What were the key trends and industry developments in 2022?

The developments of 2022 will pave the way for commercial print trends in 2023 – so what were they? We have seen a real shift towards automation. Print businesses now place even more value on increasing uptime across the entire print lifecycle. This covers everything from pre-press to finishing, including logistics and fulfilment. Automation has helped businesses better serve their customers. It’s also enabled staff to spend more time bringing strategic value.

Sustainability is another key development. Customers now hold suppliers accountable as they assess their supply chains and find more sustainable print options and solutions. This has sharpened market competition and positively impacted the industry as a whole, an impact we support wholeheartedly at Ricoh. 

What are the biggest opportunities and commercial print trends in 2023?

In 2023, we believe Ink Jet will become more prominent. With Ink Jet, you can obtain faster run speeds, increase job volumes, produce smaller print runs and enables full-colour printing on all jobs, extending the historic break even between Digital and Offset. We are particularly proud to be innovating and leading the way in this technology. 

This year, there will also be a continued need for greater efficiencies in production through automation, but through focusing on integrated workflows and robotics and AI. We have written about the benefits of AI for print service providers here.

Data will also become ever more important as the industry looks to create efficiencies in production, particularly around big data that identify cost and efficiency savings for brands and marketing agencies. 

Another trend is partnership and collaboration. To ensure a strong relationship with a client, you must treat it as a partnership and collaborate. Operating in sync enables you to support all aspects of the business and helps nurture opportunities to spark new business. You can read about one of our partnerships here with Aura Print. 

How have economic, political, and supply chain challenges prepared you for 2023?

There has been a growing need for adaptable and flexible businesses over the past few years. One of the ways we have developed our business model was by moving away from the traditional supplier-customer relationship. We have made it clear that our clients can come to us as a trusted advisor to provide the necessary support in times of uncertainty. Ensuring we always stay true to this mantra will set us up for a strong future. 

Fostering these stronger customer relationships has also allowed us to identify synergies that generate shared business outcomes. 

One of the synergies we have identified with clients is finding greater efficiencies in our processes by streamlining our vendors’ network. These trusted relationships and efficiency levels will only develop in the years ahead. We’ve honoured the importance of our customer relationships in our new Champions of Print video. 

How can suppliers better help printers navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities in 2023?

It is crucial to be an advisor who does not solely focus on the production and output of the business but can support clients on broader challenges. 

We have adopted a delivery service that focuses on our customers’ growth by creating extra capacities which move away from the traditional relationship. Throughout the organisation, we have seen the benefit of providing post-sales business support and EDGE Business Development, helping clients diversify and grow.

How can suppliers do more to promote the effectiveness of print to the broader business community in 2023?

For organisations to promote print effectiveness, there is a need to become more active across the complete supply chain. To demonstrate how effective print can be compared to Digital Campaigns and to be part of the design process, not just a fulfilment of work.  

Working with industry bodies such as the BPIF and IPIA, as well as collaborating with other printers and marketing agencies, will enable originations to demonstrate the benefits of print.

Explore our Anything in Print hub if you are interested in understanding more about Ricoh’s commercial print offering. 

This article was originally published in PrintWeek 

Related articles: 

https://insights.ricoh.co.uk/digital-printing/customer-value-in-print 

https://insights.ricoh.co.uk/digital-printing/power-of-print

https://insights.ricoh.co.uk/digital-printing/celebrating-our-champions-of-print 

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For years, people have feared the looming threat of automation, arguing it is likely to replace jobs rather than create them. But the tide is turning. Technology like AI has been normalised; nowadays, we all rely on digital devices inside and outside of work. Even more so with the arrival of hybrid working. 

The future of work is about challenging outdated practices. Your people don’t want to be mired in repetitive processes anymore, they are digital natives aware of the positive impact technology can bring.  

So, if you haven’t looked into how automation could enhance your critical operations, improve employee engagement and accelerate business growth, now is the time. In this article, I’ll share how you can start that journey in right way, and optimise the value of process automation. 

What is business process automation? 

Business process automation uses software to automate multi-step business transactions like accounts payable or employee onboarding. We call it automation because the software is programmed to mimic repetitive steps humans take and intelligently process data from multiple digital and paper-based sources.

Which processes are ideal for business process automation? 

Labour intensive document management tasks provide the perfect environment for automation. It doesn’t matter what the process is called or how sector specific you think it is, a process that will benefit from automation has a few familiar hallmarks. 

