Just as the iPhone was the vehicle that drove the smartphone boom, the adoption and success of Industry 4.0 will be driven by individual products that bring lasting performance efficiencies to manufacturers. In short: manufacturers must begin to procure with an ‘Industry 4.0 ready’ mindset. And Domino has developed a new range of thermal Inkjet printers for exactly that reason.
This article is taken from our latest eGuide: Coding innovations for an Industry 4.0 environment. The eGuide reveals how engineers and production managers in FMCG sectors can prepare for the future and drive maximum benefit from the coding and marking landscape of tomorrow. The eGuide is currently free to download on our website.
How Industry 4.0 will impact coding and marking
Industry 4.0-ready coding and marking technologies will have a transformative impact for FMCG manufacturers, providing a level of simplicity and insight that will enable radical gains in efficiency, productivity and OEE, while reducing downtime and TCO. From coding automation to seamless performance insight, the efficiency benefits are huge.
“As Industry 4.0 continues to evolve, new opportunities arise. It’s a huge part of the future of our industry, and we’re excited to be part of it.”
- Paul Clarke, Inkjet Product Director, Domino
But what shape is this technology likely to take in terms of coding and marking technology?
The growing demand for thermal inkjet
Manufacturers are increasingly opting for thermal Inkjet as their coding and marking mechanism of choice. A report by Technavio found that the number of installs of thermal inkjet technology is growing at over 7% per year. However, what we have witnessed at Domino is an annual growth rate more than twice as high.
It’s easy to see why TIJ is becoming so popular among manufacturers. It’s highly flexible and capable of producing an array of high-resolution code formats onto both porous and non-porous substrates at high line speeds. Those substrates include paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, blister packaging, copper and shrink wrap. Factor in the ease of operation and you can see why TIJ is used widely across multiple sectors including food, pharmaceuticals and electronics.
Why thermal inkjet needs to modernise
The biggest drawback of TIJ technology is that many of the systems currently in use are not Industry 4.0 ready. They also tend to be cumbersome on production lines and many have outdated UX/UI. To be prepared for Industry 4.0, TIJ systems must be agile from the print head out, and able to withstand challenging production conditions for maximum productivity with minimal downtime. Maintenance must be effortless to facilitate coding automation and integration with other operational systems.
That’s where the Gx-Series comes in.
The Gx-Series is designed to facilitate maximum uptime. With no serviceable parts, you can say goodbye to regular engineer callouts. And thanks to a suite of powerful remote monitoring capabilities – backed by an expert support team – you can have total confidence that your coding and marking technology is operating accurately, speedily, and as efficiently as possible. Day in, day out.
Download our latest eGuide to find out how
Our brand new eGuide reveals how the latest thermal inkjet printers from Domino enable FMCG manufacturers to reap the benefits of an Industry 4.0-ready operational landscape. Download our eGuide for free and get ready for productivity.