Siegwerk Smart Color

Researching the printing market for open process-related problems

CUSTOMER

Siegwerk

SECTOR

Druck

webSITE

http://www.siegwerk.com

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FOCUS

Productivity

·

Optimization

Prozess

01

Research &
Interviews

We analysed market needs, customer problems and developed a business model.

02

Feature scope
& wireframes

Defining high-priority functions in collaboration with stakeholders and creating wireframes

03

MVP design
& development

Design of a user-friendly interface, and development of the backend.

04

Entwicklung & Markteinführung

Introduction of the MVPs with pilot customers whose feedback was used for product refinement and function validation.

ProCess

01

Recherche &
Business Model

Wir analysierten Marktbedürfnisse, Kundenprobleme und entwickelten ein Geschäftsmodell.

02

Feature Scope
& Wireframes

Definition von High-Priority Funktionen in Zusammenarbeit mit Stakeholdern und Erstellung von Wireframes

03

MVP Design
& Entwicklung

Design einer benutzerfreundlichen Oberfläche, und Entwicklung des Backends.

04

Rollout
& Kundenfeedback

Einführung des MVPs mit Pilotkunden, deren Feedback zur Produktverfeinerung und Funktionsvalidierung genutzt wurde.

ProCESS

01

Initial research

User and stakeholder research through the use of personas, user journey maps, and interviews.

02

Business modeling

Definition of value creation, business model and planning.

03

Scope & prototyping

Defining the feature set for the MVP, specifying the functionality, and collecting feedback

04

Technical feasibility

Technical feasibility, cost assessment and implementation planning

PROCESS

01

User interviews

Conducting interviews with experts to identify pain points in manual workflows

02

Prototyping

Design of the first prototypes to validate the concept

03

Usability testing

Conducting interviews to collect feedback and identify issues

04

Implementation

Develop an MVP and publish it for the first user to collect feedback

Challenges

Siegwerk, a globally active manufacturer of printing inks, approached us with the concept of developing a digital solution for its customers - printers - to predict and optimize the final color results when printing flexible packaging. Given the complexity of the industry and the variety of players involved, validating the viability of this product required a comprehensive investigation of potential opportunities that went beyond evaluating the immediate solution fit.

✖ Color deviation

Despite pre-saved settings and carefully mixed ink, the printed color often does not match the proof/reference, so extensive adjustments are required.

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✕ Time-consuming testing

Printers spend a lot of time using a spectrophotometer, adjusting press settings, and experimenting with color recipes to achieve the desired color result.
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✕ Increased costs

Trial and error consumes costly resources such as ink, paper, and time and affects overall profitability.

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✕ Low efficiency

Managers are struggling to increase production speeds without sacrificing quality, resulting in missing opportunities to process additional orders.

Solution

✓ Precise colors through intelligent algorithms

Based on the data collected, the solution calculates the best possible recommendations for print and ink settings. It takes into account variables such as changes to the amount of ink, updates to the ink composition and printing parameters.

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✓ Intelligent suggestions and real-time visualization of results

Based on the data collected, ColorFit calculates the best possible recommendations for press and ink settings. It creates a 3D representation of the color gamut in real time, allowing operators to see how adjustments to ink viscosity or press speed will affect the final color output.

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✓ Data-driven optimization and automation

As soon as the color output matches the proof, SmartColor automatically updates the settings in the ink supply systems and formulation software, reducing manual effort, saving time and conserving resources.

We really enjoyed the team's flexible and collaborative way of working, which enabled us to quickly adapt the project plan to new findings. In the end, the team provided well-founded recommendations with an actionable approach for our future innovation efforts.

Jens Adrio

Head of corporate development at Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA