Analysis of proper ink management impact on overall environmental equipment efficiency for sustainability

Abstract

Printing as a process itself generates many environmental concerns. The paper addresses ink management in terms of environmental issues in the label printing industry, focusing on its environmental implications. The goal is to demonstrate how a proper ink management system impacts overall printing process efficiency and environmental sustainability for printing companies. The paper introduces an empirical approach to managing components for label and packaging production, utilizing automatic ink dispensing systems. The results demonstrate that the proper management of ink dispensing to minimize waste in packaging printing is crucial for optimizing operating print costs, potentially reducing the amount of ink needed to prepare colors by 52% and achieving energy savings of 37%. This approach fulfills the goal of sustainability by addressing environmental, economic, and social concerns. By optimizing ink usage and energy consumption, companies can significantly reduce operating costs and enhance economic performance. Simultaneously, these practices improve product quality, meet consumer demands for sustainable packaging, and create better working conditions for employees. Future directions and practical implications for supporting operational excellence in production are also discussed.

Introduction

Printing technology is commonly used for manufacturing labels and packaging for a variety of products because each product needs to be labelled with comprehensive information that is provided¹. First of all, printing technologies promote innovations in sustainability and efficiency in logistics and the future supply chain². Printing as a process itself generates many environmental concerns because ink includes volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This, in turn, has affected health³. Facing multifunctional challenges allows for the joining of proper ink management with effective performance measurement for sustainability⁴. This combination has led to a need to take focused action to ensure the right amount of ink in the printing process. This can be undertaken to maximize performance in the logistical activities of the printing company under consideration by reducing materials and eliminating “waste”, such as activities that do not add value in line with the printing process. At the same time, the sustainability concept requires the deployment of relevant requirements which are difficult to adapt to many organizations. Drawbacks exist in “a perception of incompatibility between the search for efficiency in supply chains” and policies of sustainability⁵. As the main driver of many manufacturing systems as well as other firms in the printing sector^5–8 it improves organizational sustainable performance. A positive sustainability contribution to printing was observed in⁶ due to the implementation of manufacturing innovation (flexographic printing technology) which simultaneously reduces electricity use, monthly material consumption by about 10–12% and production costs. In addition, its increased utilization has had a beneficial impact on social sustainability. Some research has described the potential impact on the efficiency of printing companies in implementing sustainable practices^5–8.

In order to make manufacturing more efficient and for sustainable printing, printing enterprises can use eco-friendly inks in addition to sustainably produced papers and other components used for the production process^5,7–10. The need for more sustainable printing practices is apparent not just for preserving the environment, but from an economic point of view. This advantage does not merely focus on the use of materials used in printing but promotes sustainability and practices⁷. Environmental sustainability has been important in the printing industry for many years^11,12. Hence, this paper seeks to mitigate the impact of inks on the environment and in the growth of packaging markets. It is intended to better understand the impact of ink on the equipment and technologies used. Although there have been several articles in academia dealing with environmental sustainability^6–10,13, there has been no research considering the impact of proper ink management on overall equipment efficiency for meeting sustainability in a printing company. Therefore, this research delivers novelty from a practical point of view because there is a scarcity of subject-matter literature that combines printing technology, logistics, and sustainability with studies this study. Thus, this paper alleviates a gap in the scientific literature. Moreover, it will attempt to make analysis to present the impact of a proper ink management system on overall process efficiency and energy consumption for achieving sustainability.

Each manufacturing company, as well as a printing company that produces labels or packaging, must manage its supply chain to successfully exist on the market. An efficient supply chain ensures appropriate business continuity for a printing company, ensuring the supply of all raw materials and properly directing shipments of finished products to the customer^5,14.

Supply chain management, in its classical meaning, refers to a platform developed by Chopra and Meindl that translates this type of management as managing flows in the supply chain to maximize the global profitability of the supply chain¹⁵. In this way, the authors can decentralize the supply chain to the customer's network and contractors who supply the raw materials and components they want to remake during production for semi-finished products and components for which the final product is manufactured and available to the final consumer. This definition of supply chain can also be understood as the external and internal product chain, where the internal supply chain concerns the so-called internal logistics, while the external supply chain means cooperation with producers, suppliers, and external customers^5,16–19.

A new insight into the management of ink and its sustainability has been very precisely described by¹⁸. Internal logistics refers to all in-house operations areas¹⁶. Additional considerations of internal logistics systems have been presented in¹⁷, where the authors were able to find logistics in the concept of Industry 4.0 and to point out where cyber-physical systems are introduced and that they should be considered in logistics^20,21. Many analyses of logistics and Supply Chain Management in the corrugated box industry have been shown¹⁴, which mostly focused on the unbalanced power position of the paper supplier and how this affects low inbound inventory turns.