Watch out for the processes that typically involve multiple email threads, documents and approvals. Where even a minor human error has the potential to cause a cascade of inefficiency, bottlenecks, and missed deadlines. The tasks which must be done correctly, every time, or you risk losing a customer, damaging your reputation, infringing compliance laws or obscuring your ability to forecast finances effectively. 

Automation transforms outcomes for processes that rely on reams of paper-based documents and large volumes of data that has to be captured, collated and called upon frequently by your team. Maybe you’re always hearing complaints from staff about the antiquity and speed of your current system – these are the processes that should be identified, dissected and automated using specialist software. They hold the key to unlocking hidden value. 

The benefits of business process automation 

60% of employees spend more time searching for files than replying to emails²

By putting automation in place, you empower your people to organise, secure, capture, digitise, tag and approve documents with ease, limiting human error, saving time and reducing cost. Providing a more intuitive and straightforward experience, can also help you retain and nurture high-value employees who prioritise efficient working methods. 

Enhance accuracy and reporting facilities 

For business leaders, automating critical processes enhances decision-making capability by providing accuracy, faster responses and real-time reporting. Putting your business in a more agile position and giving you the resilience and visibility to make changes if necessary. Having the ability to run critical operations quicker and with more control, also makes it easier to grow your business. And if you’re switching from paper to digital in multiple areas, you stand to improve your sustainability numbers too. 

53% of employees experience delays waiting for information to be updated across multiple systems from multiple departments³

By using automation software, you will also be able to offer immediate and self-service access to the information your customers need. Likewise, your people can access intelligence on their customers quicker and easier through cloud storage, enabling them to provide tailored customer service. 

How to approach automation? 

Once you have identified which processes are suitable for automation, you need to have the right mindset to move forward. There are a few fundamental rules of automation to remember:

• You can’t automate until you have mapped how your process works and where the data is captured. If the process doesn’t work or is incomplete, your automation won’t work. 
• Process automation isn’t about one piece of technology. There’s no single technology that delivers universal benefits, and it takes a combination of solutions and a layered strategy to deliver results. 
• You don’t need to transform entire processes from day one. In many cases, automating one essential step can unlock immense value. 

Choose Ricoh for Business Process Management 

Bringing a specialist partner on board to fast-track business process automation will ensure you implement solutions that truly solve the challenges you and your workforce face. With an objective vantage point, we start by getting to know the needs of your business, your processes and your people. Then, by working closely with your teams, we design digital workflows that apply process automation – making your business more intelligent, your employees more satisfied, and your customers happier. 

Discover more about our solutions. We can help you with bespoke process automation services and single software applications like DocuWare, which can automate all document management from accounts payable and order fulfilment to inbound mail. 

Ricoh’s experience in traditional working practices positions us well to bridge the gap between the old world and the new world. Our leading principle of powering fulfilment through work also means our people are passionate about enhancing workplace experiences. Contact our team to find out more.

1. https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/news/articles/most-workers-feel-automation-has-made-work-life-better#gref

2. https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/articles/business-strategy/business-automation-statistics.shtml

3. https://westx.ca/transform-your-business-into-a-digital-workplace/

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The recent past has caused big problems for business. Not just in terms of finance or stability, but also in added pressure from customers to meet higher and higher expectations: a pressure that is rising all the time. So the commercial print business adapted, introducing more efficient workflows and automation to reduce costs and new innovations in colours, finishes and textures to create more engaging print solutions.

So, as we turn towards 2022, we can see the glow of opportunity and optimism that’s there for anyone willing to grasp it. By continuing to think boldly and imaginatively about what you want to achieve, it’s possible to create a positive digital print future.

This article will help you develop these future planning strategies – and make the most of your chance to grow your digital print business.

What makes 2022 a vital turning point for print?

We’re coming to a major sink-or-swim moment in the print industry. After a tumultuous 18 months for individuals and businesses, now is the time for printers to seize the moment. To take the initiative and move forward with big and bold plans for their digital print future.

We must take positive action in the faith 2022 will be kinder to us and Brexit complications will be overcome. Covid will be conquered. And structural shifts across our economy, society and industry will continue to develop. 

This is happening now, and will only accelerate. Make sure your digital print business is seizing the moment.

How are structural shifts affecting the digital print industry?

We’re all aware of how fast technology is advancing in our everyday lives. The same is true for the print industry. Digital transformation has been on the agenda of leading businesses for a long time now, but in reality, it’s a process that’s affecting every facet of life and society.

This has coincided with a growth in digital and mobile marcomms channels, and the accelerated growth of online shopping caused by the pandemic. Now, brands and retailers must fundamentally change the way they operate so they can respond to these new customer demands. The print sector is no different.

