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As a leading manufacturer of the printing industry, Koenig & Bauer deals with vast amounts of valuable data every day. It doesn’t come as a surprise that when choosing an innovative partner for the management and processing of this data, the group opted for Google Cloud. With their strong manufacturing focus and dedicated industry solutions, the cloud provider will be a key ingredient to getting the print and packaging world ready for the future.
A demonstration of the first working prototype (MVP) of the new product Koenig & Bauer Analytics was showcased at the Google Cloud booth at Hannover Messe this week. This new product is developed as a powerful analytics tool which seamlessly combines data from different sources, such as machine log files and data from existing MES and MIS systems. It lets users create complex evaluations in the most simple way, which enables them to gain a holistic understanding of their production processes.
Numerous representatives from leading companies in the manufacturing industry visited the Google Cloud booth and were able to experience the Koenig & Bauer Analytics prototype – which was born out of Koenig & Bauer’s digital innovation hotbed – first hand. A lively exchange of best practices took place during these visits.
At just one year old, the Koenig & Bauer digital unit has taken up the challenge of transforming the print and packaging world into a digitally savvy tech-based space. At the centre of this journey lies an IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) strategy. This data-driven and customer-centric approach is utilising advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning in ways that have never been applied to the printing industry.
This notion is also perfectly mirrored in Koenig & Bauer’s exhibition at Hannover Messe 2023. But as we know, software rarely catches the eye of trade show visitors by itself. And what could be more fitting for the leading industrial trade fair than interaction with a robot? Featured in the booth is Koenig & Bauer’s 4PL Cobot, a print and apply system demonstrating Koenig & Bauer’s impressive automation capabilities throughout the entire print production process. The collaborative robot is able to print and apply labels at any position on a product or pallet and visually verify them. With its trade show appearance, Koenig & Bauer marries print with the world of digitalisation and automation. From small labelling systems such as the 4PL to large printing presses – Google Cloud technology enables them to process data from all machines – big or small – and develop new products and business models for their clients.
Partnering with one of the world’s leading AI specialists and number 1 cloud provider for manufacturing solutions laid the groundwork to becoming a one-stop systems supplier for their customers. The MVP presented at the Hannover Messe this week will grow to enable Koenig & Bauer’s clients to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies in production processes, and take action before issues escalate into major problems.
The goal is for as many machines as possible to approach almost 100 per cent productivity. Central to this is Google Cloud’s Manufacturing Data Engine (MDE) which allows for consolidation of data silos and extraction of insights from manufacturing data to improve efficiency and productivity.
The official product release is planned for fall 2023.
News article incl. photos
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!