More and more businesses are pushing for sustainable technological innovations. Without exception, the printing industry faces challenges to sustainability. This translates both to a minimizing of the consumption of ink, wasteful overprinting, and to the use of energy-saving printers for improving overall equipment efficiency (OEE)²². The OEE is “the best practices” indicator to measure how effective operations in the production process are being used. In other words, OEE, which is widely used for printing and packaging companies²³, measures the performance of machines affecting the costs incurred during production activities, such as product defects²⁴. The cost reduction approach of using OEE as a performance indicator in the printing industry has been clearly described²⁵ concerning quality improvement²⁶.

An interesting approach to the relationship between variables of Overall Equipment Effectiveness and CO₂ emissions has been presented²⁷. This research shows that implementing OEE will not only have a positive impact on manufacturing efficiency but will also consider the environmental impact. If, thanks to the OEE indicator, we could achieve more efficiency due to less consumption of raw materials and/or energy, it would also have an important environmental impact. Therefore, the authors advocate the use of Overall Environmental Equipment Effectiveness (OEEE), originally used¹³ to examine the environmental impact of managing ink in OEE.

This study aims to analyse the impact of the OEEE on the ink management system in a modern printing house. Using automatic ink dispensing systems in addition to dispensing functions provides many other useful tools for the complete management of inks in the enterprise. There is a lack of practical, expert knowledge related to the implementation of theoretical knowledge on industrial issues, especially regarding the application of ink management systems in the packaging industry. Therefore, the authors recommend presenting the efficiency of an ink management system from a production logistics perspective.

To meet the goal of this paper, a modified OEE approach incorporating OEEE for managing components in label and printed packaging production was applied using a proper ink management system in a printing company. This approach will ensure the precise amount of ink is supplied to the printing process. Finally, the article will discuss concerns in the ink preparation process regarding the application of ink dispensing systems and propose pillar-based thinking for sustainability.

Materials and methods

This paper considers average values for work orders in printing companies with proper ink management with using of ink mixing stations and without such an approach and it does not include real data from the process. The expert knowledge was gained on the example of printing companies located in Europe, one of the largest markets in the world equipped with modern means of production and the latest technologies.

In this research, the targeted OEEE in terms of proper ink management was estimated using simulation and calculation. To achieve the OEEE, the variables of the amount of ink reduced, time consumption, and cost prediction have been estimated. The research workflow for modelling the indicator of OEEE is illustrated in Fig. 1, depicting both baseline and improved perspectives.

Figure 1.

The general workflow of research.

Source: own elaboration.

Problem statement

Effective management of ink dispensing to minimize waste in packaging printing is crucial for optimizing operating print costs, and potentially reducing the amount of ink needed for color preparation. Due to rigorous environmental legislation and safety regulations, printing companies are obligated to enhance operating efficiency and responsiveness to remain competitive in the printing market. Aligned with a commitment to sustainability and the UN Global Compact , this paper aims to calculate equipment efficiency by properly managing ink amid rising raw material prices and to protect economically against increasing ink prices. Additionally, this paper seeks to eliminate waste while simultaneously maximizing value creation, thereby fulfilling sustainability requirements considering environmental, economic, and social concerns. Social considerations deliver sustainable demands in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as compostable and lower-weight packaging for consumers and food preservation²⁸.

In this paper, an analysis of optimal ink usage is presented, focusing on how proper ink management in the printing company impacts the overall printing process efficiency in terms of sustainability, specifically the amount of ink reduction, and time reduction.

Printing technology

Printing inks, also commonly known as printing or graphic inks, are liquid or greasy coating materials, which are suspensions or solutions of colouring substances in binders. They are used for multiple transfers of an image from a printing plate onto a printed material, which is called a printing substrate. There are many ways of categorizing printing inks, but the two most common are: from a printing technique point of view and according to form. And so, depending on the printing technique for which the given inks are produced, the inks are categorized into typographic, offset, gravure printing, flexographic, and screen printing, among others. In this technology, the ink placed in the inkpot is transferred to the anilox roller using a rubber roller. The excess ink from the anilox roll is scraped off with a doctor's blade so that only the amount that fits in the ink blanks of the laser-engraved anilox roll passes onto the printing roller. Next, the ink is transferred from the printing roller on which the flexible printing plate is mounted, directly to the printing substrate, and then it is fixed in such a way that it is possible to apply another layer to the next printing unit^1,29–31.

