Automation | 69Stepping into automationAutomating the label production process is a real challenge, but there are great opportunities for those who understand the intricacies of a digital workfow, says GM’s CEO Uffe Nielsenigital transformation is accelerating throughout society. Businesses are looking to save costs by fnding greener and Dmore agile ways to stay competitive and future-proof their companies. Reducing human intervention by moving toward higher levels of automation is seen as one of the crucial answers. In the label world, we are following the same trends with more automation and better connectivity built into increasingly digitized machines capable of talking to us and each other. Customers want faster delivery of more sustainable products, multiple sorts and shorter print runs. Digital printing technology allows printing small Uffe Nielsen, CEO of GM, shows the factory orders and many different SKUs at short notice. Meanwhile, process in Denmark where all machines are producedautomation promises to cut down overall production time and reduce waste to a minimum. “Process automation promises to With more automation and faster fnishing, are manufacturing and same-day delivery a reality for today’s label converters? In cut down overall production time short, yes. But really, it depends on several factors. To understand the whole picture, let’s examine the pain points.and reduce waste to a minimum”Step 1: Move to tool-free cutting is cut with precision and there is no waste. The biggest bottleneck in label converting is conventional With GM laser cutting as the core enabler, this is now a die-cutting which requires a new cutting tool for each job, which successful 24/7 operation with a seamless workfow where all the adds a signifcant amount of time and cost to the process. You steps have been fully optimized and connected, from ordering to could choose to standardize production and only offer a limited dispatch. Ultra-short runs? Not a problem. Even an order for 10 number of label shapes or convince customers to use an existing labels is viable. die. However, the converting line must still be stopped to change the tooling and perform set-up between jobs. Step 3: Make connectivity work for youA much bigger issue arises when we talk about short and Connectivity plays a huge role in successful label production. The ultra-short runs. When printing digitally, all these small jobs are integration of laser cutting with a management information system ganged together on one roll to optimize the use of material and (MIS) can fully automate the workfow, and this is where we will take advantage of machine uptime. This is not a problem for the fnd real productivity gains. GM partners with Cerm, which means digital press, but where traditional die-cutting falls short. The the LC350 Laser Cutter can speak directly via JDF/JMF to the MIS solution to both problems is laser cutting, a technology that only a and be an active part of the end-to-end solution. small number of label converters have successfully implemented in We have built the GM Dashboards so that the entire production their production. fow is visualized in a simple way. This full factory overview makes it With GM’s new advanced and highly automated LC350 Laser easy to see if the daily production targets are met, or a machine is Cutter, we are looking at a much faster, more effcient and down, so productivity can be optimized. The system is designed on cost-effective fnishing process. Furthermore, it is naturally more an open software platform that is compatible with most of the MIS sustainable because you will not be using large amounts of energy systems used in our industry, including Cerm or solutions such as for manufacturing, transporting and storing a die inventory. Microsoft Power BI (Business Intelligence). Step 2: Build a seamless workfow Step 4: Manage expectationsHowever, faster and more effcient cutting on its own is not We are, however, some years away from full-on ‘lights out’ enough. The production process must be analyzed and changed into automated production of labels, so you should be realistic a digital and connected workfow. No more silos where the print about the concepts of ‘digital transformation’ and ‘automation.’ department is completely separate from the fnishing department; Collaborate with your trusted supplier to fnd the best way to no more storage facilities full to the brim with rolls and rolls of maximize the potential for your business and your customers. What different substrates – lean integration and a waste-free workfow is works for one business may not be the right solution for another, so the name of the game. apply some common sense. Let’s look at an example. GM is the main supplier to a large For GM, this means speaking to our customers to understand customer, which is today leading the way in web2print for labels. what their needs are, so we can recommend a solution that is The company was producing labels with a lead time of 14 days but stable, robust, and most of all repeatable. This is a holistic approach wanted to become a market disruptor with same-day delivery of that considers the entire operation to ensure our customers fully high-quality products, so we stepped in with our laser expertise and exploit the benefts of our technology and make it work for them helped it overhaul the set-up. to lay a solid foundation for future growth.More than just installing a laser cutter, we looked at all the aspects involved, such as how to get the order from the online system and into the machine and how many substrates they should Uffe Nielsen will present at the Digital Embellishment offer. And we implemented zero-transition technology based on QR Master Class at Labelexpo Americas 2022. Go to codes for super fast job changeovers to ensure every label shipped www.labelexpo-americas.com for more information.Jul - Sep 2022