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automation during the pandemic

Photo courtesy www.xflower.software.com


Talking about automation and artificial intelligence was a trend even before COVID-19. Long before this global situation happened, there was already talk about the future of work being in automating processes. We always saw that issue as something that would happen gradually and over several years. Who would tell us that a virus would accelerate this process.

COVID-19 helped to accelerate the adoption of automation and AI, not just for luxury but more as a need to continue working without closing the production lines. Automation allows both workers and companies to increase productivity through the use of technology and has become one way to reduce transmission, protect employees and customers from a highly contagious disease and to keep operating costs low.


automation during the pandemic

Photo courtesy www.kearney.com


The pandemic pushed companies and consumers to rapidly adopt new behaviors that are likely to stick. During last year, automation allowed millions of workers and students to work and learn from home to mitigate the spread of the pandemic.

Businesses have controlled unpredicted costs during the pandemic by adopting automation and redesigning work processes, which reduce the share of jobs involving mainly routine tasks.

Machines have made jobs obsolete for centuries. The spinning jenny replaced weavers, buttons displaced elevator operators, and the Internet drove travel agencies out of business. The pandemic has caused millions of lost jobs, and a quick adjustment to working from home for those who kept their jobs as offices closed.

The actual trends, given how fast the pandemic shut down certain industries, are that many companies are considering seriously automating part of their process line, both manufacturing and administrative replacing employees with automation, to avoid taking risks in the face of another possible pandemic.


automation during the pandemic

Photo courtesy www.bernardmarr.co



automation during the pandemic

Photo courtesy www.kearney.com


Pandemic Trends, which are likely to continue even when this ends

From sending employees home to limiting in-person interactions, COVID-19 has completely changed the way we live, work, and interact with each other.

Maybe the most obvious impact of the actual pandemic on the labor force is the increase in employees working remotely.

Working from home might become much more widespread and accepted, now that it has been tested on a large scale. Remote work and virtual meetings are likely to continue, even after the pandemic, although not as much as when it started.


automation during the pandemic

Photo courtesy www.atriainnovation.com


Companies are shifting to flexible workspaces after the experiences with remote work during the pandemic, this move will reduce costs incurred in running a large office with many employees.

E-commerce and other virtual transactions are booming. Thanks to the current situation many consumers discovered the convenience of e-commerce and other online activities that they can perform from the comfort of their home and within reach from any mobile device.

The pandemic has changed the way we work and interact with machines. From being a tool that helps in some processes, to becoming an essential instrument to carry out work even without being in front of it. The surge in remote working has magnified the need for unmanned work operations.


automation during the pandemic

Photo courtesy www mckinsey.com


Many companies deployed automation and AI in warehouses, grocery stores, call centers, and manufacturing plants to reduce workplace density and cope with surges in demand. However, not everyone benefits from the effects of automation, specially those whose jobs are eliminated as a result of automation.

A study by the McKinsey Global Institute (Manyika et al. 2017) estimated that accelerated automation could raise productivity growth significantly and replace half of today’s work activities by 2055.

While COVID-19 pandemic came to reinforce the trend that has been happening for many years, automation will continue to have vastly different effects depending on the sector we are we are analyzing.

Should this situation be considered the fourth industrial revolution?

Published in Automation
Thursday, 06 May 2021 14:08

Printshop Workflow – Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 to represent the fourth revolution that has occurred in manufacturing industry, it refers to the transition to an autonomous process using modern technology, machine-to-machine communication and the Internet of Things (IoT), all enhanced by data analysis and machine learning; this revolution is here to stay and it is no longer optional, businesses that transition to it tend to become more profitable and successful in their own segment when compared to a non-automated industry.

Automating your print production process offers several benefits, including the opportunity to improve the company’s financial health, optimizing production task execution times, thus helping increase efficiency, and improving production output. A key benefit of automation is that it breaks bottlenecks, meaning it helps reduce or eliminate the inefficiencies and limitations of manufacturing that affect productivity and a mayor cause of reduced profits.