Typical printing machines in flexographic technology have from four to as many as a dozen units. However, with the most modern printing machines, it is difficult to discuss just one printing technology. Modern printing machines are often amalgamations that combine various printing techniques, such as flexography, offset, and even rotogravure, allowing for printing in one line using multiple techniques^1,31.

Ink management system

An ink management system in a printing company is a method of proper ink distribution in production processes and the precise preparation of a specified amount of ink for a specific work order on each printing press. In modern printing houses, the ink management systems should facilitate the distribution of ink to individual printing presses, preparing the right amount of ink for each production order. However, there are still micro, small, and even medium printing companies, in which the main role of ink preparation is assigned to the press operator.

Providing the right amount of ink for the printing process is a challenge faced by all printing houses. This is because the production of labels must be understood more in terms of services than as typical production of the usual types, e.g., stream, mass, etc. In the case of label and packaging production, the authors are involved with 100% contract production (A modern printing house must have an adequate number of raw materials in stock: inks, varnishes, and additives to ensure current production).

Proper ink management relies on the use of resources that are already available in stock for every printing company. In the printing house components are issued in the form of ready-to-use inks or varnishes for individual production orders. Otherwise, they are mixed beforehand by correctly calculating the necessary quantities according to the following formula (1):

$$Q_i=C_a\times A_{\mathit{cf}}\times P_w\times {\mathit{WO}}_q$$ 1

where $Q_i$ the amount of required ink [g], $C_a$ printing surface of the colour separation on the impression [%], $A_{\mathit{cf}}$ ink transfer coefficient of chosen anilox roll [g/m²], $P_w$ printed surface width on the substrate [m], ${\mathit{WO}}_q$ work order quantity [m].

As can be seen from the above formula, many factors influence the preparation of the right amount of ink for a given job. The area of printing a given colour on a printing substrate, sometimes referred to in terms of a single label, is the area covered by a given colour in percentage terms. This value is determined at the graphic preparation stage, where a given graphic pattern is divided into color separations, corresponding to the printing units in the printing machine. The ink transfer coefficient through the anilox roller is the amount of ink that is transferred by this roller directly to the printing form, and therefore to the substrate. The width of the print field or the volume of the production order are the quantities that are assigned to each production order.

Based on experience, in the manufacturing practice of many printing companies, the proper preparation of inks for printing processes is often overlooked. Instead, the printer (i.e., the operator of the printing machine) independently determines the amount of ink needed. Furthermore, in many printing companies, ink mixing is carried out directly at the printing press, which is a non-value-adding activity performed by trial and error, involving significant time consumption.

Some modern printing companies utilize computer-controlled automatic ink-mixing plants, where thousands of colour recipes are prepared from several, or even several dozen, base components (inks, additives). Preparing inks consists in creating a recipe for each colour of a graphic design or in using already available recipes and assigning them to a given project called a design. All components, recipes, formulas, and other important data are stored in a computer database. This system manages the entire ink distribution in the plant, monitoring all input and output processes.

It should be noted that customers expect the brand colours to be prepared exactly according to the attached colour pattern or standard. The so-called visual quality is the totality of objective, measurable, and subjective characteristics related to the characteristics of a product or service¹. For the final customer at the store, it is important to have aesthetic packaging of the product that meets a whole range of functional requirements, emphasizing exclusivity and originality, and associating the product with a reputable brand³². Often, a perception of the offer in the initial phase is primarily visual and the appearance of the packaging itself is supposed to encourage the execution of the transaction. The originality and impression that the packaging makes on the customer are just as important as its functionality and information regarding durability, reliability, safety, cost-effectiveness, and reparability. A quality evaluation is typically formed in the mind of the customer, leading to increasingly higher quality standards for modern products. Labelling requirements are also becoming more stringent. A label made carelessly and of low quality will not only fail to attract the attention of the consumer but can on the contrary make him feel that the product is not worth buying. Therefore, packaging should be designed to capture the buyer`s interest, be attractive, and create an appropriate brand image, as this is its purpose. This is particularly important concerning colour quality, especially for colors representing a given brand. These "Brand Colours" are crucial for proper brand recognition, and any deviation from the standard can be viewed as potential problem, leading to serious non-compliance³².

To implement a proper ink management system the printing company is required to use an operator skilled in math and the use of Excel, which they will use to manage all components of this ink management system such as databases of designs, work orders, presses & equipment, customers, recipes, inks, and additives, , as shown in the infographic below (Fig. 2).

Figure 2.

Basic elements of the ink management system that are the concern of the printing company.

