The rise in digital and inkjet adoption in commercial print and packaging, as detailed in past articles, continues. However, the approach of many manufacturers and PSPs to this growth and adoption has been of an evolutionary nature, where they both exist as independent processes or with analog production processes trying to assimilate with digital. This approach, considering that the installed base of analog equipment still represents a significant share of production, makes some sense but may also limit the overall growth and opportunity that digital production methods and the corresponding data flows can bring to the plant OEE.

Some have found it to be more beneficial to create a digital production workflow and integrate the analog. However, integrating them into a cohesive interconnected production force for the most part has been laid on the shoulders of the inventive PSPs to figure out. Recently, we have seen some attempts to address this issue with third-party workflow solutions and even by some manufacturers of late. Today, Gallus and Heidelberg, after some difficulties in the past, are affirming their roles as “natural relatives” to create the innovation and solution which benefit their customers and the industry as a whole.

Dario Urbinati was recently appointed the CEO of The Gallus Group, a Heidelberg company. Upon his return to Gallus after a hiatus, he sat down with a group of colleagues and discussed the products in the pipeline as well as where they need to be to align with the changes in the industry and marketplace.