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Packaging machinery trends at Gulf Print & Pack 2025

Automation, robotics and flexibility will be key packaging machinery trends to see at Gulf Print & Pack 2025. Andy Thomas-Emans reports One of the key goals of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program is to substitute imports with domestic production across a vast range of consumer and industrial product categories. The Saudi Kingdom’s goal is to carry out this ambitious project in a highly sustainable way using cutting edge machinery and software tools. This helps define what packaging machinery and materials will be required for global suppliers looking to invest in Vision 2030-related projects. A good place to start is the recent announcement by Nestlé of a partnership with the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) to significantly boost local food production by constructing its first food manufacturing plant in the Kingdom. The agreement, signed in September 2024 in Riyadh, allocates a 117,000 square meter plot in Jeddah city's Third Industrial City for the facility. The project aims in its initial stages to produce children’s food ‘and to launch an automated production line with modern technologies for packaging and filling materials, operated by highly skilled and qualified national personnel’. The targeted production capacity in the first phase is 15 thousand tonnes annually. So what kinds of packaging machinery and systems are we looking at here? What technology trends will most interest visitors to Gulf Print & Pack 2025? The first key factor is flexibility, which means packaging machinery is not left obsolete by rapid changes in market demands. Flexibility in packaging machinery ranges from the ability to handle different sizes and types of products, to being able to reconfigure a packaging line by using modular units which can quickly and efficiently be used to perform different work. The ability to link modular units with conveyors or by AGVs (automated guided vehicles) or AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) is one of a range of ways towards truly flexible work environments. Programmable controls also add flexibility and make changeovers faster – they are an increasingly important element in machinery specifications. Beyond programming, machine learning and AI (artificial intelligence) adds to the way that packing operations can be designed to remain relevant to the changing demands of the packaging industry. Automation means the elimination, where possible, of manual handling and inspection operations. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program envisages training a skilled workforce, moving away from reliance on manual labor. So expect to see at Gulf Print & Pack 2025 turnkey solutions that reduce labor, increase efficiency and maximize output using fully automated packaging systems with advanced HMIs (Human/Machine Interfaces). Automation means businesses can redeploy staff to profit-making roles such as research and development. Automated equipment runs faster than any processes requiring manual operation, and is more accurate, meaning less spoilage. Automated machinery also allows for 24/7 operation. Robotics will form an essential part of any future packaging machinery line. Because new industrial capacity in Saudi Arabia will be built on greenfield sites, it can be designed with robotics in mind from the outset. Alternatively, robotic equipment can be progressively integrated into existing operations. For example, a robotic arm could be installed which could improve pick and place operations, and modern robots are able to handle items even the most delicate items. Further examples of robot application include end of line work, such as dramatically improving palletising, stretch-wrapping and labeling operations. A growth area of robotics is the ‘cobot’, which works in partnership with human staff. Cobots take over repetitive, tedious and physically demanding tasks, leaving employees to manage processes and to undertake work which cobots cannot do, such as clearing obstructions or fixing component breakdowns. Accurate controls are at the heart of automation, and the role of ever-more capable vision systems are key to machine control, measurement and inspection. The move towards stereo vision allows extremely detailed monitoring of processes while they are running, and examination of any flaws in finished products and packages. X-ray vision systems are increasingly important for highly accurate examination of package contents and product batches. Modern vision systems can eliminate the need for manual code validation and inspection, with the capability to reduce false rejection rates. Vision systems are also behind the rise of AGVs and AMRs, giving them the ability to work around obstacles. Another key trend in fast-developing markets such as Saudi Arabia is the growing important of ecommerce. In the past, packaging operations for retail products have centred on bulk distribution to central retailer warehouses for onward bulk distribution to stores. By contrast, ecommerce deliveries to the home are for individual items or small groups. The types of packaging are advancing all the time, with most items shipped in cardboard boxes void filled with kraft paper, polystyrene pellets, air-filled pillows or bubble wrap. Cartons also rely on extensive use of tape. We can expect to see more sustainable void materials being employed and new developments in minimalist packaging technology. And expect to see more innovative ecommerce packaging trends emerge to cater for an enhanced customer experience. Pack design will increasingly incorporate access to interactive online experiences through QR codes, and scannable links to augmented reality and virtual reality brand experiences. Another trend in ecommerce has seen pouches replacing heavier jars, and bag-in-box liquids replacing glass bottles. Gulf Print & Pack 2025 presents a unique opportunity for suppliers of innovative and automated packaging machinery and sustainable packaging materials to make a lasting impact on the practical implementation of Vision 2030.