The structure of the ink management system, which ensures efficient ink distribution in a printing company, is presented in the diagram above (Fig. 2). All seven basic elements of the ink management system are indeed essential and are designed to work together to maintain an optimal printing process. The data that make up the complete information about what quantities and which inks should be prepared for a specific production order are closely related to the prepared pattern of a given work. This work may contain the same number of colors as there are assemblies in the printing machine. Below is an explanation of how these basic elements of the ink management system can work for proper ink management, describes their interrelations:

• Customers—customers database plays an important role in identifying customer requirements and is connected with designs. In many cases, a customer ID is the first part of the design`s alphanumeric code, where the second part being the specific design number in the database.

• Designs—each design in the database as mentioned above has a unique code for every label, packaging, or other type of the printed product, which can be easily found. In typical medium enterprises, there can be tens of thousands of designs—especially nowadays, where the lifetime of product like label or printed packages is very short.

• Recipes—recipes are an integral part of the customer and product (design) database. Each design can be made with at least one or several colors, which can be process colors like Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (commonly known as CMYK) or spot colours, according to one of the matching systems like the Pantone Matching System (PMS) These colors need to be prepared (mixed) before the production—printing process. Each recipe includes at least one to four or more components, prepared in the ink kitchen or ink lab, where an ink technician or colorist matches the desired color in a process called color matching. The recipe for each color is then saved in the database and linked to the corresponding design for easy preparation when needed.

• Inks and additives—inks and additives are all components in the database used prior to mixing or during the printing process. Some components, like process colors, varnishes can be used directly without mixing. Others are used for ink mixing to prepare the desired recipe connected with the design.

• Ink leftovers—ink leftovers database contains all inks that return to the ink mixing station after the production and need to be stored. There are always ink leftovers in analogue printing due to the construction of printing units and ink chambers. The main aim of every ink mixing station is to use ink leftovers as soon as possible, releasing it for next printing work orders. For this purpose, ink leftovers can be used directly; for example PMS 151, originally prepared for design “A” for customer “Y”, can be used for design “D” for customer “Z”, which also needs the same colour—PMS 151. Alternatively, ink leftovers can be used mathematically; for instance PMS 151 can be used for different design requiring different colour, such PMS 155. The main KPI for the ink mixing station relates to the total amount of ink leftovers and their handling efficiency, expressed as a percentage of the total weight of inks used for the production.

• Presses and equipment—all presses need to be included in the database because each printing press has different parameters. For ink mixing, the most important parameters of printing press are the minimum ink amount required to start printing (to fill the ink chamber), maximum web width and selected anilox rollers for that particular press. Anilox rollers define the amount of ink transferred onto the substrate, making them crucial for the proper calculation of desired amount of ink. The minimum ink amount to start printing is the amount of ink needed for each ink recipe when preparing to print on certain printing presses. This minimum amount varies by press, with some requiring 0.5 kg of ink and others requiring 5 kg or more. This amount of ink is added to the net amount of ink mixed for desired design.

• Work orders—a work order is created every time a customer ordered a design. It combines all data needed for the production of a certain design like customer, design, recipes, components, ink leftovers to be used, and chosen press. While the customer and design number remain the same all the time, like an ID of each one, each work order number must be unique.

As the basic elements of the ink management system are important to implement and manage in every printing company to avoid common mistakes and to achieve proper ink management.

Simulation and calculation

An explanation will now be given of a typical printing process without good ink logistics services and management. The products that will be printed are Pressure Sensitive Labels (PSL) also known as Self Adhesive Labels (SAL)^1,31. Assuming a typical printed job (also called Work Order or WO) quantity of 8000 m (m), which is the average WO quantity for the flexographic printing processes, especially the narrow web, which is being considered here (Based on the authors’ experience). Printing speed will be also known as a standard for most of the flexographic printing processes in the narrow web area, and it is around 100 m per minute (m/min). Moreover, there are printers that use higher printing speeds, as well as several printers which print with a speed lower than 100 m/min. A narrow web printing press with an 8-colour station with 350 mm web with will be used.

For this research, a standard-looking work order for the narrow web flexographic consisting of 6 colours: CMYK (process colours: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) and two Pantone Matching System (PMS) colours and varnish were set in the printing process. The varnish layer has a protection layer for all inks printed and gives a better look for the labels.

Illustratively, for the purposes of this article, many minor activities which existed during the printing process were condensed into the main activities. Those activities can also change between different work orders, some of them can take longer, and some of them shorter.

