In a recent survey, the market research institute Keypoint Intelligence examined the connection between the degree of automation and the growth prospects of print service providers: In 2020, the number of "fully automated" printing companies reporting revenue increases rose from 39 to 57%.
According to the market researchers, printers who increase their degree of automation will benefit disproportionately in the future. The manufacturers of printing presses, who are fuelling the value chain in print production with technologies based on artificial intelligence, are also making a contribution to this. The example of three reference customers of Konica Minolta's AccurioPress C14000 series shows the connection between the degree of automation and profitability very clearly.
According to Keypoint Intelligence, almost a third of the European printers surveyed said that managing a high number of small jobs was a primary challenge for their current workflow. In fact, the number of monthly print jobs reached the 3,500 mark in 2020, which equates to 117 jobs per day. This volume - especially in the area of low-volume, on-demand jobs - requires systems that produce without disruption or operator intervention: In a high-volume performance test by Keypoint Intelligence, for example, the AccurioPress C14000 impressed with precise front and back registration below 0.75 mm on all different media, an average Delta E below 2 and with only 3 paper jams in over 1,000,000 prints. With performance like this, the system has found a following, especially in Germany and Austria: more than 50 printers and print service providers have already opted for the system. Three reference customers show what is possible:
For Hodge Werbung und Druck, setting up a digital printing line was the right way to be able to react flexibly and quickly to customer requirements. As a "regional local supplier" it is crucial for the print service provider to be able to offer its customers everything from business cards to advertising banners. The AccurioPress C14000 particularly impressed Hodge with its speed of 140 A4 pages per minute, which is 40 per cent faster than any other Konica Minolta toner-based system. In addition, the possible print volume of up to 700,000 A4 pages is also a decisive factor for Hodge Advertising and Print. This also allows the company to shift jobs from offset to digital printing.
In addition, Hodge has been able to open up new areas of application with the digital sheetfed press. The reason is the variety of media:
The spectrum ranges from 52 to 450 g/m2. This means that a wide variety of materials can be printed, from thin plastics and magnetic foils to very stiff cardboard. "Digital printing gives us the flexibility we need to react quickly to customer requirements. Quick turnarounds are now the order of the day," says Michael Marquardt, managing director of Hodge Werbung und Druck.
For example, Hodge prints 80,000 A3 sheets of transparent paper per week for the regional food industry. Another example is prefabricated carrier bags that are printed directly on the system.
More efficiency through automation
printaholics GmbH in Wiehl near Cologne, Germany, particularly appreciates the extensive automation functions of its AccurioPress C14000. "Many of our jobs are so automated that we simply have to press play on the press. That works very well here with the C14000 and the Fiery Controller," says Managing Director Oliver Becker. "Auto Inspection Technology offers us a whole range of benefits, especially for our high-volume jobs that can run for several days at a time." The company can now save itself the checks and troubleshooting that used to be necessary.
Customers also notice the automation directly: for example, students at the Fresenius Plus University of Applied Sciences in Cologne can order their study magazines online. The order is received automatically, prepared and transferred to the machine. The operator only has to check the order and print it.
The right solution for all sizes of business
The AccurioPress C14000 series is suitable for companies of all sizes. This is demonstrated by druck.at: The Austrian online print shop has also selected the C14000 for its innovation offensive. The press fleet consisting of four systems enables a significantly increased quality. And not only that: "With the package we have expanded our quality and efficiency in digital printing and thus also taken over the cost leadership. The ease of scaling also gives us the opportunity to expand capacity very easily in the future," says plant manager Markus Graf.
The AccurioPress C14000's in-depth automatic control of all print and quality parameters relieves operators of time-consuming and error-prone interventions in the print workflow. The IQ-501 Intelligent Quality Care technology ensures an uninterrupted print run. This enables print service providers and online printers to process jobs faster and more efficiently and to grow in new fields of application.
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