Packaging machinery trends at Gulf Print & Pack 2025

How to implement automation in printing operations

It is becoming necessary in printing operations to automate as much as possible to gain efficiencies. But before you begin your planning processes, look at your current state to ensure that you understand how works happen today. Kodak, a global technology company focused on print and advanced materials and chemicals, explains the vital role of automation in printing operations and how to do it properly. Read on. Single system of record that reliably gathers data from business and production systems If you have that system of record, you are in the perfect state to take on end-to-end automation. If you have multiple points of data collection that have never been integrated, there is still a path to automation. Still, your planning may take longer to accommodate identifying the required data and the processes that use them. Standard processes for order taking, job specification, and order management When there are standard processes, planning for automation can leverage them to speed implementation. When the procedures to take orders are different for every sales channel, it is hard to standardize order intake. When the process of capturing job specifications varies by sales team member and orders are managed without a strategic view into machine usage and job deadlines, some work will be required before automating and making those processes more efficient. How many spreadsheets are used to track jobs, components, or processes? Every business has some ad hoc processes tracked on spreadsheets, whiteboards, and notepads to keep mission-critical items front of mind. There is nothing wrong with them, but when they become the sole source of truth about a job or a process, they add risk to production. Some organisations justify using spreadsheets by putting them onto shared-access servers so that all authorized constituents can easily access them. It sounds like a great idea, but over time you may find that copies are sitting on individual desktops, and the shared copy is no longer the reliable source of information. Knowing what you have as you plan for automation will help you size the effort. Moving to that automated environment creates a single system of record that is reliable and can be integrated into adjacent business and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Planning for automation You could find some processes that appear easy to automate, add some new tools, and call that your automation plan, but there is a better path. It starts with knowing what is possible. New options in cloud-based workflows bring the same powerful options to smaller shops as the largest shops enjoy. With minimal investments and immediate implementation, shops with a single digital press can build an efficient workflow that will scale using the same technology as a mid-size shop with a mix of offset and digital devices. And these modern cloud-based production workflow solutions can help in any segment, whether the work you produce is graphically-rich static content or uses data-driven processes to execute variable content targeted to a specific recipient. Today’s automated production workflows are built to integrate MIS and ERP tools, Web-to-Print solutions, and e-commerce options. This approach should be high on your list as you consider automation options because it brings a robust IT infrastructure to the table. Automating individual processes glued together with manual interventions isn’t the accomplishment that brings the most benefit. Considering automation requires a dive into every action involved, from the point of estimation and sale to the final delivery to the customer. Planning is the active event designed to identify the touchpoints and the best approach to reviewing each step, the people involved, and the current tools used. Start by articulating your strategic goals for 2022. You may be looking to expand into a new industry or print segments. Your current workload may require more capacity. You may want to acquire more capabilities, either through buying more equipment, optimising workflows, or buying a company. As you consider your strategic plan, itemize the candidate processes for automation to move you toward those goals. Don’t be surprised if you identify current manual processes as critical roadblocks. Strategic goals are long-term and inform the way the business runs. There will be some work to do to build the bridge from strategy to implementation, and that is where tactical planning becomes essential. Tactical goals are more than solving today’s bottleneck. They work within the strategy to consider implementing new software and processes while keeping production moving. Think of it as changing the tires on a car while it’s in motion. There will be practical concerns as current processes are replaced by automation, including how and when to move off tools that are no longer providing value. Tactics should support the strategic goals and solve the business' specific challenges without adding more hurdles to creating an automated environment. Build the strategic plan for automation to consider the practical implication of automating the current processes, including goals for gaining buy-in from the team members in each department, who may be asked to change how they do their jobs or change positions to accommodate the planned process modifications. Look for onramps to the fully automated business environment for every element in the tactical plan that enables lower cost and higher margins. A part of tactical planning includes your approach to daily operations. To create an efficient environment in 2022, consider a standalone Operational Plan to document the expectations for each department, interface points between departments, and the key performance metrics that will help everyone stay on the strategic course. Automation does not eliminate the need to understand the production touchpoints. The best practice is to document what should happen if you lose access to the automation, too. The last step in planning for automation is to build the appropriate contingency plans. Cloud-based automated workflows protect you from onsite server disruptions and mitigate much of the risk associated with onsite installations when paired with a disciplined backup strategy. What to do next If you plan to automate your print workflow in 2022, look for scalable and easy platforms to integrate with your core business systems. Ensure that your chosen technology partner lets you automate each task within prepress and production and then map those automated tasks together to ensure that each type of job takes the correct journey through each process. Learn your options, and then create a plan that works for you.