Results

Analysis on the typical printed job

Based on the results obtained previously, managers may develop interventions or actions for their own implementation programs of ink logistics. Table 1 shows the results in time consumption for two scenarios (baseline vs. improved) of these printing process activities for specialized work orders using the flexographic printing technique. As it is shown in Table 1, for the typical work order in the narrow web flexographic printing process, printing time for the running press machine takes 32% of the total job time. Reviewing the baseline and improved scenario for time consumption share in the total production run, including all ink checking and corrections on the press, takes 29% of the total time, which represents the highest printing loss time of all activities.

Table 1.

Time consumption share in the total production run (baseline vs. improved scenario).

	Baseline		Improved
Description	Average time [min]	Average time [%]	Average time [min]	Average time [%]
Printing press start	0:10:00	3%	0:10:00	5%
Preparing documentation for WO 8000 m	0:05:00	2%	0:05:00	2%
Installing printing rollers with plates, aniloxes	0:20:00	6%	0:20:00	10%
Filling the ink fountains with CMYK and Varnish	0:25:00	8%	0:25:00	12%
Mixing PMS inks (2 colours)	0:30:00	10%	0:00:00	0%
Filling the ink fountains with PMS inks	0:10:00	3%	0:10:00	5%
First press run	0:05:00	2%	0:05:00	2%
Ink checking & corrections (total)	1:30:00	29%	0:15:00	7%
Printing process	1:40:00	32%	1:40:00	48%
Cleaning after printing	0:20:00	6%	0:20:00	10%
TOTAL [min]	5:15:00		3:30:00
DIFFERENCE [min]			1:45:00
DIFFERENCE [%]			33%

Source: own elaboration based on average values for work orders in printing companies with proper ink management with using of ink mixing stations and without such an approach.

The author chose not to refer to a specific printing house due to sensitive data which could potentially identify the company where the author worked and signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

When comparing the time required for the PMS inks mixing process and the inks checking during the printing process, it seems that 39% of production time for the 8000-m work order was consumed on ink preparation and correction on the press. This means that 39% of the manufacturing time for an 8000- meter work order was overused. If the ink management system were at an optimal level (as shown in the improved column in Table 1), the time consumed for an 8000- meter order would be sufficient for a 11,120- meter work order. This is a significant amount of additional printed products. In addition to the substantial time savings from using a proper ink management system, there is also a considerable reduction in ink consumption when the PMS inks are prepared accordingly the formula (1).

Table 1 also illustrates that ink corrections and PMS ink mixing take up the biggest portion of the whole printing process activities time, accounting for 39% of the time. From a practical point of view (based on experience), when there are multiple PMS colors across different works orders, this time can even double. This assumes that there are enormous potential resources for developing proper ink logistics management and services in printing companies.

An additional OEE analysis was performed on the above simulation. According to the parameters with the parameters listed in Table 1, the baseline scenario presents the worst situation, where the printer needs to mix two inks itself. For this scenario, the OEE calculation was poor, achieving only 18%, which is a very low level. However, in the context of printing, OEE parameters rarely reach 85%⁶.

Next, OEE was calculated for the improved simulation, where inks were prepared by the separate workstation and the printer received the proper inks. The OEE value improved, as shown in Table 2, but still reached only 38%, which is far from the 85% standard of World Class Manufacturing. However, this simulation demonstrates potential for improvement. Following the OEEE approach, the standard OEE plus Environmental Sustainability (ES) parameter will be calculated. To calculate the environmental sustainability parameter, the following parameters were considered: reduced source materials such as inks, substrates, and energy. These were then divided by all materials used per shift, according to the following formula (2), based on¹³:

$$ES=\frac{Finishedproductconsumption[substrate|inks|energy]}{Totalmaterialsused[substrate|inks|energy]}$$ 2

Table 2.

Parameters for OEE calculations.

Production data	Baseline	Improved
Shift length	8 h = 480 min	8 h = 480 min
Short breaks	4 × 5 = 20 min	8 × 5 = 40 min
Meal break	15 min	15 min
Downtime	120 min	30 min
Printing speed	100 m/minute	100 m/minute
Total printed	9600 m	16,800 m
Rejected	1600 m	800 m

Support variables	Baseline	Improved
Production time	445 min	425 min
Operating time	325 min	395 min
Good products	8000 m	16,000 m

Based on the selected formula (2), Environmental Sustainability was calculated as the finished product printed in a unit of time (in this example, one shift = 480 min, but it can be computed for the unit of measure) in functional units (meters), per total materials used (meters). According to this, calculations for Environmental Sustainability based on the substrate used were as follows:

$${\text{For the baseline calculation}:ES}_b=\frac{8000}{9600}\times \frac{11.9}{17.9}\times \frac{98.5}{176.5}=31.0\%$$

$${\text{For the improved calculation}:ES}_i=\frac{16000}{16800}\times \frac{14.3}{15.0}\times \frac{198}{223}=80.6\%$$

For this calculation, the finished product consumption was divided per total resources used, which include substrate, inks, and energy. The calculation for each source used were shown in the following paragraph.