How are leading digital print businesses planning their digital future?

The most successful digital print businesses have realised that their most valuable commodity is their customers. In short, the lynch-pin of everything they want to achieve. As a result, they are making decisions focused on their customer’s evolving needs, learning those needs through research and in-depth discussions with those customers.

Once they have discovered the requirements of their audience, they meet them with imagination, creativity, innovation and an enterprising spirit. They’re investing in technology, people and skills that will enable them to meet these demands, grow their business and capitalise on a digital print future that will provide significant growth. And perhaps most importantly, they’re viewing competitors and suppliers as collaborative partners rather than rivals.

Listen to Ricoh’s ‘Nurturing the next generation in print’ Podcast 

Why working with a partner could be the key to your digital print future

We must all face it, the industry is changing.

Instead of outputs, we now work in a new digital print industry that is motivated by valuable outcomes. Hushed conversations about data and deliverables take place in front of clean machines that unobtrusively hum and click. Strategy is discussed and applied using a suite of smart solutions, all directed towards achieving the customer’s purpose most effectively and most economically.

But to make it work effectively and efficiently, this new digital print future needs fresh industry perspectives. Therefore there is no better way to get those perspectives than by collaborating with the right partner.

Introducing Ricoh, your collaborative, people-first partner

Ricoh has years of experience at the cutting edge of print devices and techniques. Specialising in working alongside your business to develop the right strategy for you, your people and your customers – and integrating effective digital print solutions for your organisation.

We can never be sure what is around the corner. But we do know that trends such as digital transformation are only going to accelerate. Ricoh has recently undergone its own digital transformation. Now, we’re perfectly placed to help our digital print partners – not just with technology, but with strategic consultancy and digital services that enable them to reposition successfully. Indeed, many of our print customers are coming to us for help with IT infrastructure, cyber security or workplace audits.

Article originally published in Printweek October 18th 2021.

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After all, nothing drives agility quite like urgency. And nothing enables agility quite like technology.  Now business leaders need to make a different type of decision. How to get back to work and what that should look like.

Getting back to business

Leaders find themselves at an unusual juncture in time, facing extraordinary obstacles but at the same time, opportunities. To navigate a successful path back to a profitable business will be tricky. But those who embrace the challenge and take a bold approach could stand to gain significantly.

Why? Because merely going back to ‘business as usual’ could prove to leave them dangerously behind a quickly developing future business curve. An accelerating curve is driven by technology and both employee and customer expectations.

So leaders need to make their plans now in order to shape their organisation’s potential future. The eventual strategy will need to move their business forward to where they believe it should be. But what should that belief be?

Rising to the future of work

Leaders should seek to harness and cultivate the new mindset their organisation has adopted and displayed during the recent crisis. It was a willingness to embrace change that enabled organisations to move to mass remote working in such a short space of time. 

This same mindset can, therefore, be the enabler for new initiatives and opportunities. As the future will require a workforce that is agile, flexible and adaptable.

An opportunity to reimagine

So what is the future? Well, the thought of everyone travelling to and from an office daily already seems like an idea from a bygone era. Similarly, the suggestion that managers need to see people at their desks to believe they are working is redundant. We’ve moved beyond these traditional views. It’s time to reimagine how we work. And that probably starts with our traditional office workplaces.

The office no longer needs to be a location, visited daily with one specific function. They’ll become more fluid, smarter offices which act as a hybrid space designed to unify people under your brand. A destination where people want to go, but don’t need to.

They will be places where your purpose is omnipresent and your people, partners and customers come together to pool and create ideas before heading off to work remotely. They will be a place of inspiration, imagination and learning.

And at the same time, they will be more enjoyable, safer and healthier. With less reliance on traditional ‘touch’ computing, instead, they will adopt more virtual technologies so everything can be accessed and implemented remotely from a mobile device, voice or identification scanning.

Accelerating automation and machine learning

As the hybrid workspace takes shape leaders should also think about their current business processes and practices. How information and data is managed, transferred and used across the organisation. What processes still rely on manual and physical actions and how these can become automated.

Accelerating the use of automation across the organisation will support a hybrid operating structure and enhance remote working capabilities. The opportunity to remove repetitive tasks and introduce machine learning to fully automate key processes will create new competitive opportunities and advantages for organisations.

Sophisticated automation can work alongside your people. Freeing them to focus their ingenuity and problem-solving skills to build the real capital in your business – IP. With more time available they can engage in lifelong learning to overcome the digital skills gap and deliver innovation.  Now is the time to take a serious view of automation and the benefits it offers.