admin in News July 22, 2022

Estimable estimators

If they were lucky, the human estimators had an adding machine or desktop calculator to help with the figures. A busy medium-sized printer might have 10 or more full time estimators. Finding and keeping that many specialised estimators could be tricky, as the work was exacting but hardly exciting. Computers were an obvious solution, but the knowledge of how to program for such specialised calculations wasn’t. One of the first UK companies to crack it was what was to become Imprint Business Systems, which is still going strong after 42 years. Today its customers in print and packaging run into the hundreds and many of them have used Imprint systems for at least 25 years. Like most of the early MIS developers, Imprint grew out of the needs of a particular print company, which then used the experience gained to sell to a wider circle or printing and packaging companies. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a lot of computer estimating start-ups, often with printing company roots. Some of Imprint’s original UK competitors from 40-odd years ago have also survived and prospered independently, such as Optimus (originally Optichrome Computer Systems Ltd, or OCSL), DDS (Accura) and Tharstern, while others were taken over by the ever-expanding EFI empire (such as Prism, Radius, Shuttleworth and Technique). A few others have either merged, or closed, or both. Imprint itself was founded in 1978 by Glennys Bourne and Jonathan Richards. Originally the pair had worked together at the art book printer Shenval Press in Harlow. Richards was general manager, later a director of Shenval, but had learned programming skills at college. Bourne went on to run the nearby Caterpillar Press. Bourne says that the reason for writing the original computer estimating program was a shortage of the trained human variety. “You could not get estimators for love nor money,” she says. So the first estimating program was written to suit the needs of Shenval Press and Caterpillar Press. Bourne saw the potential for Imprint beyond the needs of Shenval and Caterpillar, so the latter was sold to concentrate on the new business. “The Imprint name describes the company well and has stood us well over the years,” says Richards. “As for why the name was chosen, it just seemed a good fit at the time.” Both are still very much involved today. Bourne is CEO, while Jonathan Richards says he’s “allowed to be chairman on high days and holidays”. However, time marches on and their children Will Richards and Nick Bourne have also joined Imprint – the latter now being MD. Today Imprint is based in High Easter, in the countryside between Chelmsford and Bishop’s Stortford, handily close to the M11 and Stansted airport. It employs 16 people in an often overlapping mix of management, programming and customer services roles.

