A variety of complex and intertwined topics were discussed at the Digital Transformation in Printing & Packaging Industry conference in New Delhi’s India Habitat Centre.
A session on the digital opportunities in customer service, supply chain, and operations focussed on the benefits of the digitization of printing and packaging and the supply chain opportunities that these enable. With the advancements in technology, businesses in these industries can leverage digital solutions to streamline their operations, enhance their supply chain efficiency, and with smart packaging solutions, improve their customer service experience.
This session explored how digital solutions such as automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning can improve productivity and profitability in the printing and packaging industries. Pooja Arora, vice president of Blinkit for procurement and infrastructure, moderated the session. The discussions include how digital solutions such as real-time monitoring, data analytics, and supply chain visibility can help businesses optimize their supply chain processes.
Potentially, real-time digital feedback can help to reduce product and packaging inventory. There is also the possibility of using IoT flexible manufacture of products and just-in-time packaging materials.
Additionally, digital solutions such as chatbots, self-service portals, and predictive analytics can enhance the customer service experience and increase customer satisfaction. “Digital self-service portals empower customers to find information, troubleshoot problems, and track their orders or service requests without needing to contact customer support,” said Arora.
According to her, digital technologies have brought numerous business opportunities in customer service, supply chain management, and operations. “Customer services can be carried out via chatbots and virtual assistants. AI bots can handle customer queries and provide support 24/7, reducing the need for human intervention and improving response times. Monitoring and engaging with customers on social media platforms can help companies address issues, gather feedback, and improve their overall customer service,” she said.
Vijay Pareek managing director of Genius Flexo said, “The latest technologies enable real-time tracking of goods and shipments, providing visibility across the entire supply chain and enhancing efficiency. IoT devices can be excellent enablers for gathering real-time data from machines and equipment, enabling predictive maintenance, optimizing production processes, and reducing downtime.”
BS Chandrashekar, the Cluster Sales head South for Heidelberg India, emphasized the effectiveness of cloud computing in measuring process efficiencies, saying, “Cloud-based solutions provide a scalable and flexible infrastructure for operations, allowing businesses to easily manage data, applications, and processes. Digital platforms and tools facilitate better collaboration and communication between suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors, leading to streamlined processes and reduced lead times.”
Automation, analytics & Cobots empowering humans
Nagesh Bakshi chairman and managing director of Bakshi Mark and an expert in material handling, tracking and logistics, explained, “Data analytics and machine learning algorithms can predict demand patterns, optimize inventory levels, and improve supply chain planning and forecasting. RPA automates repetitive and rule-based tasks, freeing up human resources for more strategic and value-added activities.”
While automation and the digitalization of the workflow and supply chain may initially require significant investment and training, it can lead to immediate flexibility of production and long-term reliability and cost savings. Automated packaging systems can optimize material usage, minimize wastage, and reduce labor costs associated with manual packaging operations.
Sougandh KM, the sales development and support manager for Universal Robots in South Asia, spoke about Cobots (collaborative robots), which when implemented on production shop floor can be very beneficial in addition to human resources.
Giving examples of cases, he said, “With efficient automated technology, significant jumps in production can be achieved. Cobots represent the future, and are designed to work alongside human resources. We aim to support the industry to work with robots and not as robots, as this technology stands not to replace human resources but to empower them. A task can be given to any machine but a job a human does is to be valued and empowering their position will only yield better results in the future.”
