Offset Printing

Energy efficiency in printing and packaging production

Thursday 13. October 2022 - In future Koenig & Bauer will be supporting its customers all over the world with a digital, scalable solution for saving energy and cutting costs: the press manufacturer has developed an energy management system specially optimised for the printing and packaging industry.

Global climate change, scarce resources and high energy prices speak a clear language: sustainable action is not only a question of social responsibility, but also a highly relevant economic factor. In future Koenig & Bauer will be supporting its customers all over the world with a digital, scalable solution for saving energy and cutting costs: the press manufacturer has developed an energy management system specially optimised for the printing and packaging industry.
Sustainability as a social challenge
Koenig & Bauer, together with the manufacturing companies in the graphic arts industry, has a great deal of leverage in making print products sustainable. “Sustainability is the biggest challenge of our time,” emphasises Dr Andreas Pleßke, Koenig & Bauer board spokesman. “As a company with a history stretching back over 200 years, we naturally also bear responsibility for future generations.” In addition to developing energy-efficient presses, Koenig & Bauer has for many years been focusing on environmentally friendly consumables in the printing process and biodegradable substrates. To reduce the carbon footprint, however, it is worth taking a look at the energy requirements of the entire production site – from production to building technology.
Energy savings through digital solutions
Today, digital technologies make it possible to record and visualise energy consumption and realise potential savings. Koenig & Bauer’s new energy management system consistently optimises these functions to meet the requirements of the printing and packaging industry, but can also be used in other areas. The core component is the VisuEnergy X energy management system, which automatically transfers recorded meter data into clear, customisable dashboards. VisuEnergy X analyses the consumption of all recorded press supplies as a function of print output and thus determines, for example, a job-related key figure for energy consumption per 1,000 printed sheets. The system can be expanded beyond energy data to include production-relevant parameters such as temperature and humidity.
The three product components of Koenig & Bauer’s energy management – the automated recording of measurement data, the visualisation of the results and the measures derived from them, combined with professional energy consulting – enable more efficient production. “With VisuEnergy X, our customers achieve sustainable energy savings of 7 to 10 per cent on average – usually realised from the first year,” says Michael Billa, Product Owner Digitalisation at Koenig & Bauer.
Product launch starts immediately
As a SaaS solution (Software-as-a-Service), Koenig & Bauer sells energy management on a subscription basis. The roll-out starts immediately and covers the DACH region in a first step, the worldwide product launch will follow at the beginning of 2023. The system is certified according to DIN ISO 50001 and eligible for funding in Germany by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA).
The energy management system is the first market-ready product developed by a new digital unit at Koenig & Bauer. The press manufacturer is thus underscoring its claim to support its customers on the path to greater sustainability and efficiency through digital solutions. This follows a clear plan: sustainability and digitalisation are two of the three core elements that Koenig & Bauer places in the focus of entrepreneurial action with its corporate strategy “Exceeding Print” – and thus unites the biggest challenge and the biggest driver of our time.