admin in News July 22, 2022

A QuickEasy BOS Professional Print ERP Software

What is BOS Print ERP capable of? As globalization puts pressure on the market for many industries, and the economy struggles to stand under the weight of a global pandemic, it is essential to identify every tool that could give your business a competitive edge. For many companies, enterprise resource planning (ERP), or as some companies call it, BOS (business operating system), is that tool, and is the secret weapon that keeps them going when others fail. ERP, or BOS as we’ll call it, wraps customer relations management, human resources management, accounting, stock control, management information systems, and supply chain functionality together into one system. Removing the need for spreadsheets, patchwork systems, or outdated processes, BOS systems improve business performance and communications, streamline complex operations, and simplify the way businesses do things. They utilize a centralized and integrated system to manage every moving part of a business. Business owners use BOS to get instant, effortless clarity on everything that is happening in the business, which makes for a more peaceful sleep at night, and fewer nasty surprises. It is also used for effective decision-making, be it to manage their staff, understand their customers, forecast stock levels, manage accounts, and oversee the business in general. Ideally, BOS systems should be flexible, scalable and able to adapt to the business, rather than the other way around, but not all BOS systems are designed with the end user in mind. QuickEasy BOS Professional handles all the manual, time-consuming front office and back-office tasks with ease. Streamlining operations and improving efficiencies, BOS Professional does the following: Accurate, fast estimates (Offset, digital, large format, flexo and silkscreen) Full-house CRM (leads, sales, customers, follow ups) Procurement management Inventory management Production planning Time and job tracking Full-feature accounting Live dashboards Instant reports There are several business-critical reasons why BOS is more than a ‘nice-to-have’ but is rather an essential facet of business survival. The current economic climate and the far-reaching effects of Covid-19 mean business owners need to bring resources around them that allow them to work smarter and act leaner to survive. When was it launched and what market is it aimed at? Established in 1998, QuickEasy BOS is focused on developing and supporting a cost-effective, easy-to-use Business Operating System that provides all the functionality you would expect from big brand ERP’s, to run SMEs efficiently. Created out of a need to streamline operations in the print and packaging industries, BOS has been doing just that for over 20 years. The software has since expanded to not only provide solutions for print, but for other industries as well. How does it work? BOS Professional is a modern Print ERP (enterprise resource planning) system. BOS is a centralized platform that stores an entire business’s data in one place. That means your business has a single source of truth, with no version errors, no duplicate data, no redundant information - saving time, reducing risk, and optimizing productivity. The application can be deployed on a local server or in the cloud, depending on what the business needs. Users are given secure logins with access based on roles, ensuring sensitive business information is only seen by the right people. The system does all the heavy lifting for the business when it comes to admin, calculations, and automation of mundane tasks. It is quick to roll out and more affordable and cost effective than big-brand ERP systems, while offering considerable value in the fully inclusive modules. Overview of ERP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is business software that gives business owners or senior management information and control into all aspects of the running and operations of that business. What is ERP software good for? Integrates ‘silo’ business functions into one system Automates a lot of admin back-office functionality Allows business owners to allocate resources more efficiently Gives powerful reporting insight into a business, from sales, production, and staff productivity to profit and overall business growth Improves efficiency at every point Improves profitability by giving you insight into spoilage and waste Combats ‘patchwork’ growth of ad-hoc software additions Gives senior management more clarity and control Makes your customers happier due to integrated CRM, sales and service functionality How does it differ from earlier models ? The latest version of BOS Professional comes with highly optimized CRM (customer relationship management) functionality. This ensures you don’t need to integrate 3rd party applications to the system, as BOS Professional does it all in one platform. How productive is it ? BOS Professional automates much of the time-consuming admin that goes along with running a competitive business. This frees up personnel to do more productive, profit-related tasks, improving productivity and efficacy across the board. 1. You can work from home, efficiently Many organizations have been forced out of their offices and into their homes during lockdown. However, where production and manufacturing may be halted, office and admin functions should be able to carry out their roles without interruption, what with internet-enabled platforms available to most. Access to BOS through the cloud allows for ‘business as usual’ to continue. Each employee has full access to their own particular area of business, and each transaction immediately updates the database. This means real-time access to the latest version of data, in one resource. Estimating, sales, scheduling, accounting, marketing, and HR can work from home, and keep the business operational. Additionally, remote working can remain a viable option for employees, in line with emerging trends on what employees’ value in an employer, such as flexible hours and more autonomy. BOS tracks and manages productivity, facilitates interdepartmental communication, and mitigates the perceived risks of working from home. 2. Facilitates leaner, smaller teams BOS and automation allow you to keep smaller, more agile teams. Small teams are easier to manage, more affordable, and more agile than larger teams. This is possible because BOS handles the mundane, repetitive admin tasks, and thus frees up employees to focus on revenue-generating tasks. No more need for admin-heavy teams as BOS does all the admin heavy-lifting for you. 3. Saves you money, which is good for the bottom line Reducing overhead and salary costs, pricing products and services accurately, optimizing production, and minimizing waste all make for a leaner, smarter, more profitable business. BOS gives clarity into all of these areas and empowers business decision-makers with accurate information on the best ways to remove bottlenecks, improve productivity, and allocate resources and finances more efficiently. BOS systems also allow time-consuming, vital roles, such as estimators, to do their work faster and more accurately. This also makes way for less expensive staff resources to be upskilled to use the BOS system to create estimates, instead of hiring a heavy-weight, expensive estimator. Accounting and bookkeeping is another niched role that can now be automated by BOS, with accounting reports updated in real-time, and a simple click or two away, thus significantly reducing the need for a full time accountant. 4. Local is better Aside from support that is available when you are awake and understands local business needs, now more than ever the benefits of a local BOS supplier have become a matter of business life or death. With rapid, overwhelming fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate, companies who use internationally manufactured ERPs may have had to deal with a 30% increase on their BOS expenses lately. For a multi-user company that pays subscriptions in dollars, this could be a crippling blow. Locally installed, trained and supported BOS is still the best option when considering a BOS supplier. The product, the support, and the price all weigh heavily in favor of local businesses with local BOS, without compromising on functionality or reliability. What is the USP of the product? BOS Professional handles volumes of data with ease, automates repetitive tasks, and improves efficiency across the board. Smart estimating that adapts to your industry and is purpose-built for print and packaging businesses. Quick to install, easy to learn, BOS Professional comes with predefined processes and models that ensure a quick, affordable solution and setup compared to similar ERP systems. It is purpose-built to streamline operations for print and packaging companies. Each module is designed to ease an operational burden, improving efficiencies, and ensuring you don’t pay for what you don’t need. How easy is it to use? Intuitive and user-friendly. We have designed BOS around user-friendliness and UX. BOS provides user-based fields and customizable home screens, fast and easy access to data from anywhere in the system, graphical workflow tools and dashboards, with an interface that makes BOS quick and easy. Features galore. BOS comes fully stocked with modules, functionalities, and features to control and manage your whole business, from the cashier and finance to the shop floor and warehouse, if you have one or many offices and warehouses, and trade in local or international currencies. Empowering the user. Today’s evolving economic landscape requires business software to evolve to keep up with the rapid rate of development due to scalability, new functionality, and integration to new applications. To meet these unique demands, BOS empowers users to work independently, be it at home, or in a remote office, creating their own workflows, reminders, schedule and processes. What service support is on offer? During implementation of the software, extensive training is carried out with users to ensure minimal disruption to operations and output during and after go-live. Once the software is live, our support and relationship is not ended, as we believe that as your business grows and your customer-demand shifts, so too your business software should adapt and scale with you. This is why we provide ongoing support through your local Business Agent (Nexware Technologies), as well as through our friendly Helpdesk which provides email and telephonic support. Additionally, we have comprehensive online documentation, so you are never left without help. How to get a free consultation and demo? You can schedule a free consultation and demonstration with UAE & GCC distribution partner Nexware Technologies based in Dubai, UAE or send an email to helpdesk@quickeasysoftware.com Sheeraj Mohamed Rafeek Business Manager Tel: +971 4 286 1212 Mobile: +971 55 103 8588 Email: sheeraj.rafeek@nexware.ae www.quickeasysoftware.com www.nexware.ae