Substrate use was expressed in net meters per work order. For the baseline calculation ES_b, the finished product consumption was 8000 m, and the total substrate use was 9600 m gross. For the improved calculation (ES_i), the net work order quantity was 16,000 m, as it can be printed twice more in the same unit of time. Importantly, the total materials used for the improved calculation were 16,800 m gross, which is significantly less than in the baseline calculation. This indicates that the improved calculation work order could be printed with much less waste. Ink use was expressed in kilograms. In the baseline calculation, difference between 11.9 and 17.9 kg is wastage due to preparation and mixing of inks without a proper ink management system (handled by the press operators, not skilled ink mixing workers). So, in the improved calculation, the total consumption of inks was reduced to 15.0 kg for a 16,800 m work order, compared to the baseline calculation of 17.9 kg for a 9600 m work order. It demonstrates that proper ink management system in the printing company have huge influence on leveraging of ink wastage.

Energy consumption, expressed in kWh, was based on a simulation, where different energy consumption was calculated for different stages of printing press use. Usage of energy by printing presses was based mostly by ink curing systems. In this calculation, UV inks were chosen and UV curing systems at each unit of printing press along their cooling systems, were the main energy consumers.

Finally, the environmental sustainability calculation for the baseline scenario was at 31.0%, whereas the improved scenario showed a significantly higher 80.6% (than in the baseline scenario). This substantial increase highlights the effectiveness of the improved ink management system in enhancing environmental sustainability.

For this calculation, variable energy usage data was taken from the press, separately for the setup and preparation for print and the general printing process. Analysing the results of both the calculated ES parameter and the total OEEE clearly shows that adding the ES parameter to the OEE significantly impacts the final score (OEEE). Even if the OEE parameter reaches 85%, an Environmental Sustainability level of less than 50% can worsen the total OEEE result. Thus, it is important to use resources like substrate, inks, and energy in a more sustainable and reasonable manner, as a low value of the Environmental Sustainability index will negatively influence the Overall Equipment Effectiveness. In this example, both OEE parameters were the worst outputs, but the baseline changed from 18% to around 6%. This represents a 69% decrease in comparison to the improved scenario (from 38 to 30%) resulting in a 19% loss when using the proposed sustainability factor.

Having the above-mentioned calculations for the baseline and improved scenarios, the total OEEE will be computed based on the parameters listed in Table 2, and the effects of these calculations are listed in Table 3.

Table 3.

OEEE calculations for the baseline and improved scenarios.

OEE factor	Baseline	Improved	Change
Availability	73.0%	92.9%	27.3%
Performance	29.5%	42.5%	44.0%
Quality	83.3%	95.2%	14.3%
Total OEE	18.0%	37.7%	109.4%
Environmental sustainability	31.0%	80.6%	160.4%
Total OEEE	5.6%	30.4%	445.2%
OEE to OEEE change	− 69.0%	− 19.4%

Source: own elaboration.

Based on the above analyses, the authors have stated that a proper ink management system in the printing company might affect many key areas (efficiency, quality, environment and social) as listed below (Table 4).

Table 4.

Key areas corresponding with the proper ink management.

Efficiency	Quality	Environment	Social
Increase of overall equipment effectiveness	Repeatability	Energy saving	Labour satisfaction
Increase in company revenue	Reproducibility	Less ink consumption	Less stressful work in the printer's workplace
Reduction of process downtime (ink mixing & correction)	Less colour claims	Less ink leftovers storage	New workplaces in the ink mixing stations
Less total materials usage	Increase of Customer satisfaction	Saving on the consumption of printing substrates

Source: own elaboration.

In terms of efficiency, the well-known manufacturing metric OEE can be improved, as demonstrated by this example. Better OEE and reduction of process downtime positively impacted company revenue²³, and allowed for less total materials usage³³. In quality, improved OEE can lead to better repeatability and reproducibility, which are highly valuated by the customers and result in fewer color claims and an increased overall customer satisfaction.

From an environmental perspective, the positive aspects translate to reduced total resource consumption. Socially, the most significant benefits include increased labor satisfaction and a less stressful work environment for the printers.

Discussion and conclusion

The article presents the results of diagnostic studies based on the printing and packaging companies. From the analysis performed, the proper ink management in printing and packaging companies is essential for achieving sustainability goals, including reduced ink waste, lower consumption of printing substrates, and decreased energy use.

