Episode 359 - Print Beyond Hardware: AI, Automation and Acquisition, with Anthony Sci, President and CEO , Keypoint Intelligence

Print is no longer just a hardware story. It’s a data story, a software story, and increasingly an automation story too and that shift is forcing every manufacturer, reseller, and print service provider to rethink how they compete.

We are joined by Anthony Sci, CEO and president of Keypoint Intelligence, to unpack two big forces shaping print technology right now. First, we talk candidly about Keypoint’s acquisition by Constellation Software and why Anthony believes long-term stability matters more than ever for a research and advisory firm. We get into what changes, what doesn’t, and how being part of a large vertical market software group can affect investment in new capabilities across testing, consulting, and market intelligence.

Then we move into the messy reality of AI in the print industry. Where is AI already useful today? Think predictive maintenance, faster software development, and sales enablement for teams that have been cut to the bone. Where are the limits? Trust, data quality, cultural differences by region and company, and even environmental concerns that can create real friction inside organisations. Anthony also shares what they’re learning from a global voice-of-the-customer programme across Asia, Europe, and the United States, including rising demand for “AI connectors” that can query reliable industry data without inventing answers.

We close by looking at robotics in production, the link with industrial inkjet, and why combining AI and robotics could be a powerful formula for short-run manufacturing and product decoration as costs fall and labour gets harder to replace. If you found this useful, subscribe, share the episode with a colleague in print tech, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

‍