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Digitisation shapes and changes the way we live, work, communicate and produce. It is the central transformative force that offers important solutions for the greatest challenges of our time – including the issue of energy efficiency. Today, digital technologies enable companies within the printing and packaging industry to measure and visualise energy consumption and realise potential savings. Koenig & Bauer’s energy management is an industry-optimised solution for all these tasks. But what makes this approach to energy management so highly promising?
It is these three elements that serve as the foundation for Koenig & Bauer’s holistic energy management solution: networked power meters, industry-optimised software and expert energy consulting. The complete package, with the SaaS solution VisuEnergy X as the core product, enables customers to automatically record and visualise energy consumption data throughout the whole company and to realise average saving potentials of 7 to 10 per cent – starting from the very first year.
The first step towards successful energy management is to measure and record energy data. Today, digitisation makes it possible that data from power meters no longer have to be processed manually, but can be recorded and stored automatically using the appropriate sensors and IoT solutions.
In the second step, the recorded energy consumption data is transmitted to the energy management system (EnMS), where it is made available in customisable dashboards. The digital solution VisuEnergy X is an EnMS specially optimised for the printing and packaging industry. It records and visualises the energy consumption of individual energy consumers even beyond the pressroom – the ideal tool for identifying unneeded consumers and energy guzzlers across the company.
But successful energy management goes beyond mere energy monitoring. In order to realise savings, it is important to continuously interpret the available data and derive practical measures. A look at consumption patterns and specific consumers reveals where the greatest potential for savings is to be found. Sometimes it is large press components and sometimes a multitude of tiny details that help to conserve resources, reduce energy consumption, cut costs and make print production more environmentally friendly.
Due to the progressing climate change, sustainability has long since developed from a niche topic to a cross-industry economic factor. Climate protection is becoming increasingly important in terms of laws and regulations. Due to the growing shift in the mindset of consumers and brand owners, sustainability is also becoming an important decision-making criterion at the point of sale.
However, protecting the environment is not the only reason for improving energy efficiency. Rising energy costs and strict legal requirements are making energy a decisive competitive factor. The path to more energy efficiency is a great challenge, but at the same time also a great opportunity to significantly reduce production costs. So much for the theory. In reality, it can be observed time and again that a significant proportion of the energy in the production process is wasted due to ineffective energy management.
Koenig & Bauer takes on responsibility in terms of sustainability – one of the three core elements of its corporate strategy EXCEEDING PRINT. It encompasses both, a clear commitment to achieving CO2 neutrality in their own operations by 2030 and the development of innovative technologies that enable Koenig & Bauer clients to produce in a more energy saving and resource-efficient way.
As the world’s second-largest press manufacturer, Koenig & Bauer has a great deal of leverage to implement measures against climate change together with the manufacturing companies in the printing and packaging industry – for example by using environmentally friendly consumables in the printing process or by choosing innovative, biodegradable substrates. To reduce the CO2 footprint, it is particularly worthwhile to take a look at the energy consumption of the entire manufacturing site – from shop floor technology to office equipment.
With PrintFusion, the interface between Koenig & Bauer Rapida presses and the prepress software from HYBRID Software, your workflow becomes even more efficient. PrintFusion enables a bidirectional exchange of information that ensures seamless integration and automation of production processes. Thanks to the jointly developed PrintFusion interface, data such as setting parameters and positions of measuring elements are automatically exchanged between prepress and the printing presses. The automated data exchange leads to significant increases in efficiency and error prevention, as manual intervention and repetitive tasks are eliminated.
For the development of PrintFusion, HYBRID Software and Koenig & Bauer have combined their expertise to create a highly automated and efficient production environment that meets the requirements of the modern printing industry. This collaboration will continue on an ongoing basis in order to constantly optimise the interface and integrate new functions. One example of this is the automatic feedback to compensate for process-related substrate stretching, which is already being introduced as part of a pilot customer programme.
PrintFusion has been presented to the public for the first time at this year’s leading trade fair for printing technologies. Visitors will have the opportunity to gain an exclusive insight into the first results of the close partnership between HYBRID Software and Koenig & Bauer. Through automation and the intelligent exchange of data between prepress and press, PrintFusion will set new standards in print production and pave the way for a sustainable and high-performance future in the printing industry.
With FOLLOW, Koenig & Bauer is building a bridge between analogue packaging and the digital world. Discover the universe of new possibilities that the cloud-based platform and the associated app have in store for printing businesses, brand owners and consumers.
Under the project title “Printing Goes Metaverse”, Koenig & Bauer is building a bridge from classic printing to the metaverse in collaboration with NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan) and epda (european brand & packaging design association). With the support of Italian design students, a project was realised that uses NFT technology to authenticate luxury goods such as limited edition handbags, jewellery or valuable trading cards. The luxury jewellery brand “Gemme” was created as an exemplary visualisation.
Digital proof of ownership is used instead of conventional paper certificates of authenticity. The forgery-proof blockchain technology is impressively demonstrated using special printing technologies and a digital app. This innovative combination of digital proof of authenticity and the traditional art of printing shows how the printing industry is connecting with the new digital reality of the Metaverse.
An NFT is a blockchain-based token that represents digital or physical assets such as artworks, digital content or media. Unlike other cryptocurrencies, each NFT is unique and non-exchangeable. It serves as a digital certificate of ownership and authenticity and enables owners to trade and sell their assets.
Brands from the luxury goods segment in particular are using NFT technology to enable customers to connect the digital and physical worlds. The main focus here is on the experience of being able to use the purchased product in the digital world. In addition, forgery-proof authentication can be guaranteed by NFT’s unique verifications with a complete history and absolute security.
Using a special printing process, functional structures that react to the touch of smartphone sensors can be applied to almost any printed product, creating a link between the physical product and the digital application. In combination with QR codes, this creates a forgery-proof proof of ownership. Customers receive both an origin-verified, printed NFT-Twin and the physical original.
With ten revolutionary products and technologies, Koenig & Bauer set a strong signal for the future of the printing industry at drupa 2024. Here you will find an overview of all product novelties and exclusive video highlights!
