Operator dependency
Critical process entirely managed by staff subject to high turnover.
Analytical Case Study
INKFILLER: automation of the ink management process
How Pegasus (South Africa) fully automated ink management, achieving ROI in 8 months and complete control over consumption.
Advanced automation, with one critical weak point.
In 2018, Pegasus operated with a high level of automation, but with a strong contradiction: ink refilling on the printers was still manual.
Ink was managed in 5-liter jerry-cans, poured directly by operators into the machines. In a context of high staff turnover, this process became unstable, error-prone, inefficient.
In a modern factory with automated processes, manual ink refilling was an obvious anomaly.
Automating the last manual process.
The problem was not just operational, but structural: in a modern factory with automated processes, keeping ink refilling in manual mode was a contradiction hard to justify.
Errors, hidden waste and no visibility on real consumption per machine or color.
Hidden waste
About 1% residue per 5-liter jerry-can, continuous, invisible loss.
No visibility
No real control over consumption by printer or color.
The diagnosis: the problem is the model, not the operator.
The key question from the factory general manager Thys van Emmenis was simple: «Can this be automated too?»
The answer came from Italy, where I-TECH had already developed a dedicated system. After a data analysis and a direct visit to two Italian plants, the diagnosis was clear: the problem isn’t management, it’s the manual system. Automation is the only effective, scalable solution.
| Parameter | Previous solution | New solution |
|---|---|---|
| Refilling | Manual (5L jerry-cans) | Automatic (1000L IBC) |
| Errors | Frequent | Zero |
| Consumption visibility | None | Per machine and color |
| Maintenance | Continuous | Minimal (fewer filters) |
| Clean workshop | Difficult | Constant |
INKFILLER: automatic refilling and total control.
INKFILLER is a system designed to fully automate ink refilling on digital printers.
A paradigm shift (not just technological but operational) integrating automation, consumption monitoring and new ink logistics.
-
Full automation
Complete elimination of manual ink loading.
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1,000-liter IBC
Replacement of 5-liter jerry-cans with industrial containers.
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PIM system
Advanced consumption monitoring per printer and single color.
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Clean ink
Reduced contamination and clogging, more stable print quality.
From uncertainty to full trust, and then to international scale.
The main obstacle wasn’t technical, it was logistical: «Will it really work on the other side of the world?».
Thys van Emmenis decides to verify in person: he visits plants in Italy, talks to technicians and operators, watches the system run. The result is clear: the system not only works, it’s become indispensable.
A second challenge follows (the ink supply chain) solved by consolidating suppliers, increasing volumes and improving commercial terms. November 2018: first INKFILLER installation outside Italy.
The success at Pegasus becomes an internal benchmark: March 2019 → SAMCA Floor; January 2020 → SAMCA Wall and Gryphon. All South African plants in the group adopt INKFILLER.
The biggest benefit at Pegasus is the saving on bulk ink purchase, around €6,000 per month. After installation we also observed clean printing areas, operators focused on line control, the elimination of the risk of ink mixing, drastically reduced cleaning time and full visibility on consumption per printer and color. After 4 months no filter needed replacing.
In the Field
Photo gallery of the project
Real numbers after a few months.
Before
Operator dependency
Ink management
After
8 months
ROI payback
After installation, Pegasus recorded concrete operational and financial benefits: monthly savings of about €6,000 on bulk ink, full ROI in 8 months, elimination of the residue per jerry-can and zero filter replacements in the first 4 months.
| Metric | Result | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk savings | €6,000 / month | Recurring, scalable |
| Waste per jerry-can | 0% | Eliminated 100% of residue × N jerry-cans |
| Filter replacements | 0 | In the first 4 months |
| Consumption tracking | Per machine/color | Dedicated software (PIM) |
What this case demonstrates
The INKFILLER Pegasus case demonstrates that removing the human factor from critical processes, strategically choosing to change systems (not improve the existing one), and measuring concrete ROI are three fundamental levers of the Inter Ser method.
01
Real automation
Removing the human factor from critical processes improves efficiency and quality. It's not about assisting the operator, it's about removing them from the process.
02
Strategic choice
Change the system, don't improve the existing one. The lever is substitution, not optimization.
03
Measurable value
Fast ROI (8 months), concrete and scalable benefits across the entire industrial group.
Next step
Got a similar situation?
If your digital production still depends on manual ink refilling, get in touch: process automation is scalable, measurable and with fast ROI.
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