward managing all content in a structured, single source. Learning objectives, tasks, solutions, and metadata are stored in consistent data pools and automatically delivered to all output channels—whether print, HTML, or digital exercise formats.
Collaboration that saves time and improves quality
In the first phase, selected authors and the editorial team work together in a shared online portal. Corrections, feedback, approvals, and the parallel creation of tasks and solutions all take place within a single, end-to-end workflow.
Examples of the improvements:
- Automatic numbering and linking
- Extended exercise types in Fonto
- An optimized user interface
- Transparent, traceable feedback processes
The result: less manual effort, fewer sources of error, and significantly more efficient workflows
Automated production for print and digital
Thanks to the XML-first approach, InDesign files for textbooks and solution books can be generated automatically—including mathematical typesetting and language-specific variants.
At the same time, the new architecture enables output as HTML packages that can be transformed into more than 20 interactive exercise types. This is complemented by diagnostic tools for competency analysis—an important step toward modern digital learning formats.
One source, many formats: true multi-channel publishing
All channels draw from the same structured content base.
The result: no duplicate data, no version conflicts, and fewer errors—combined with significantly shorter production cycles. New product ideas can be realized faster because the foundation is already consistent and scalable.
A scalable foundation for future innovation
From the migration to DITA LCE strict to the expansion of exercise types, öbv and EBCONT have established a robust technical foundation.
Centralized competency catalogs, automated workflows, and standardized outputs provide the basis for responding flexibly to new market requirements.
Looking to modernize your publishing workflows?
We’re happy to discuss the potential that structured content, automation, and the right technology can unlock for your organization.
We look forward to your challenge:
juergen.ritschka-kohl@ebcont.com