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What is Smart Print Manufacturing?

The industry remains focused on reducing costs through automation. The next decade will be about making print manufacturing smarter as we transition to the next industrial revolution. This article discusses why it is important for all print service providers to prepare, plan, and take steps to implement their own version of Smart Print Manufacturing.

Thursday, March 01, 2018

The printing industry has transitioned from a craft to a manufacturing process over the past four decades, driven by an endless stream of enabling technologies. The communication landscape continues to shift and evolve, leaving print to compete against the speed, cost, and targeting capabilities of digital channels. Competition within the industry also remains stiff, even as the industry remains focused on reducing costs through automation. The next decade will be about redefining print manufacturing to make it smarter as we transition to the next industrial revolution.

Smart Print Manufacturing (SPM) starts with streamlining inputs (customers, job onboarding, and production resources) to optimize every stage of production, eliminating or minimizing manufacturing inefficiencies and errors while maximizing uptime and execution.

SPM combines manufacturing methods with industrial technologies to optimize all stages of print production. Although many print service providers have already implemented lean and just-in-time manufacturing techniques to optimize their supply chains and minimize waste, mass customization and autonomous production are still bubbling up. These concepts are defined below:


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About Keypoint Intelligence

Since 1961, the digital imaging industry has relied on Keypoint Intelligence for independent hands-on testing, lab data, and market research to drive product and sales success. Keypoint Intelligence has been recognized as the industry’s most trusted resource for unbiased information, analysis, and awards. Clients have harnessed this knowledge for strategic decision-making, daily sales enablement, and operational efficiency improvements. Keypoint Intelligence continues to evolve with the industry by expanding its offerings and intimately understanding the transformations occurring in the digital printing and imaging sector.

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