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All sectors, from automotive to aerospace to printing are entering into a new era coined “Industry 4.0”, representative of a more streamlined approach to production by utilising state of the art technologies to keep up with the increase in demand. The printing industry has focused in on one aspect of Industry 4.0 in particular, “automation”, to better connect printing technology and allow for a more seamless transition from when a customer places an order to its’ delivery. With its clear long-term benefits, this change is already happening in the industry – in Keypoint Intelligence’s Software Investment Outlook 2020-21, researchers found that more companies were investing in automation in these past two years, particularly to fulfil the large amount of smaller jobs^[1].

With the all-important COP26 Climate Change Conference having taken centre stage in Glasgow in 2021, there is no time like the present for the fashion world to rally together in stepping up sustainability efforts and getting carbon emissions under control. Globally, the fashion industry is now estimated to account for around 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 20 percent of wastewater^[1], making the pursuit of greener production methods more pertinent than ever before. Thankfully, we are seeing a new era of production enter the fashion arena, with the increasing emergence of technologically advanced, highly automated microfactories.

This feature was originally published by Images Magazine.

As businesses weather this uncertain time, many look to expand their offering. Acrylic printing is one sector that should be on every large format printers’ list when considering new opportunities for increasing revenue. As a sector, it has been bucking the trend and has experienced a boom over the past year, with some printers who offer this application seeing an unprecedented influx of orders. Commonly used for photographic prints and signage, the pandemic has influenced a drastic shift towards creating protective acrylic panels too.

The recent announcement of Mimaki’s two new high-end flatbed LED UV printers has given us something very exciting to look forward to when they land on these shores later in the year, but in the meantime, it’s a great opportunity to reflect on how we’ve got here, through Mimaki’s enviable track record of delivering innovative, large format flatbeds.