A standard printer workflow consists of several steps and in most cases, a little proportion or none of it is automated.


Key Strategies and Tactics for Leveraging Automation

According to HP’s "Strategies for Leveraging Automation to Enhance Performance", here are some of the key findings:

  • Even a modest degree of automation goes a long way in improving production speed and productivity.
  • Respondents reporting higher levels of automation are more likely to invest in software than respondents reporting less automation.
  • Survey participants with highly automated workflows report producing more jobs per day than respondents with less automation. High throughput links directly to profitability because it minimizes non-chargeable plant time.
  • Respondents reporting higher levels of automation accepted more jobs from customers via online submission portals compared to those reporting less automation. Online print job submission is an essential step in workflow automation.
  • The factors seen as most potentially problematic with regard to bottlenecks was relying on expensive labor or high-touch processes. Given that reducing labor expense and eliminating needless touches are exactly what workflow automation is meant to accomplish, this finding alone underscores the wisdom of adding more automation wherever the need for it exists.
  • Overall, respondents report that producing and managing a high number of small jobs was unlikely to create bottlenecks. This indicates that the industry is learning how to cope with the decline of long print runs and the rise of on-demand production in small quantities.
  • Workflow

    It’s important to remember that the printing industry version of Industry 4.0, doesn’t mean to remove humans from the equation, it means that machines do the work that machines do better than humans do, and humans do the work that machines can’t do.

    Many of today’s workflow solutions handle the creation and distribution of documents through a variety of new channels, including mobile and internet based; we are seeing some of these solutions offering the ability to manage, proof and produce 3D products. Solutions are also being refined to address the specific needs of market verticals, such as manufacturing, retail and many other.


    Automated workflows present tremendous opportunities, but they aren’t “set it and forget it.” They require ongoing attention, investment and focus if they are to continue to produce results.


    The best practice is to adopt workflow method and solution that helps automate processes, while focusing on efficiency, decreasing the operational costs while still increasing throughput and depending less on human intervention, in order to have employees invest time in more productive tasks.

    Investments in Automation

    Holding back investment in automation means holding back growth potential, a mistake that no printing business can afford to make in an environment where growth and profit increasingly belong to the most efficient producers.

    The main takeaway from the Industry 4.0 is that it works, and for the most part, the printer industry know it works. The awareness of the added value is irrefutable. What’s needed is wider adoption so printing businesses can take full advantage of all the benefits workflow automation offers them.

    Published in Automation

    When thinking about Hewlett-Packard (HP) people often associate the brand with what they are well-known: their front office IT technologies and wide-format printing. Now they are developing high-volume 3D-printed parts for Ford’s Super Duty F-250 trucks and also replacement parts for Nissan older models.


    Courtesy of Ford.


    HP has been part of many advanced manufacturing applications for a while so it was a matter of time to enter the automotive industry. With projects like Foxconn’s use of HPE Pointnext services to address quality assurance issues, they developed HP Metal Jet printer for mass manufacturing of production-grade metal parts. Now both Ford and Nissan announced their new sustainability programs by HP 3D printing technology.

    Re- using 3D printed powders and parts for injection-molded fuel-line clips for its trucks has opened an entire door of opportunities for other fuel-line clips on other vehicles where these parts and processes can be used.


    Courtesy of Ford.


    “Many companies are finding great uses for 3D printing technologies, but, together with HP, we’re the first to find a high-value application for waste powder that likely would have gone to a landfill by transforming it into functional and durable auto parts.” According to Debbie Mielewski, Ford technical fellow.

    According to Ford, “recycled materials from HP’s 3D have better chemical and moisture resistance than conventional fuel-line clips, are 7%lighter and cost 10% less.”


    Courtesy of Ford.