Implementing an efficient ink management system can reduce the amount of ink required for color preparation by 52%. This significant reduction leads to substantial cost savings on raw materials, directly lowering production expenses. Achieving a 37% reduction in energy consumption through optimized ink dispensing and improved operational processes results in lower energy costs. This contributes to overall economic sustainability by decreasing the financial burden of energy expenditures.

The proper ink management in printing houses can significantly enhance operational efficiency, quality, environmental impact, and social aspects. Proper ink management reduces downtime and inefficiencies in the printing process, leading to increased productivity. This allows printing companies to handle more work orders in less time, boosting revenue and improving profit margins.

With respect to social issues, it meets sustainable demands by providing compostable and lower-weight packaging for consumers and improving food preservation. Consumers increasingly prefer environmentally friendly products, and fulfilling this demand enhances brand reputation and customer loyalty. Proper ink management ensures consistent color quality and reduces defects, leading to better-quality packaging products. Additionally, working conditions are improved by reducing the physical strain on employees and creating a less stressful work environment.

The scientific basis for OEEE lies in its comprehensive approach to environmental assessment, utilizing established metrics and models from environmental science to quantify efficiency and impact. This indicator treated as a comprehensive environmental assessment involves integrating diverse stakeholder perspectives and a wide range of environmental data to support decision-making processes³⁴. The calculation of OEEE integrates the principles of OEE with environmental impact factors. OEE traditionally measures the efficiency of manufacturing equipment by accounting for availability, performance, and quality^35,36. To extend this to OEEE, the authors incorporated environmental performance indicators such as energy consumption, material usage. OEEE builds on the established OEE methodology, enhancing it with additional environmental performance indicators. This approach is supported by recent research in sustainable manufacturing and environmental impact assessment^37,38.

Comparing the results from OEEE with other tools, it becomes evident that OEEE provides a unique combination of operational and environmental performance metrics, which is not available in tools like LCA, ISO 14,001, and EPI. LCA, broadened to include life cycle costing and social LCA is time-consuming and complex, making it less practical for continuous operational assessment³⁹. OEEE, on the other hand, integrates environmental performance directly with operational efficiency, offering a more dynamic and practical tool for comprehensive assessment.

The EPI is useful for policy analysis and national comparisons but is not applicable at the operational level assessment^40–42. In this case, the OEEE provides detailed assessments of equipment performance and its environmental impact within industrial processes⁴³. The primary advantage of EIA is its comprehensive scope, which considers a wide array of environmental and social impacts.

However, EIA's extensive process can be a limitation, as it may delay project timelines and incur significant costs.

In contrast, OEEE's focus on equipment-level performance might not capture the broader environmental impacts measured by tools such as EIA, which consider firms' adoption of environmental actions and social impacts⁴⁴. EIA relies on continuous monitoring, reassessment, and enforcement throughout the project's lifespan⁴⁴. However, it is not as comprehensive as LCA, which in turn offers a more thorough evaluation of a project's environmental impacts over its entire lifecycle. The ink management system in a modern label printing house poses many new challenges to today's organizations. On the one hand, an organization that can efficiently take advantage of the opportunities offered by the current market of machinery and equipment intended for resource management in a packaging company may significantly increase its competitiveness through efficiency in the rational and economical use of raw materials. On the other hand, any economical and rational approach to the consumption of raw materials is strongly correlated with the philosophy of Lean Manufacturing. The issues of logistics and the supply chain in the context of the packaging industry pose new challenges for modern organizations because it is not enough to just produce. Printing companies must produce well, preferably the first time, meeting the customer's quality requirements. But above all, what counts is production with rational cost management, which is extremely difficult to achieve without the use of modern solutions, such as automatic systems managing the distribution of inks in the printing house.

According to the Smithers report, the package printing market was estimated to be worth $473.7 billion in 2022 and will reach $551.3 billion by 2027 with a growth rate of 3.1%⁴⁵. The report reveals that in all printing techniques, flexography was the largest process of printed packaging in 2022 and will remain the largest up until 2027, growing at a rate of 2.4%⁴⁵.

These data clearly show how valuable the printed packaging market is and will continue to be in the near future. Therefore, it is crucial to implement the developed proper ink management system to increase competitiveness, as demonstrated in this research.

Costs were not considered due to the high level of variability over time, depending on the type of inks used (UV, water-based solvent) or substrate type, manufacturer, and other characteristics.

While this article does not include a detailed financial analysis and long-term environmental benefits, it is evident that long-term cost savings are a key benefit of an efficient ink management system. Reduced material waste and lower energy consumption directly translate into cost savings. By minimizing the need for excess ink and reducing the energy required for production, companies can significantly lower their operational expenses. Additionally, efficient resource management can lead to fewer inventory issues and better procurement strategies, further contributing to cost savings over time.