Aug. 2, 2022

AccurioLabel 230 (AL230)

What Is the Machine Capable Of? Digital Label Printer AccurioLabel 230 with its superb productivity, image quality and operability as well as its economical features is ideal for those wishing to gain a foothold in the label market and require parallel use with existing analogue presses. The AL230 improves overall productivity and job acceptability, especially with overprinting capabilities on pre-printed transparency or coloured media. This allows it to meet the demands of digital printing businesses such as shorter turnaround times and expansion of print applications. High image quality is realized by Konica Minolta's unique technology through faithfully facing high-level needs in the digital print market. Colour fluctuation is controlled within the minimum under various conditions, this ensures a stable and beautiful finish from the first to the last print. The high image quality of the AL230 adds value to printed materials and generates additional advantages to printing services. When was the machine launched and what market is it aimed at? The AL230 was launched in the Middle East market in the last quarter of 2019. How does the AL230 work? The product is a combination of legacy Konica Minolta Print Technology and media handling from the world’s leading manufacturers of label media handling and finishing. The print engine is based on Electrophotography Technology utilizing CMYK Colors. The print engine receives input through Konica Minolta’s own print controller and can be combined with Konica Minolta’s AccurioLabel Impose for imposition. What does the Konica Minolta AccurioLabel 230 do? AccurioLabel 230 (AL230) is a digital label printing system that offers enhanced productivity, job flexibility, operability, and excellent image quality with affordable system cost. It is a perfect fit for business expansion and parallel use with existing analogue presses. How does the new model differ from the AL 190? AL230 offers overprinting capability with accurate registration at a speed of up to 23.4 meter/minutes and has short warm-up time, which not only minimizes job switching time, but also paper waste. How Productive is the AL230? Continuous highest quality 1200 x 1200 dpi print runs of up to 1,000 meters can be achieved without the need for recalibration. The time taken between jobs has also been eliminated, increasing productivity further. What is the USP of the product? The AL230 can print at a maximum speed of 23.4 meter/min, ensuring productivity. It is capable of excellent image quality and thanks to the sophisticated colour management features, it can deliver superb colour stability. How easy it is to use? Compared not only to flexography, but also liquid development and inkjet printers, AccurioLabel 230 ensures ease of maintenance. Tasks that take time on analogue machines such as colour adjustments can be performed with ease on a digital machine. The ability to perform operations simply by following on-screen instructions makes it possible to operate the machine with little time needed for training. What service support is on offer? Service support ranges from full comprehensive services to various other service options. Our dedicated distributors in each country will be happy to discuss and tailor a service plan best suited to the customers’ needs. Specifications Machine web width: 345 mm / 445 mm Printing speed: Max 23.4 m/min Printing resolution: 3600dpi (equivalent) x 1200dpi / 8-bit Printing width: 250 to 330 mm Substrate types and thickness: 81 to 256 gsm

Aug. 2, 2022

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