Steinebach/Sieg, 11.09.2026 (PresseBox) - Like many other industries, the printing and packaging industry is facing pressure from several directions. A challenging macroeconomic climate, fierce international competition, rising labour, energy and operating costs and growing demands for faster delivery and higher quality are all adding to the cost pressure. At the same time, demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers are making it increasingly difficult to maintain the necessary staffing levels. To overcome these challenges, companies need to become more efficient and flexible. However, the traditional optimisation measures in the business toolbox are often no longer enough. After all, the transformations ahead often demand nothing less than a fundamental rethink of manufacturing. It all comes down to one word: Automation.

Automation as a strategic competitive factor

While automation was long seen as something limited to new equipment at large companies, it is becoming increasingly relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as for their existing production facilities. Automation does not necessarily mean fully automated production. Often, tailor-made partial automation in selected areas and standardised processes are enough to increase productivity, reduce error rates and relieve the burden on employees.

Automation in existing facilities: from a patchwork to a seamless system

While the benefits of automation are clear, it is often less clear how to implement it in practice within one's own operation. In most cases, production is not a continuous system from start to finish. Instead, it is usually a combination of different production systems from various manufacturers and different generations that have evolved over time and operate alongside one another and in sequence. This is the experience of Valentino Parisi from Krifft & Zipsner GmbH. Based in Steinebach/Sieg, the company develops and manufactures solutions in the fields of intralogistics, system integration and control systems for production automation. "Our customers want to automate their production and turn it into a continuous, seamless process. However, they repeatedly face the question of how to implement this in practice: What is actually economically feasible? Which levels can be addressed? Where do you start? And how can existing facilities be upgraded while keeping downtime as short as possible?"

Material flow is usually the crucial factor for efficiency

When looking at such production systems, which have evolved over time, and their processes as a whole, it frequently becomes clear that material flow is a bottleneck and the limiting factor. This is because machines often operate faster than intralogistics, while manual transport causes waiting times and downtime. Creating a continuous, demand-driven material flow through automation usually significantly increases efficiency and flexibility.

The crucial preparatory work for this is the optimised planning of processes and material flows in manufacturing. "Redesigning these processes requires a great deal of experience. Our outside perspective also helps us identify new approaches and opportunities," reports Florian Nitschke from Krifft & Zipsner. "To automate parts of these complex processes, we are currently developing a tool that can simulate manufacturing processes and show the impact of changes. This also allows us to identify and eliminate bottlenecks."

Implementing automation level by level and step by step

To implement automation step by step while minimising its impact on production, Krifft & Zipsner divides the project into different levels:

Logistics components: The first level is the hardware for material flow. Krifft & Zipsner relies on solutions manufactured in-house - such as pile turners, conveyor technology and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) - as well as automation solutions from other providers.

System integration: The second level involves integrating the material flow and production machines into a functioning overall system.

Control: The final step is installing a material flow control system for the entire intralogistics system. This allows all processes and systems from different manufacturers to be monitored and controlled in real time from a single instance, with data also being transferred to other IT systems.

This creates an integrated, flexible and scalable overall system. The transformation does not have to happen in a single step; it can be implemented gradually to avoid prolonged production interruptions.

For example, individual process steps can initially be digitalised. In the next stage, the production systems are networked. The AGVs are then integrated. Finally, integrating a material flow control system creates a seamless digital system.

This makes the approach particularly suitable for automating existing facilities. 

Conclusion: automation secures competitiveness and is achievable

For the vast majority of companies, there is no way around automation, as the printing and packaging industry will continue to face skilled labour shortages and cost pressures in the years ahead. By taking a gradual approach and upgrading existing facilities, production interruptions can be kept to a minimum and the return on investment (ROI) optimised. What matters here is a holistic view of production and intralogistics. Automation does not stop at the machine itself: only the interplay of production equipment, conveyor technology and automated guided vehicles enables an efficient, future-proof material flow.

Krifft & Zipsner provides more in-depth information on this topic in this brochure.