The long-term environmental benefits of implementing an ink management system are substantial. By reducing ink waste and optimizing energy usage, companies can decrease their carbon footprint and environmental impact. This aligns with the growing emphasis on sustainable practices within the industry and meets the increasing demand for environmentally friendly products from consumers.

Printing companies can also monitor trends in organizational operations and prepare for changes by using the ink management system as a key aspect of sustainability practices. Companies that adopt sustainable practices, such as efficient ink management, can gain a competitive edge in the market. They can offer high-quality products at lower costs, attracting more customers and increasing market share.

Future directions

Having achieved results and increasing environmental awareness, the authors intend to propose pillar-based ambitions for achieving sustainability in the printing sector. These key converters' dimensions consisting of Extended Producer Responsibility, Responsibly Used Printing Products, Responsible Management, Environmentally Conscious Impact and Designed for smart ink logistics are treated as triggers to convert into smart printing (Fig. 3).

Figure 3.

Future converters for sustainable printing.

Source: own elaboration.

In order to achieve sustainability needs, these four dimensions interpenetrate mutually. Right ink management will help printer manufacturers further lower the amount of ink used, its environmental impact on equipment, disposal costs, while creating value for a more sustainable printing environment.

The Extended Producer Responsibility converter will be focused on ethical policies related to social concerns (human rights, transparency in the supplier selection process), the implementation of green practices for carbon treatment, and waste management, recycling, and monitoring. The core focus will be to provide a comprehensive sustainable evaluation of responsible suppliers for the purpose of ensuring uniform standards across print-related material supply chains.

The design of printing products based on bio-renewable materials (utilising non-fossil fuel based raw materials) will lead to the development of new sustainable ink formulations that avoid damage to the environment. Environmentally Conscious Impact will concentrate on opportunities to design materials which are recycled as efficiently as possible, minimalizing the impact on both the environment and consumers.

By means of technologies already in use today these efforts can be supported as environmentally conscious operations. However, investment in more smart technologies for managing ink logistics can save the amount of ink, energy utilized, reduce operating & maintenance costs, as well causing an increase in OEE. Smartly IoT-based Designed technology allows ink to be easily handled. Using smart technologies, the efficiency of ink management can be improved by accurately measuring out the appropriate amount of raw material and delivering its real-time data.

The limitation of this research is that it concentrates on just one company; for this reason, the results have shown an uneven distribution of data. Further research should be carried out on a larger research sample.

Implications

There are practical implications of the OEEE application for supporting operational excellence on several strategically selected production lines in a manufacturing plant³³. The main outcomes from this paper have been that the significant time losses (an average of 33% time could be saved) were found to be related to changeover, order change, and raw material loading.

The proper ink management system explained in this paper could be a good manufacturing practice for all printing companies, not only for flexographic printing but also for other printing techniques. This approach is especially beneficial for small and medium enterprises, which have less investing feasibility and can bring them huge savings in time, materials, and energy consuming through this method.

Today, with the rapid digital transformation occurring across many sectors, the ability of printing manufacturers to adapt to dynamic changes has become a challenge for the printing sector. When sustainability and its corresponding methods are combined with digital technology, manufacturers can reduce waste and energy consumption in the printing process while significantly lowering environmental impact with the highest returns. These changes also might support the customer/supplier journey in achieving their sustainability objectives and introduce improvements through the implementation of technology connectivity, configuration of preparation time, and an ink waste reduction program to stimulate their operational efficiency. The application of the OEEE can ensure an eco-efficient shift towards more sustainable methods in the printing sector. Using the OEEE for defining sustainable performance extends the collection of available sustainable assessment methods and contributes to theoretical implications. With smart technologies, remote management of ink logistics creates opportunities for precise ink dosing through IoT-based sensors, significantly reducing ink material usage. This contributes to an unbiased discussion of digital/smart technology in printing manufacturing and lays the groundwork for differentiated impact assessments related to sustainability.

The presented results suggest that integrating disruptive technologies in the print business presents an opportunity to address concepts like Industry 4.0, sustainability, and operational efficiency.

Author contributions

K.K. and A.K. created the concept of the manuscript. K.K. and A.K. wrote the main manuscript text, A.K. prepared Figs. 1 and 3, and K.K. prepared Fig. 2. Tables 1 and 2 were prepared by K.K., and Table 3 was prepared by K.K. and A.K. W.W.—paper supervisor. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Data availability

All data generated and analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.