    Nissan applications

    Hp 3D printing technology is being used to design and manufacture 3D-printed replacement parts for Nissan’s NISMO (the motorsports and performance division of the Nissan Motor Company). To produce all of these parts, HP is using its Multi Jeti Fusion platform. The first part is a plastic part of the harness protector for the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R which was first produced from 1969-1973, then from 1989-2002. The part is now being produced by HP using High Reusability PA 11 which provides high mechanical properties and design flexibility.

    Automotive industry is being changed by implementing these projects to the table due to its full potential of creating replacement parts for extended periods. Also, producing and storing parts for vehicles that have been discontinued, updated, or overhauled can benefit from this, as manufacturers don’t often retain molds for these parts for storage and logistics terms, so re-creating them tends to be expensive or even impossible for some.


    Courtesy of Ford.


    “We are seeing leaders of the industry like Nissan recognize the massive cost implications of storage, molds, and logistics for replacement parts and how industrial 3D printing can help,” said Jon Wayne, head of global commercial business for 3D printing and digital manufacturing at HP Inc. “Digital manufacturing is a viable, long-term solution for accelerating production and transforming supply chains.”

    It is definitely intriguing how the 3D industry has been taken to many other industries and how there are more and more applications to solve many different needs out there, even for high-volume pieces which was a little bit doubtful at first. We hope to see even more applications in the future.


    Courtesy of Ford.


    Published in 3D Printing
    Tuesday, 11 August 2020 17:01

    EFI MarketDirect Fulfillment

    EFI MarketDirect Fulfillment is an inventory management solution designed to simplify and automate the pick and pack order workflows. This new inventory management product is part of the MarketDirect suite of web-to-print, eCommerce and cross media solutions.

    Equipped with intuitive and flexible administration tools, the new fulfillment offers creates a seamless order-to-fulfillment workflow that businesses can use to expand service offerings, creating efficiency in warehouse operations and drive even greater customer loyalty.

    Regardless of whether you’re offering fully managed print inventory fulfillment services or just managing a few items for one or two customers, MarketDirect Fulfillment makes it easy to simultaneously provide an intuitive order portal for your customers and a lightweight admin dashboard for your staff.

    This new software offers delivers out-of-the-box functionality for existing MarketDirect StoreFront web-to-print/eCommerce users, with a structure designed to reduce the time and complexities needed to start and manage print fulfillment operations. MarketDirect Fulfillment also leverages the latest in web eCommerce technology to provide a brilliantly simple and powerful administrative dashboard to manage both clients and orders.

    EFI MarketDirect Fulfillment is ideal for commercial print and packaging businesses, in-plant print centers and corporate marketing communications teams looking to create immersive order and fulfillment portals for customers with an easy-to-use and intuitive administrative dashboard for staff. As a part of the EFI MarketDirect StoreFront web-to-print workflow solution, both customers and internal users are presented with a familiar interface that gets them up and running quickly and efficiently.

    MarketDirect Fulfillment is designed for print service providers offering pick and pack, inventory management and warehousing services.

    This includes:

  • Commercial Printers
  • Packaging printers (Folding carton and Tag & Label)
  • InPlant Print Centers
  • Corporate marketing and communication teams


  • MarketDirect is integrated with the following EFI Productivity Suite solutions:

  • EFI Midmarket Print Suite (EFI Pace core)
  • EFI Enterprise Print Suite (EFI Monarch core)
  • EFI Packaging Print Suite (EFI Radius core)
  • EFI Quick Print Suite (EFI PrintSmith Vision Core)
  • EFI PrintStream Fulfillment Solution
  • EFI Fiery Servers and Controllers


  • In addition to EFI solutions, MarketDirect is designed to integrate with a wide range of services and applications to ensure your data, jobs, user data and orders are accessible across a variety of industry standard platforms including:

    Active Directory – SSO (Single Sign On)

    SSO (Single Sign On) Authentication enables you to integrate StoreFront with a service to ensure users can seamlessly login via 3rd party services.

