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Everyone knows about workflow automation in the graphic arts space, even though not everyone uses it. But what about the packaging and labels segment? I asked Jan De Roeck, Marketing Director at Esko, about his perception of the market and what Esko offers.
De Roeck’s answer? “More interest on cross-departmental integration is what I’m seeing, and that is going to be a big driver for what I call the digital transformation journey of the labels and packaging industry.”
The drivers are similar to those in the graphic arts market, with an even stronger emphasis on branding. “Quality is a given, there is no tolerance for errors, and there’s a huge pressure on time to market. Therefore, runs are getting shorter year after year, and more and more variants are being introduced,” explains De Roeck.
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| Jan De Roeck, Marketing Director at Esko |
We talked about how the label and packaging industry currently has disconnected automation islands, limiting efficiency and opening the door for miscommunication and errors. He asks, “Why don’t we look at the entire converting business from receiving an order to processing that order, all the way to shipping that printed result back to the customer?”
Our conversation revolved around how that can be done and what Esko offers with solutions and advisory expertise. It was a fascinating conversation about an industry segment that desperately needs workflow automation and how it will evolve in the future. De Roeck ended his remarks by saying, “Businesses should really take a moment, consider where they are in that digital transformation journey, and determine what their strategy is to make progress there, because I would strongly believe that…given the dynamics in our industry…that digital transformation should be top of mind—and top of the agenda for label and packaging converters.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Listen to the podcast and glimpse the future of automation in the labels and packaging space.
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