Worldwide, the printing industry is on the rise. According to the latest coding and marking systems market research, the field is currently growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7%. By 2024, experts predict that the overall market revenue will rise above $7 billion.
What’s driving this continual growth? For years, companies across industries have increasingly utilized printers within their day-to-day operations. These printers are most often used to apply markings, such as barcodes, batch numbers, and best-by dates, either directly onto merchandise or product packaging. With these codes, companies can comply with both industry standards and regulations set by groups, such as the Federal Drug Administration and the European Union.
Given these factors, it is unsurprising that the fastest-growing segments within the printing market are pharmaceutical development and healthcare. Around the world, food and beverage industries are also increasingly utilizing coding equipment to comply with regulatory bodies like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, China’s National Medical Products Administration, and the Korean Customs Service. This has led to continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers becoming the most commonly recognized printer technology of the coding and marking industry, as these machines hold a 34.39% share of the entire industry.
Our coding and marketing systems market research reveals there are five key elements leading industry growth. We'll explore them each in more detail below.
Remote service helps companies maximize uptime by preemptively discovering problems and providing quick solutions. Using computers and cell phones for communication, remote service automatically alerts users of hardware issues through notifications and dashboard analytics. Remote service then provides potential solutions, helping users avoid costly downtime.
Sustainability is a major concern in the modern coding and marking industry. Not only are environmentally-friendly machines good for the earth, but they can also be money-savers. When printers can mark more substrates with the same amount of ink, less waste is produced and companies save capital on ink costs.
Lower ink and solvent consumption also comes as a result of fewer printing mistakes. When products do not align with specific qualities (e.g. proper packaging, correct code placement, etc.), they are often discarded to avoid accidental use. Keep in mind that CIJ printers have solvent evaporation even during ideal time while the printer is not printing. New printer models like the Videojet 1860 are built to reduce errors through precise marking while also maximizing ink usage by recirculating fluids to a high degree. By many expert estimates, the Linx 8900 is one of the leading CIJ printers with the lowest ink consumption available today with 2.5ml per hour in ideal environmental conditions.
Alongside remote service, self-monitoring printers allow users to avoid potential downtime and largely eliminate the need for professional attention. Through self-monitoring, printers alert operators about potentially disruptive usage patterns or possible line stoppage sources.
With these alerts come simple solutions that any worker can complete. By way of on-screen instructions, self-monitoring printers inform users how to quickly perform routine maintenance such as filter changes and ink replacements. The early warning system allows users to schedule maintenance at convenient times and avoid the need for external expertise.
Faster printers allow for faster product preparation. To maximize productivity, industrial production lines often move at speeds well over 1,000 feet per minute. These speeds continue to increase as technology advances, as well.
Today, cutting-edge continuous inkjet (CIJ) printers like the Videojet 1880 can achieve speeds of more than 1,500 feet per minute. The world of thermal inkjet (TIJ) printers has similarly advanced in recent years, as well. For example, the Anser X1 offers industry-leading speed capabilities that rival most CIJ printers. Running at maximum speed, the Anser X1 can code products moving at nearly 1,000 feet per minute—almost three times faster than the majority of other TIJ printers on the market.
Laser marking systems have been publicly available since the 1970s and have been used in everything from beer bottling to printed circuit board manufacturing. As with CIJ and TIJ printers, laser marking systems have improved tremendously in recent years, and today, engineers are utilizing laser technology to develop high-powered, industry-specific coding solutions.
Take the Videojet Lightfoot, for instance. A fiber laser solution specifically designed for high-speed beverage canning, Lightfoot allows users to mark up to 100,000 cans per hour. The Lightfoot solution uses the most compact head on the market, making it easy to integrate into an existing line and improve efficiency.
In the future, we expect laser technology to extend into other industry-specific solutions, as the technology is well-suited for the following applications:
Between increased printer popularity, new marking technology, and improved printer models, the printing and coding industry is experiencing tremendous growth in 2021. As the year progresses, C&M Digest will be there to give you the inside scoop.
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