    CorpSystem Sales Tax Online by CCH

    With CorpSystem Sales Tax by CCH, you can ensure you’re collecting taxes correctly for any jurisdiction in the United States.

    PunchOut integration via XML

    Using PunchOut integration you can embed your products directly into 3rd party procurement systems – simplifying purchasing for your buyers.


    EFI-MarketDirect-Fulfillment


    EFI-MarketDirect-Fulfillment

    Photo courtesy www.efi.com


    Published in Software

    We all talk about automation and making processes automatic to speed tasks up and to decrease production times. But what does automation really mean?

    Here is the literal definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
    automation
    noun
    au·to·ma·tion | \ ˌȯ-tə-ˈmā-shən \

    Definition:
    1. the technique of making an apparatus, a process, or a system operate automatically
    2. the state of being operated automatically
    3. automatically controlled operation of an apparatus, process, or system by mechanical or electronic devices that take the place of human labor

    It is a very straight forward and easy to understand definition, but in the real world the definition of automation is a bit more complex:

    Automation is the creation and application of technology by which a process or procedure is performed with minimal human intervention, this implies monitoring and controlling the production and delivery of products and services. All these are achieved by using a combination of various means: mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, and electronic devices.

    Many industries apply automation in different ways, some in hardware others in software but all with the goal of improving production. One thing is for sure automation is evolving quickly and it is a new way to speed up processes, nonetheless there´s still a need for some form of manual intervention, even if the equipment can perform most of the tasks, an operator needs to at least supervise the operation to avoid mistakes.

    Automation in Digital Printing

    There are many ways that you can use automation in digital printing, the idea is to accelerate any process and to optimize times so operators can use their time more wisely and be less and less involved in the printing process.

    Here are some ways automation can be implemented in digital printing:

    • Automation software such as MIS, RIP, color management, Web to Print Software, Variable Data Composition, etc.
    • Mechanical Arms to move media and substrates before or after printing
    • Automated media handling, pallet-to-pallet: this allows you to place stacked media on a pallet into a feeder.
    The feeder loads it onto a table, then moves it over a transition table into the printer.
    The printed graphics move across the output side transition table and into a fully automated media stacker.
    • In-line printing: if your pre-treatment, printer and finishing equipment are in-line, it is another way of optimizing time by automating the printing process and involving the operator to the minimum.

    Benefits of Automation in Digital Printing:

    There are many benefits of using automation in digital printing but her are a few:

      o Employees have more time to take on other roles
      o Improved quality or increased predictability of quality
      o Improved consistency of prints
      o Improved quality, accuracy, and precision
      o Increased throughput or productivity
      o Reduction of production time
      o Labor savings
      o Performs tasks that are beyond human capabilities of size, weight, speed, etc.
      o Provides higher-level jobs in the development, categorization, maintenance and running of the automated processes
      o Reduced direct human labor costs and expenses
      o Reduces some occupational injuries
      o Replaces human operators in tasks that involve hard physical or monotonous work

    Many people believe that by using automation employees will be left out of a job and machines will take over, but I don´t think this is the objective of using automation, it is rather the optimization of time and the good use of it by current employees, who will now supervise tasks and use their time in other tasks.

    Automation is gaining popularity and increasing in every business as technology evolves and becomes more sophisticated, it will certainly transform both the economy and workplace.


    What-is-Automation-and-what-does-it-imply

    Here you can see an example of pallet-to-pallet automated media handling on an EFI printer.


    Published in Software
    Monday, 18 May 2020 23:54

    Printshop Workflow Automation

    Every print shop faces some common challenges when it comes to managing their workflow, process automation is usually found in large print shops, with large print volumes and where jobs are printed over and over again.


    Printshop-workflow-automation

    Workflow Automation Software works in combination with other programs running in your print shop, it is important to note that some of your actual software infrastructure may already have some automation processes involved. To further automate the workflow is important to be able to communicate one software with another, in most cases, specific Workflow Automation software may not be required.

