The benefits of a connected supply chain are significant, not just in the increase of quality and consistency, but also in the reduction of production costs and the return it can bring to the entire value chain. To date, we have looked at “the state of readiness of the print industry” and the various process components: hardware, software, and labor (as well as combinations of all). We have also looked at content production and onboarding, and most recently a SmartDFE that becomes a hub in a Smart Factory. All of the articles look at what you need to do to prepare to capture process, control, and communicate the data bidirectionally in hardware systems in order for a successful 4.0 implementation. However, it’s not just about process control, it is also about the data you can capture and use.

Every piece of equipment you run—and in fact even specific functions of the equipment—are capable of generating data. The same can be said for software systems and even operators. The real question is, what do you do with it? One company that has thought hard about this is Baldwin Technologies. They have been in and around print and packaging production processes for more than 100 years. Their equipment is agnostic and used by many print service providers as well the leading press, finishing, and converting manufacturers on their products.

Most of the products either control, measure, inspect, or enhance print manufacturing production systems. Needless to say, they have a very deep understanding of the printing process as well as the systems that are used. Over the years they have collected data from these systems to identify issues and create new solutions. According to Steve Metcalf, Chief Marketing and IoT Officer, they realized that if this information could be made available to print and packaging production companies, they could better control and improve their processes. As a result, they created a new division that provides IoT solutions.