Seek a knowledgeable partner

Understanding these opportunities and their potential will be key to defining every organisation’s future. Getting this right is more critical now than it has ever been. Getting it right will set your organisation on a path to greater success. 

So it’s essential to seek the support and ideas of a specialist workplace transformation partner. They will help you ask the right questions and validate what’s possible, by when and how.

The right partner will have skills which range from initial consulting through to technological planning and implementation. They will be objective and collaborative. Having partnerships with the major technology vendors and solution providers, they will recommend only the most appropriate, best of breed technologies.

Armed with this collective insight you can prepare to build a transformed organisation that will inspire employees, build trust with buyers and align CSR with the business purpose. 

But above all, your organisation will be ready to challenge and compete tomorrow.

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Many print companies have been dealing with the initial consequences of the global climate.

Furloughed staff. Reduced trade. The search for new sources of production and revenue. These are all complex situations that you may have had to restructure your practices around.

But, if it feels like you’re just treading water, there may be a few things you can do to get things flowing again. If not for their immediate impact, then definitely for a brighter future.

Connect with your customers

It’s somewhat ironic, but isolation has brought many people closer together. And this can be the same for you and your customers.

First of all, check-in with how they’re doing. Empathise with them. And learn about the struggles of their business. You might learn something useful in return – such as how to market yourselves, or how to adapt your services to supply businesses in their ‘new normal’.

Therefore, this is your opportunity to really build trust with your existing clientele. You’ll also develop a reputation for providing good solutions – which in turn could help you find new customers.

Review your current practices

A little self-reflection can go a long way towards making your business stronger in the future. And now’s the time to do it.

If you could roll back the clocks and prepare for the current climate, what would you do?

One area which can have a significant impact on your business performance is the operational and manufacturing processes you adhere to. Adopting a lean manufacturing approach to how work is progressed through your business and how your wider team operate will quickly transform capacity, revenue and margins simultaneously.

For example, our business team worked with print evolved, London based digital print business to assess operational performance. The results can be seen by watching this video case study.

Business Resilience 

Quieter periods will provide a unique opportunity to evaluate marketing strategies. This then provides a clearer understanding of how print can be sold as a value add to existing and new customers.

Successful businesses make business resilience part of their DNA. It’s all about planning for the unexpected with solutions that are flexible. And encompassing frameworks that enable rapid response to changing situations.

And what about things like your processes and workflows?

This is your opportunity to work more efficiently and cost-effectively when production picks up again. Consider implementing tools like Ricoh’s TotalFlow Production Manager – an ideal way to optimise sheetfed printing.

Collaborate with your partners

Of course, the current climate isn’t just affecting the print industry.

Everyone is going through the same thing, which means there are bright minds in every sector looking for solutions. So, there’s a lot of very useful and interesting content out there to help you.

The main thing is – you aren’t alone. Work with trusted people to exchange ideas. Collaborate with other businesses for mutually beneficial cross-promotions, discounts and special offers.

With this in mind, this is your opportunity to join forces with others and empower your communications, widen your target audience, cut marketing costs and produce more compelling content.

Engage with your community

It’s important to show that your business is taking part in your local community.

The collaborative sentiment pervading society extends well beyond individuals. Organisations are expected to contribute. And this is a good thing, as doing so will provide both short and long-term benefits.

Look out for chances to get involved in charitable work. Offer your services to under-pressure industries. Increase awareness of your brand with positive messaging. And let people see that your company values compassion.

Therefore, this is your opportunity to apply a human touch to your business and engage with customers new and old in a relatable and compelling way.

Ricoh’s Printed Memories initiative

Ricoh’s Printed Memories initiative is a fantastic example of something to get involved with. It’s creative, worthwhile and supports a good cause – Alzheimer’s UK.

It’s all about making good use of your excess capacity, while obtaining value for your employees, your business and everyone connected to it.  Additionally, being a bespoke process enables to scale up or down depending on your capacity at any given time.

Find out more about the project and how you can take part. 

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With over 30 years in the technology industry, he’s been mapping and predicting the trends we now find ourselves implementing in weeks, rather than years. This article takes a look at how our workstyles are influencing our interaction with technology and what this means for us all.

During this period of accelerated remote working, video conferencing has become the key collaboration tool for many. But more than simply connecting us for a virtual face to face has inadvertently enabled a mini social experiment. As people have begun to play with the editable background in some collaboration tools, it has become a window into where the person on the call would like to be.

