Digital Transformation
Melissa Plemen, senior director, inside sales and marketing, Esko
It goes without saying that a global crisis of the magnitude we have seen this past year will leave significant residual scars in our personal lives, our society and of course, in our business-driven economy. It is clear that many industry sectors and individual businesses have been taken by surprise and, while some are actually thriving—we have had reports of some of our packaging and labels customers experiencing as much as a 25 percent increase in demand—others are far from experiencing normal business conditions. In particular, many signage and display converters are experiencing a severe downturn as a result of lockdowns and the closure of retail stores.
The COVID-19 crisis has taught many packaging prepress and printing companies around the world that developing operational flexibility, agility and resilience is the key to managing market disruption and volatility—how we, as an industry, can make our businesses more resilient and better prepared for the next wave of challenges will be crucial to how we move forward. It’s important we consider what agility looks like in times of crisis and, perhaps more importantly, what tools and technologies would allow us to respond in a more agile way.
In 2020, Esko launched its Digital Transformation Model—a white paper and business assessment tool—offering guidance for label and packaging organizations to understand the benefits of digitization, automation and connectivity in developing a long-term competitive edge. Enabling prepress and packaging converters to understand their current stage of digital transformation and spot areas for improvement, the tool provides clarity on the requirements for creating the right environment to begin the process, as well as recommendations on how to achieve the benefits of enhanced quality, efficiency and agility.
Despite the entire sector facing unprecedented challenges this year, Esko is continuing to focus on developing solutions that ensure our customers remain at the forefront of productivity, efficiency and innovation gains, and to support them on their digital transformation journey.
Take the case of Esko WebCenter, a powerful Web-based application platform that is specifically tailored for the print industry to manage internal processes end-to-end, enabling first-time right production, with advantages in reporting, metrics and process optimization. Integrating WebCenter can result in 50 percent leadtime reduction in packaging artwork creation with half the resource utilization, as well as boost approval cycle times and reduce revisions by up to 60 percent.
Complement WebCenter with Esko Automation Engine, a modular prepress workflow automation software, and the efficiency game is changed forever. Automation Engine, now available in a SaaS option too, automates tasks like preflighting, trapping, making proofs and generating reports. By automating these processes and removing human error, more jobs can be handled in less time, less mistakes are made, and downstream waste at the production stage is reduced. By driving out errors and waste, prepress and packaging converters can free up time, capacity and resources to react to new customer demands.
Furthermore, the Esko Digital Transformation Model demonstrates that there is little value in creating pockets of automation in a business; this just ignores and amplifies the potential of waste creation and inefficiencies elsewhere in the business. The true benefits of digital transformation are secured when the entire organization becomes a truly connected and automated workflow from design to delivery.
Essential Industry
Flexo Wash US
One year ago, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a key supplier to this essential printing and packaging industry, Flexo Wash reacted and adapted quickly to its customers’ needs. Our customers did not need one more supply challenge, so Flexo Wash maintained and ensured a steady inventory and supply stream to meet the industry’s increased needs.
Many printers and converters faced substantial increases in demand and production during this pandemic while experiencing even greater labor challenges than normal.
Flexo Wash knows that its leading cleaning solutions help its customers print better and as efficiently as possible. Would they continue to invest in new technology during uncertain times?The answer turned out to be “Yes.” They understand the significance of automating the cleaning process, especially during this time.
Automating cleaning systems are crucial now for many reasons:
- If facing increased production demand and decreased labor, cleaning systems can help optimize your production and print quality
- If facing slower times, automating this cleaning process frees your labor force to be utilized in other areas of the business
- Return on investment is very quick and usually the deciding factor for companies looking to purchase the machine
Through the pandemic, Flexo Wash began a full campaign of virtual sales, service, installations and trainings, all in lieu of the regular face-to-face meetings. These adaptations have benefitted everyone in the process, as it allows for continuous production, all while keeping employees safe.
Though now travel and in-person meetings are slowly coming back, the option for a virtual experience is always present and effective. The ability to automate can be done at any time, from anywhere.
Flexo Wash serves converters and printers in the narrow web, wide web and gravure industries, which translates into meeting many different production needs across a wide spectrum. One commonality is the need to be as efficient as possible while keeping their quality optimal and production on target.
Thriving Virtually
Paul Sharkey, president, FLXON Inc
We are fortunate that most of our industry has fared well during the time of COVID. For many, the pandemic created increased demand, resulting in higher sales, while supply chain and staffing challenges became a reality:
- Employees were often required to wear masks, be socially distanced, wash hands frequently and have temperatures checked on arrival
- Or, when possible, work from home
- Travel restrictions were imposed and pressroom visitors were limited to the essential
- In-person sales calls and courtesy visits came to a full stop
- In big and small ways, adapting to change became the norm
A big change for all of us was the end of in-person meetings. The pandemic became a catalyst for making virtual the preferred meeting method. We learned it is far easier and more efficient to conduct meetings without travel, even when the travel may be just down the hall to a meeting room.
With few exceptions, we learned that even a sales process can happen face-to-face “virtually,” including product demonstrations. However, actual in-person pressroom visits are still required to provide technical support and on-press training.
An example of when an in-person pressroom visit is required is when FLXON conducts a pressroom audit. Our audits provide a qualified, outside perspective of a pressroom’s important operating practices, mostly related to press productivity and efficiency. We not only focus on ways to lower waste and lost time; we also find ways to improve quality and increase output. This process requires observation, investigation and interview that cannot be fully achieved virtually.
An audit like this generates a report detailing corrective actions, possible revisions to SOPs and best practices. FLXON’s team is often called upon to assist in change implementation, requiring our “actual” presence.
Pressroom audits had already proven their value prior to the pandemic. But as a result, the audit process has been streamlined, making them easier and more efficient to conduct. Virtual meetings are a big part of their efficiency.
As a result of the pandemic, we see a future with far fewer preliminary in-pressroom, in-person sales or customer courtesy visits. A lasting side effect of COVID may be the amount of time and cost we save in travel to in-person meetings. Now, participants can participate and present from anywhere. Business and the world will be better off as a result.