IPMA Report: How Vendors Are Supporting In-plants with AI

By Elisha Kasinskas

Elisha Kasinskas (right) moderated the panel discussion on AI featuring (from left): Ricoh's Heather Willovit, Konica Minolta's Dr. Mark Bohan, and Canon's Bob Barbera. | Photo courtesy Sam Lauersdorf Photography

The conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) in printing has evolved from buzzword to business reality. At the recent IPMA Educational Conference, I moderated a panel discussion with representatives from Canon USA, Konica Minolta, and Ricoh.

These vendors are developing AI solutions that address the real challenges in-plant managers face daily: staffing limitations, color consistency, predictive maintenance, and workflow efficiency.

AI Applications Reshaping Production Workflows

The most impactful AI implementations in production print fall into several key categories, each addressing specific operational pain points.

Predictive Maintenance and Self-Diagnostics represent perhaps the most mature AI applications currently available. Konica Minolta's Dr. Mark Bohan explained how the company’s systems leverage inline scanning technology and color analysis to automatically evaluate print quality in real-time.

"When we've got print defects, normally it's like, 'Okay, we need to call the service technician.' What this is built to do is go up into the cloud, and we can then automatically self-correct on the machine [for specific defects]," Bohan noted. Early adopters report service call reductions of approximately 60% for those issues, he said, with the added benefit that when technicians do visit, they arrive armed with complete diagnostic information for first-time fixes.

The AI panelists (from left): Ricoh's Heather Willovit, Konica Minolta's Dr. Mark Bohan, and Canon's Bob Barbera. | Photo courtesy Sam Lauersdorf Photography

Automated Color Management addresses one of the most technical challenges in-plant operators face. Canon's imagePRESS solutions with inline spectrophotometers use intelligent automation technology to automate the color calibration and verification process. Ricoh's Auto Color Adjuster eliminates the traditional manual process of printing patches, reading them, and making iterative adjustments.

Natural Language Processing is introducing game-changing workflow automation through Fiery Scribe, available through Ricoh's partnership with EFI. As Ricoh's Heather Willovit explained, "Fiery Scribe … will take [an] email, push it straight into the Command WorkStation, actually put the properties, put everything you need into it, and push it into the command conversation for output." This technology directly addresses the repetitive nature of in-plant work, where similar jobs are frequently reordered.

Computer Vision for Embellishment has enabled sophisticated registration and quality control for specialty applications. Konica Minolta's AI-powered systems can perform full-page scanning to register embellishments to images while learning and adapting sheet-to-sheet. They can even optimize optics for better metallic reflection, ensuring consistent quality across challenging applications.

The room was packed for the AI discussion. | Photo courtesy Sam Lauersdorf Photography

Tailoring AI for In-plant Needs

The AI priorities for in-plants differ significantly from those of commercial printers, primarily due to resource constraints and operational focus. In-plants often operate with smaller teams wearing multiple hats.

This reality makes automation particularly valuable for in-plants. As Konica Minolta's Bohan noted, "We're trying to make things as easy as possible for your staff. We want to take out those non-value-added steps. We're leveraging the AI and that technology so your employees can focus on value-added work."

Ricoh's Heather Willovit (left) described Fiery Scribe.

Ricoh's Willovit reinforced this theme: "We really understand how in-plants need automation because of limited resources and the repetitive nature of your work. That redundancy in workflow needs to be automated. That's the key with AI—automating the redundancy."

Brand management represents another area where in-plant AI needs diverge from commercial printing. As brand stewards for their organizations, in-plants benefit more from AI tools that support brand consistency and compliance than from systems optimized for diverse client work.

However, in-plants face unique implementation challenges. Many operate in security-restricted environments where cloud connectivity is limited or prohibited. The panelists acknowledged this reality, with Canon's Barbera noting, "The challenge, I think, for some in-plants could be: how are you going to be able to access some of these online-type platforms that are really going to provide the AI feedback."

Data-Driven Benchmarking and Optimization

Behind the scenes, vendors are building comprehensive data lakes from production information across their install bases. Konica Minolta has created systems that connect all processes within print environments, using AI to assess machine performance and become more predictive and proactive in customer support.

Elisha Kasinskas (right) moderated the panel discussion on AI featuring (from left): Ricoh's Heather Willovit, Konica Minolta's Dr. Mark Bohan, and Canon's Bob Barbera.

Ricoh's Predictive Insight provides benchmarking capabilities through data analytics and visualization, giving operators understanding of their entire environment. As Willovit explained, "Whether you're running a single site, a multi-site, or a holistic site with a mix of equipment, that data allows you to drill down and pull out what matters."

The Adoption Challenge

Despite significant vendor investment in AI-powered tools, adoption rates remain surprisingly low. Willovit highlighted this concerning trend: "I know … [there’s] research showing only 25% of print shops have data analytic dashboards for their presses and production. We're investing a lot into this. We'll continue to enhance it, add more AI, and give you more feedback. We're doing it for you—so please use it."

Many AI-enhanced features are already embedded in production systems, waiting to be activated and utilized. The challenge isn't technological—it's organizational awareness and change management.

Looking Ahead: AI as Strategic Enabler

The ultimate goal of AI in in-plant operations isn't to replace human operators but to transform them into strategic decision-makers. Ricoh's Willovit emphasized this vision: "If I had to say anything about what AI is doing today, it's really transforming operators into strategic decision-makers. AI is going to assist you. It's going to help you be a strategic decision-maker and make your job more capable of doing bigger, broader, and better things inside the production environment."

Elisha Kasinskas (right) moderated the panel discussion on AI featuring (from left): Ricoh's Heather Willovit, Konica Minolta's Dr. Mark Bohan, and Canon's Bob Barbera.

Canon's Barbera offered a more pragmatic perspective: "Don't get caught up in the glamour of the AI buzz. Look at what we're actually doing—what we're trying to provide to make your life easier, more efficient, and more productive in the future."

Konica Minolta's Bohan focused on the democratization aspect: "For us, it's about supporting our customers—helping them utilize machines to the best of their capabilities, removing unnecessary tasks, and getting rid of obstacles. That way, you become much more embedded into operations."

The most successful AI implementations will be those that operators don't even notice—systems working seamlessly in the background to maintain quality, predict needs, and optimize workflows.

Ricoh's Heather Willovit (left) makes a point during the panel discussion, which also featured Konica Minolta's Dr. Mark Bohan, and Canon's Bob Barbera.

For in-plant managers considering AI adoption, the message from these leading vendors is clear: the technology is ready and practical solutions are available now. The question is whether in-plants are ready to embrace the intelligent automation that can transform their operations.

The IPMA 2025 conference was filled with useful sessions like this. We’ll bring you more session highlights in the days ahead. Here is some of our additional conference coverage:

AI session participants (from left): Bob Barbera, Heather Willovit, Elisha Kasinskas, and Dr. Mark Bohan.

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Elisha Kasinskas Author's page

Elisha Kasinskas is an award-winning software and high-tech marketer. She has worked in Marketing, Product Management, Sales, Lead Generation, and Communications in a variety of industries. Most recently, she was in the print and mail industry for fifteen years for BCC and RSA.

Kasinskas holds an RIT MBA and a BS, Marketing from Radford University. She is a frequent moderator for print industry speaking sessions, a blogger, and launched Distinctive Chameleon Marketing in 2024. The consultancy offers strategic marketing services to firms who want to increase leads, grow sales and customer retention, and elevate their firms through marketing.