But how much does the choice of these backgrounds reveal about our personalities and, more than that, how much do they reveal about our human desires? Our urge to connect with people in places we dream of being. Perhaps this is a glimpse into the future of work? One where we have the opportunity to work together, anywhere?

History shows us the potential, multiplied.

Historically speaking, the industrial revolution provided new ways of mechanising and organising work at scale, something which could never have imagined pre-1760. Then, in the 1950s, businesses started on the journey to the digital revolution which fundamentally changed working practices again. Soon the laptop unshackled a lucky few from their desks and remote working was born. In 1995 the first smartphone appeared and, before long, we were at home sitting on our couches replying to messages from colleagues on the other side of the world.

Now, due to circumstances beyond our control, the mobile revolution is being driven forward at a pace we could never have expected. Yes, we could all see the potential, and, to some extent, we’re moving towards a more agile way of working. But today’s situation has forced us to accelerate our approach, pushing us far beyond our comfort zone, and into the relative unknown.

The result? A testbed for how things will be in the future. So, today we are witnessing the exploration of the visual possibilities offered by the video conference backgrounds. But are we, in fact, seeing, first hand, an early vision of what the future of work could look like? Technology is fast enabling all of us to be part of a work together anywhere revolution. It is giving people control to do what they need, where they need to do it.

The future workplace

The future of work will provide us with collaboration spaces more akin to the Holodeck on the Starship Enterprise. A fully immersive and interactive personal space where we can create or replicate our favourite working environment. Having different creative environments dependent on the type of work we are choosing to do. And at the same time, satisfying the human need to interact with others by providing an ability to invite participants into this personal space. Giving the opportunity to engage and interact with others, whether that be colleagues, associates, or simply like-minded people.

From video conferencing to augmented reality

These ideas may seem far fetched. But are they? View them against the technology we have now, and what will be soon available and you may reconsider. Augmented reality such as Microsoft Hololens and Oculus Rift virtual reality meeting spaces are already available. These bring a sense of physical engagement regardless of the distance between participants.

Cloud has enabled software, teams, and service providers to work and access systems remotely, wherever they are. Robotic Process Automation streamlines and rapidly enhances processes. The digitisation of all manner of devices from Interactive whiteboards to smart lockers enables them to connect to the web for greater sharing of data. With near-zero latency, everyone will have a much greater capacity for working together, anywhere.

This work together anywhere approach, underpinned by technology, will create workspaces where you feel confident and comfortable. Able to discuss freely and bring focus to both your work and interactions with others. They will be adaptable to support every personality, from backgrounds or environments which are for the more reserved to plain bonkers to ignite the creative juices of others. And these technologies will be open for everyone, wherever and however they work.

A new era of communications and collaboration

Gone will be the blocky conference call and in will come a new era of communications. With pixel sharp resolution enabling us to better see facial expressions and greater immersiveness, enhancing the emotional connection. Where everyone feels more connected and able to carry out their tasks without interruption. Organisations now have the opportunity to fully embrace this change. Taking their business effectiveness and productivity to the next level, as well as empowering employees to choose how and when they work.

People, empowered by technology, will be the most important asset

Technology will be the enabler, but organisations will recognise the true value their people add. Whilst technology can process at speed, and scale to accelerate output, it cannot replicate the ingenuity and infinite flexibility of the human brain. People will remain the most important asset for all organisations and this will become central to workplace culture. How they choose to work will adapt to their physical, emotional, and well-being needs as humans.

We’ve had a taste of the future.

We have all stopped apologising on conference calls when the kids make a noise or the wind unexpectedly slams a door. We have become open to working together anywhere. And the outcome has the potential to be as wondrous as the backdrop you select for your next conference call.

How a technology partner will help your organisation today

For many, the shift to working remotely may feel new, even awkward, or difficult. And relying on technology to connect with colleagues or adapt our established processes is a challenge. But these ideas have been slowly forming in the minds of forward-thinking organisations for many years. But even this time last year they were considered by many as ‘a nice to have’. Not a permanent way of working for the masses. Now they are essential to an organisation’s operational continuity.

To react to this fast-approaching future, and ensure your organisation capitalises by working together anywhere, you need an experienced technology partner at your side. Ricoh has long been supporting how people use technology in the workplace, with solutions ready for the next-generation of mobile workers. Firmly taking a people-centric approach, Ricoh designs organisation-wide technology solutions to transform how your people, processes, and workspaces perform; ensuring security runs throughout the proposition from edge to core.

Whilst we can’t promise you a Holodeck just yet, we can support you on your journey there. For more information download our latest insight report.

Click to read Work Together, Anywhere

And if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me on LinkedIn.

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