By Tony Curcio
With a highly successful 11 days of Drupa in the rear-view mirror, the world’s largest tradeshow for the printing industry did manage to pinpoint several important trends emerging worldwide. These included workflow automation, higher productivity equipment rollouts, corporate consolidations, advances in inkjet, robotics, new ways to achieve sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality, prepress software innovations, the rapid growth of label and textile printers, attracting and keeping skilled workers, and much, much more.
I sat down with industry veteran Marc Raad, President of Significans Automation, to get his take regarding what’s on the horizon as we pass the halfway mark of an extremely challenging 2024. Significans specializes in delivering highly customized, next-generation, end-to-end workflow automation and integration solutions to the printing and packaging print industries. Here’s what he had to say:
Software Automation
“I’m not surprised that software and automation were cited at Drupa as a major worldwide megatrend. As news of the game-changing benefits of workflow automation spread throughout the industry, commercial printers and packaging converters are more open to adopting highly customized workflow software solutions. Some deploy it in smaller phases, then, realizing the benefits and fast ROI, they move on to full in-shop automation. Others require a full overhaul of their legacy systems and other profit-eroding processes.
So yes, I expect this trend not only to continue but to accelerate. For many print shops, workflow automation will become a necessity to maintain profitability –and in some cases, survival.
I also foresee the need for many more complex integrations of their software investments. For example, we recently configured a solution which involved taking a leading North American printer’s HP Site Flow automation to unprecedented new levels of efficiency. We connected the shop’s Esko Automation Engine (AE), Filemaker and HP Site Flow together seamlessly, which released even more untapped efficiencies. That teamwork resulted in the processing of over 37,000 jobs in 30 days, which was previously unheard of. As a printer’s equipment and production processes become more complicated, the software that seamlessly connects them must constantly adapt, reducing costly touchpoints and human errors.
Consolidations and High Productivity Equipment
As far as consolidations, they’ll also continue for a number of reasons.
- As the digital transformation continues, many shops are having difficulty expanding their services by hiring new talent and buying expensive new equipment.
- For many print providers, mergers and acquisitions have been a viable alternative. For example, merging with a smaller shop that has the skills and specialized equipment that you don’t have, can be quite attractive.
- Consolidations can also add more services, increase revenue, and control rising costs. Challenges include blending corporate cultures among employees and making management hierarchy decisions moving forward.
- Many print shops today have older owners who may be looking to retire and sell their company. New owners may see mergers and acquisitions more positively, sometimes calling on us to add value through software integrations.
Regarding higher-productivity equipment, I don’t think we’ll ever have to worry about the OEMs creating better and better presses, digital cutters, and other equipment. Competition among them will guarantee that. Take Drupa 2024 as an example. Konica Minolta’s AccurioJet 60000 HS-UV Inkjet Press made its world debut and HP introduced a new generation of B2 Digital Presses. The Fujifilm JPress 1160CFG and Jet Press FP790 Digital Flexible Packaging Press have also made their worldwide debut at Drupa. The list goes on and on – and it’s also a sign that our industry is healthy and rolling out more efficient digital technology.
Advanced Software Automation
Workflow automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will undoubtedly continue to grow. They’ll always be popular because, in vastly different ways, they boost a printer’s or manufacturer’s bottom line. Automation reduces human touchpoints and errors, speeds up production and drastically reduces the overall cost of production. When you take it to the next level and deploy customized workflow automation, the numbers are truly game-changing. For example, our clients have seen job processing times reduced from 8 hours to 5 minutes, labor costs cut by up to 75%, lead times cut from up to 3 weeks to 1 or 2 days, yearly capacity up by 30%, and so on. Another important industry trend is the continued battle to find and keep skilled talent. Automation solves this lingering problem, allowing print businesses to do so much more with the equipment and staff they already have.
Customized workflow automation, especially in the wide-format sector, will become even more critical because the substrates used are typically more expensive, so waste reduction and media optimization are crucial. Workflow technologies such as nesting, tiling, and paneling must integrate seamlessly with a print shop’s existing software systems. This software usually includes metadata, job tickets, barcodes, automatic file checking, material-usage monitoring, and other tools that streamline production without sacrificing print quality and speed to market. All these will continue to have a major impact on profits.
Artificial Intelligence
As far as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and especially machine learning and aggregate AI, this has been nothing short of stunning. Earlier this year, Adobe Creative Cloud unveiled its exciting new “Generative Fill” feature on its Photoshop Beta app. The powerful tool allows users to describe their creative vision in simple language, and then, like magic, Photoshop brings that vision to life! The printed images retain their sharpness and vibrancy, ensuring that the final output meets the highest standards of print excellence. Imagine the creativity, cost savings, and print quality improvements that this technology will bring to our industry!
Sustainability
Let’s face it, printing pollutes. Consider the energy that printing uses as well as the paper waste, toner, plates, and equipment replacement parts. Today, the most environmentally sustainable shops:
- recycle, reduce unnecessary printouts
- implement ongoing waste-prevention policies,
- deploy e-document and print-on-demand solutions,
- analyze their substrate usage regularly, and monitor costs.
Sustainability is much more than simple recycling or reducing waste. It involves conserving water, using less electricity, using renewable energy, going paperless via digital alternatives, avoiding plastics, using sustainable packaging alternatives, and adopting sustainable buying practices. With a good sustainability plan properly executed, your ROI should eventually surpass your initial expenses. Statistics show that one in two global consumers rank a brand’s sustainability as a top five consideration in their purchasing decisions! The trick is to eventually make sustainability profitable.
Looking Ahead
The trends I’ve mentioned here are destined to continue to shape the print industry in 2024 and beyond. However, other issues will also need attention, such as:
- combating cybersecurity breaches to keep sensitive data safe,
- the continued growth of print embellishments to add value,
- the ongoing foundational importance of e-commerce and web-to-print.
More challenges will emerge in the near future, but like those that have come before, these problems will be met head-on by skilled, agile, and hard-working print professionals. I’ve had the privilege to partner with these professionals sharing their journey to full automation and maximum profitability.”
Tony Curcio is a Toronto-based freelance writer, former head writer in The Toronto Star’s Communications Department, and former editor at Graphic Arts Media. He has over five decades of experience in printing, publishing and marketing.
