Software & Technology
Unlocking Potential: Industry 4.0 and IoT are here: What it means for printers and beyond
Industry 4.0 and IoT technologies are enabling printers and converters to eliminate downtime and unlock the power of real-time data in the graphics industry. Early adopters, including companies like Baldwin Technology, demonstrate that connected manufacturing is not a future concept but an accessible reality today. These advancements are reshaping operational efficiency and competitive positioning across the printing and converting sectors.
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Key takeaways
Industry 4.0 and IoT are already being adopted by printers and converters to dramatically reduce or eliminate downtime.
Baldwin Technology is highlighted as an industry innovator leading the transition to connected, data-driven manufacturing in the graphics industry.
Real-time data access is unlocking unprecedented operational potential for early adopters in the printing and converting space.
What if printers and converters could eliminate downtime altogether? Some future day, right? Nope. The future is now thanks to Industry 4.0. Early adopters of the technology throughout in the graphics industry prove the unprecedented potential of unlocking the power of data at their fingertips. One of the industry innovators leading this transition is Baldwin Technology.
Its Industry 4.0 platform, AMP IoT, quickly connects the data from machines, accessories, MIS software and workflow to obtain a holistic view of production and overall equipment efficiency (OEE) regardless of the assets’ make, model or vintage.
Baldwin’s Steve Metcalf, Chief Marketing and IoT officer, and Jake Schwertel, Engineering Supervisor and Chief Technical Architect of the AMP IoT platform, gave host Tyler Kern the low down on this Industry 4. 0 transformation. Metcalf said that a piece of production equipment often never reaches its full potential.
Finding ways to reduce errors and increase usage can provide bottom-line benefits for many industries, not just graphics. “ Industry 4. 0 has become popular in the last five-to-ten years, mostly as technology has advanced,” Schwertel said.
“And it’s allowed us to gain access to all of the data of what’s going on, on the shop floor. Everything from like a print’s web speed to the curing power, and everything in between.” Utilizing this data creates the ability to calculate overall equipment efficiency across all assets in real time.
Aggregating that data from production equipment and putting it into context to develop insights and action plans is what makes platforms like AMP IoT such a critical tool.
“What AMP as an IoT platform is doing is extracting that information and putting it into a meaningful context,” Metcalf said.
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