Throughout the printing industry, experts, companies and designers are working to reap the economic benefits of sustainable practices. While this is impacting the entire printing ecosystem, some especially interesting initiatives are happening in the printing supply chain, where technological innovations are uniting efficiency and excellence.
 
As a production-based industry, commercial printing doesn’t intuitively segment into specific stages. So, I would define the supply chain as the various processes and services enacted between the production of print-related materials (printers, printing supplies, paper) and the distribution of finished products.
 
There are two prominent, pro-sustainable ideas that greatly impact the printing supply chain while offering a variety of benefits; from cost-savings to competitive edges. And I would encourage my colleagues in the printing business to embrace them.
 
Doubling Down on Digital
 
Perhaps the most impactful immediate change that could be made to the supply chain is a further, wholesale shifting towards digital printing. Digital printing delivers a sea of change – moving from conventional, laborious and highly manual methods of printing to a fluid, flexible and digitally-orchestrated system.
 
A more sophisticated offering, digital printing is already employed around the world, thanks to the many advantages it has over its analog predecessors for an ever increasing array of printing applications. Its flexibility enables companies to print materials where and when they need them; meaning smaller batches, shorter time-to-market, higher customization and less waste.
 
With personalization a watchword for consumers, digital printing is unlocking entirely new business opportunities, through tailored marketing, packaging, labeling and signage. Incidentally, digital printing is what enabled Coca Cola’s targeted “Share a Coke” campaign – an excellent example of delivering unique content micro-targeted to specific audiences. This strategy has particular buoyancy with millennial consumers, who price their individuality at a premium.
 
Digitally-enabled on-demand printing is also better at matching supply to demand, reducing bloat and various surpluses in the supply chain; from superfluous production and shipping to fewer overall emissions, to wasted materials and energy and unnecessary stockpiling. The savings from eliminating wastage are translated to the end customer and the overall reduction in wastage means a more sustainable supply chain.
 
Incorporating IoT
 
In improving efficiencies in any process, the challenge is to cut down on wastage by narrowing the gap between resources that are used and those that are needed. With its advanced telemetry, IoT capabilities will give suppliers, producers and middlemen the insights they need to dramatically cut down on waste by better managing their printers and supplies.
 
IoT circuitry and sensors, interpolated in printing machinery, will give us much more information about our devices. At a microscopic level, we’ll know when individual parts are faulty or in need of repair. This allows for preemptive maintenance, reducing device downtime, spoilt pages and unneeded diagnostic tests. We’ll also know which components are underemployed or are wasting energy.
 
In the short term, this information could be used to reduce the overall number of printers – and other machinery – used in the printing supply chain. In the longer term, it will mean a complete redesign of printing technology and smarter, leaner, greener machines that drastically cut down on service events for maintenance technicians while providing much-improved printer uptime for users and operators.
 
IoT will also enable new kinds of futuristic automation. Built upon an IoT infrastructure, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology, which allows devices to share information and enact suitable responses, could automate the entire ink or toner resupply process. Combined with advanced analytics, it’s possible that printing houses would never need to buy extra ink or toner as a buffer. Instead, the right supplies  would automatically arrive exactly when needed, reducing guesswork and production time.
 
These two radical technologies are deeply complementary. Digital printing, acting as the underlying offering, and IoT-based capabilities powering new, supplementary capabilities. Additionally, they will fundamentally improve the sustainability of the printing supply chain and our entire industry, while delivering an array of benefits that will protect printing’s status and longevity.
 
 
Christoph Ruef is VP and GM of HP’s multi-billion dollar Americas printing business. He has spent nearly 30 years working on HP’s print operations, managing global product strategy, marketing, go-to-market strategy and sales. He has worked for HP in Europe, Asia and the United States. In these markets, he has overseen tectonic changes to the printing market, navigating the transition from black and white to color printers and from single function to All-in-One products. Christoph speaks English and German and resides in San Diego.