    Software

    Generally, print shops have one or more of the following software running:

    • Web to Print Software
    • Variable Data Composition
    • MIS Print Management
    • Color Management

    A web to print software has many advantages and functionalities, first it gives your shop a front store, helping users find their way into what they will need and letting customize their final product, it helps the owner determine a print order management.

    Variable data printing enables the mass customization of documents with text and image changes for groups of addresses based upon which segment of the market is being addressed. Customization and personalization allows a company to connect to its customers using a variety of software solutions.

    MIS (Management Information Systems) help print shops collect and manage their own information for decision making, this software integrates with existing systems to help handle real time information and tasks, harvesting information and letting other connected applications take actions is essential for workflow automation.

    Color Management it is the measurement and control of each and every step in your production process, maintaining as a goal to know exactly what your output is going to look like, before you actually print.

    Sometimes, specific software may comply with many of the above-mentioned functions, for example:

    Agfa has developed a complete, automated Sign & Display production hub called Asanti, the software includes a color management solution, integration with the latest version of Adobe PDF Print Engine (APPE), highly specific functionalities (e.g. nesting, see-through concept, proofing support) and fast, automatic pre-flighting.


    Printshop-workflow-automation

    Asanti is sold as a scalable workflow tool that distributes input from various sources over multiple hardware systems. (agfa.com)


    Another good example is Durst Workflow software, claimed to be an All-In-One solution, which includes all steps of the pre-press and production process in one single application, modules are available for different processes such as: Label Workflow, Large Format Workflow and Corrugated Workflow.


    AT-Inks-UV-UV-LED-Inkjet-Ink

    Durst Print Workflow can also be integrated into an existing ERP/ MIS environment, and is said to be an all-in-one solution thanks to its Job management and reporting tools, color management and data and print preparation. (agfa.com)


    Workflow

    You need to determine the existing kind of production workflow currently being used in your print shop, if the work is built around a software-based flow of work, or from the point of quoting to the point of delivery, or do you have semi-automated processes linked by spreadsheets and/or different software, sticky notes, whiteboards, phone calls, regardless of any, if your workflow is not efficient, neither is your production process.

    Possible and existent current workflow inefficiencies could be:

    • Customer interactions and order entry.
    • Too many persons involved in same tasks, generating bottlenecks.
    • File checking and prepress preparation.
    • Print programming and physical printing.
    • Finishing, shipping and fulfillment.

    AT-Inks-UV-UV-LED-Inkjet-Ink

    Usually these workflow inefficiencies lead to bottlenecks, the mayor bottleneck in any print shop is preparing files to properly be printed, this process can be automated in most cases.


    There are several bottlenecks but the most common ones are listed below:

    • Dealing with a high number of small jobs
    • Increasing throughput; shortening production times
    • Keeping up with change; training users
    • Customizing the workflow to specific needs
    • Complexity of software

    Deciding to move to any new software for production workflow (MIS or similar) usually comes after evaluations of current productivity and researching for the right tool or correct operation processes. Reconsidering strategy often leads to new initiatives that include reexamining workflow initiatives.

    For smaller shops, costs control is a must, so automation and use of modern print and workflow management tools becomes an investment that can convert into a risk, due to the potential expenses involved in implementing it, but at the end, it is all the cost of success.

    Workflow initiatives and enhances

    • Add workflow to offer new products & services.
    • Improvement of process automation.
    • Integration of workflow components.
    • Improvement of customer interactions via web-based systems.
    • Improvement of operational efficiency (billing, invoicing, CSR).

    AT-Inks-UV-UV-LED-Inkjet-Ink

    Print shop workflow depends on your infrastructure, equipment and resources.


    The best practice is to adopt workflow method and solution that helps automate processes, while focusing on efficiency, decreasing the operational costs while still increasing throughput and depending less on human intervention, in order to have employees invest time in more productive tasks.

