Converting 4.0: Smart Factories Capitalize on the Internet of Things

Converting 4.0 is coming to our world! How quickly? As with any new business trend, I suspect early adopters will face some challenges. Pioneers, over the long haul, will be rewarded for participating in the launch of a new, precedent-setting integrative platform. Machine suppliers, having invested in research and development, will prove themselves forward thinking. Their decision to offer such new, interactive platforms will benefit customers engaged in the ever-changing converting world.

Some may consider Converting 4.0 a flashy catchphrase, others a convergence of trends and technologies that promises to reshape the way materials are processed throughout the global package printing and converting marketplace. When I mention Converting 4.0 to print shop owners, operations directors or production managers, I often receive a blank look in return. If they have heard of it, they are somewhat confused about what it all means; if they haven’t heard of it, they’re skeptical of it being just another marketing ploy.

I submit that a closer look at the future developments of Converting 4.0 is warranted and, as discussed here, will reveal some powerful emerging technologies with strong potential to change the way a converting plant operates.

Here are the details of what I’ve learned.

Converting 4.0 Defined

Some might say Converting 4.0 is another industrial revolution. The fact is, Converting 4.0 is a gathering force. Management should carefully monitor the coming changes and develop strategies to take advantage of these new opportunities.

We can define Converting 4.0 as the next tool for productivity growth that is driving machine and process development of the converting industry.

Image courtesy of Kampf

Four trends are spearheading the adoption of Converting 4.0 and allowing it to be used economically:

  • Astonishing rise in the volume of low-cost data collection
  • Steady decrease in cost for increased computing power
  • Connectivity of the machines through new low-power, wide-area networks
  • Emergence of analytics and business intelligence capabilities, and improvements in transferring digital instructions to the physical world of converting machinery

Extension of Industry 4.0

In a recent survey, 25 percent of converters said they consider themselves ready for Industry 4.0 and Converting 4.0. A similar percentage of machinery suppliers actually consider themselves in a position to offer product to them in some shape or form.

For a factory or system to be considered an adopter of Industry 4.0 and Converting 4.0, it must include:

  • Inter-operating machines, sensors and people that connect, communicate and share data with one another
  • Information transparency—The systems create a virtual copy of the physical world through sensor data collection in order to manage information
  • Technical assistance—Both the ability of the systems to support humans in making decisions and solving problems, and the ability to assist humans in doing their jobs
  • Decentralized decision making—The ability of cyber-physical systems on machines to make simple decisions on their own and become as autonomous as possible

The Challenges of Industry 4.0 & Converting 4.0

As with any major shift, there are challenges inherent in adopting an Industry 4.0 and Converting 4.0 model:

Digital technologies and data collection have been growing for some time. Many are now at a point where their reliability and lower costs are starting to make sense for applications in the converting industry. Currently, however, there is a systemic lack of the experience and manpower necessary to create and implement these systems, not to mention a general reluctance from management and shareholders to invest heavily in such new, young technologies.

  • Data security issues are greatly increased by integrating new systems and providing more access to those systems
  • Proprietary production knowledge becomes an IT security problem
  • A high degree of reliability and stability is needed for successful cyber-physical communication that can be difficult to achieve and maintain in some plant environments
  • Maintaining the integrity of the production process with less human oversight could become a barrier
  • Loss of high-paying human jobs is always a concern when new automation technologies are introduced
  • Avoiding technical problems that could cause expensive production outages is always a concern

In-Plant Benefits of Industry 4.0 & Converting 4.0

Benefits delivered by an Industry 4.0 and Converting 4.0 model could outweigh concerns in many converting facilities:

  • In some challenging working environments, the health and safety of human operators could be improved dramatically
  • Supply chains could be more readily controlled when there is real-time data at every level of the converting process
  • Real-time data collection will produce much more reliable and consistent productivity, and output with less waste
  • Results for many converters could be increased revenues, market share and real profits

Converting 4.0 could be thought of as the next major step in the evolution of modern converting processes. This follows the lean revolution of the 1970s, the introduction of gearless presses, solventless lamination and the cantilevered rewind shafts of slitter/rewinders during the 1980s, the computer phenomenon of the 1990s, and automation beginning to take off in the early 2000s.

Assessment & Assumptions

Digital technologies and data collection have been growing for some time. Many are now at a point where their reliability and lower costs are starting to make sense for applications in the converting industry. Currently, however, there is a systemic lack of the experience and manpower necessary to create and implement these systems, not to mention a general reluctance from management and shareholders to invest heavily in such new, young technologies.

Let’s assume we are prepared to enter into Converting 4.0, an environment in which operators, computers and automation will all come together in an entirely new way, with slitter/rewinders, laminators and printing presses all connected remotely to computer systems equipped with machine-learning algorithms that can understand and control the machine production with input from both human operators and computers.

Converting 4.0 introduces what can be called the “smart data factory,” in which cyber-physical systems monitor the entire converting process and make real-time decisions through real-time data collection. The physical systems become the Internet of Things (IoT), communicating and cooperating with each other, the machines and humans in real time, via the wireless web or through the cloud.

The future is beckoning. Will you answer its call?

About the Author: Randy Wolf, director of business development at Kampf Machinery Corp, has been passionately employed in the converting industry for more than 40 years. His responsibilities have included, but are not limited to, sales and marketing. He considers himself fortunate to have been involved and played a part in a major development involving slitter/rewinders in the converting industry—the introduction and conversion of the duplex slitter/rewinder from a lift-out shaft machine to a cantilevered rewind shaft system.

Randy has a bachelor’s degree in sales and marketing from the William Patterson University in New Jersey. He is a member of FTA, the Slitting Community Group and Flexible Packaging Professionals.