This article was originally published on www.fmfuturenow.com.

Inkjet’s Contribution to Productivity, Efficiency, Agility and Responsiveness is Compelling

Yes it is. Inkjet has a role to play in industry 4.0 for sure. But in some cases progress may seem slow, the fact is in certain markets there is a resistance to adoption and in others secrecy prevents a wider knowledge of the advances and the advantages.

In Moore’s book ‘Crossing the Chasm’, he outlines that with new tech, it’s a normal occurrence that some innovations just don’t leap across, it can take time. However, inkjet is already a proven technology in some sectors, so the risk for new adoption is mitigated somewhat.

So, it was reassuring to read in the recent Beacons of Technology and Innovation in Manufacturing 2019 White Paper for the World Economic Forum written by McKinsey that the fourth revolution is proving hugely beneficial to the organisations that adopt it. In the report they outline 18 different ‘lighthouses’ who have adopted an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to production beyond the pilot phase. And the results they have generated have been impressive.

One of the case studies is on a business called Rakona which is part of the P&G group. They have instilled a series of practices on a strategic level and the results in only three years have been impressive:

Productivity increased by 160%
Customer satisfaction increased by 116%
Customer complaints reduced by 63%.
Full plant cost reduced by 20%.
Inventory reduced by 43%.
Off-quality products reduced by 42%.
Time for changeover reduced by 36%.

This kind of performance advantage is really compelling. As the report also highlights, “Manufacturing has experienced a decade of productivity stagnation and demand fragmentation, coupled with an ageing workforce in OECD countries. The time for innovation is long overdue. Where organisations have taken Fourth Industrial Revolution innovation to scale beyond the pilot phase, they have rapidly achieved a tremendous impact.”

For inkjet, we need more examples of successful adoption. Adoption is reinforced with factual proof of success as inkjet is being used extensively but often behind closed doors it seems. If you think I’m wrong, then please do email me, as we would love to share your success through this blog.

Marcus Timson, Marcus.timson@fmfuturenow.com

For more articles and insights in the industry check out www.fmfuturenow.com and FuturePrint.tech.