    Published in Software

    Workflow has always been a part of the printing process in every printshop. Thanks to the development of new resources and new products, automation has been on the loop for a while now and with the time, many more companies are intrigued of how it can be implemented on their businesses due to the idea of having less dependency on human hands and more on technology. As we do in many other daily used products (like smartphones or virtual assistants at home, for example).

    Nowadays, technology has become part of our lives and routines and why not taking the best advantage of every industry? Machines and software controlled by technology is a great idea and the process of using it has revealed many benefits. First, optimizing time in every process, cutting down hours spent on each workstation by one or multiple people. Effectiveness and significantly decreasing production, detecting errors and progressively improve quality.

    Choosing the best solution for your business will depend on your needs, budget and your business goals. There are many products in the market so you need to be clear and also realize that this will not be your magic wound and everything will be solved in your printshop. There may be some limitations, pros and cons, depending on the product you choose. Some of the existing workflow solutions in the market need third party tools to work correctly on the entire printing process, so it’s crucial to pick whatever fits you best.

    Konica Minolta AccurioPro Flux

    Konica Minolta launched a flexible automation software series that targets Central Reprographics Departments (CRDs), Print Service Providers (PSPs), and in-house print shops of schools or companies. This technology has been developed to let customers to automate and streamline operations, expand their print services and allow delivering high-quality digital prints in a quicker time.


    Konica-minolta-workflow-AccurioPro-Flux

    AccurioPro-flux, courtesy of Print Innovation Asia


    AccurioPro Flux has three modules for workflow; the Essential Module contains all print room need for prepress and make-ready management, Premium includes a server to enable collaboration between clients and print team, and the Ultimate version adds a web-to-print function. AccurioPro Flux increases productivity in many ways:

    • More efficient prepress workflow by automating recurring tasks.
    • Minimizing the manual labor required to conventionally sync color and mono printouts.
    • Maximizing the use of different printers to achieve greater efficiency without human intervention.
    • Take up a large amount of the operator’s time.
    • Make-ready function decreases time spent on pre-flight test.

    AccurioPro Flux Essential – Prepress and Output

    It is the entry-level product of the print automation software series. It offers prepress processes, centralized tasks and control of all production machines. It also has a ready-to-use tool which allows to do some editing without switching to a separate app. Basic preflight check is available, which detects printing problems due to incorrect PDF files, missing fonts, images with low resolution and transparencies. Third-party devices allowance is integrated, so the user can control all machines in the printing room, including machines from another manufacturer.

    AccurioPro Flux Premium – Automation and Collaboration

    Premium version of AccurioPro Flux not only offers every aspect of the Essential module, but also a server designed for even greater automation and collaboration. With Premium module, users are able to work from anywhere through the app, whether from a PC, Mac or a mobile device. Users are also able to process print jobs directly on the printer through de Flux Panel, checking, previewing and editing. Besides detecting errors, the Flux server can be synced with third party system such as ERP and MIS for a more streamline process. It also facilitates collaboration between team members and every operator can have a personal and individual account so everyone can work at different workstations at the time. Print steps can be sent to clients through email updates automatically.

    AccurioPro Flux Ultimate – Web-to-print

    This last module of the software includes a web-to-print functionality. This allows clients to submit their orders through the online shop and 24/7. Documents by clients can be automatically preflight checked before printing them. The flux Document Converter allows uploading up to 300 different file formats to the web-to-print platform. This online shop can be also integrated into IT environments.

    So Konica Minolta has provided a great option out there in the market so print shops can become not only automated, but improving in many aspects of their businesses including printing speed, the reachability for clients to deliver documents to printer queue, faster and larger communication between user-machine and at distance, so if you are considering stepping up your print shop, this may be a great solution.


    Konica-minolta-workflow-AccurioPro-Flux

    Konica Minolta AccurioPro Flux, Courtesy of Konica Minolta


    Published in Solvent Printing

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