PrintIT issue48

28 PRINT.IT 01732 759725 2018 PREVIEW ...continued automatically converted to many different file types that can then be sent straight from the device to a number of destinations. Ben Gaston, sales director, Toshiba TEC Far-reaching innovations, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are unfolding in virtually every technology sector around the globe, continuing to change the way consumers, businesses and machines interact, while spurring on the next revolution in technology growth. There will be continued expansion of AI into data and document-focused processes in order to automate repetitive tasks, glean intelligence from these tasks to inform business decisions, and remove burden from skilled workers so that they can more actively participate in the development of their businesses. Toshiba TEC enjoyed some major success in this area during 2017 and the more we apply dynamic, self-learning AI to our innovations, the more we have found our customers being given new freedom to be creative in support of their operational objectives. Shaun Wilkinson, MD, UTAX (UK) Ltd The end-user’s drive towards complete solutions over one-off product purchases continues to grow, largely driven by customer demands for enhanced flexibility and their desire to benefit from new technologies. This is resulting in the potential of MFPs being realised and their full functionality being utilised, especially via the use of dedicated apps. Successful partners are those that offer holistic solutions that provide integration between workplace IT, developing technologies (such as the cloud) and new ways of working, including BYOD. Partners will need to be adept at implementing and managing the issues that follow in areas including digital workflows and security, which will be a major talking point given the GDPR compliance deadline in May and ongoing headline-making data breaches. Phil Jones MBE, managing director, Brother UK Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being utilised by businesses in the form of automated software, which drives machine learning. We’ve seen a proliferation of this in customer support and audit environments, and this will be bolstered following the Chancellor’s commitment in the Autumn Budget to invest millions in the UK’s AI capabilities. As the technology continues to mature and become increasingly sophisticated, more processes will be automated. It is smart investments in this type of AI that can deliver real results for businesses in 2018. Jamie Brothwell, print general manager, Exertis With huge advancements in the BYOD culture born out of home and remote working policies, I believe there will be a greater need to accommodate users to enable printing on demand in multiple environments, both in a working and social environment. As a distributor we must work with our partners to understand new innovations and provide appropriate solutions. Michele Mabilia, senior product marketing manager, OKI Systems (UK) Ltd Further moves forward in print and data security, with enhanced software solutions to help protect the data flow. Pete Pearce, product & applications marketing manager, Canon UK In the wide-format and graphic arts market, LED curing will become even more widespread as mercury vapour lamps are nearing the end of their life due to a change in European legislation. The pace of change in the print industry is fast and there are numerous opportunities for growth. One avenue is book publishing, which digital printing is having a significant impact on. Jason Cort, director of product planning and marketing, Sharp Europe We can expect to see the continued development of AI in document management, for example, in accelerated workflow processing, content search and data extraction. The real innovation will lie in how AI and connected devices are applied together in the working environment to create intelligent virtual and physical offices. Sharp has an R&D office dedicated to exploring how a combination of AI and IoT, which we call AIoT, can connect and control office devices and systems to save you time. In Japan, we are starting to see the first prototypes and concepts from this. Eric Crump, director of strategic alliances, Ringdale Technology continues to move at an extremely fast pace, and we are seeing artificial intelligence and robotics starting to influence the output management space. Less well known technologies, such as quantum computing, are quickly becoming hot topics, although it is unlikely that quantum computing will be featured in any output management product or solution any time soon. Shaun Wilkinson Jonathan Whitworth As AI continues to mature and becomes increasingly sophisticated, more processes will be automated Sharp is exploring how a combination of AI and IoT can be used to control office devices Technology that can reduce reliance on paper, like this Brother scanner, will help businesses improve the efficiency of their work processes