Episode 291 - Excelitas: AI, Sustainability, & Smarter Packaging

In this episode of the FuturePrint Podcast, Marcus Timson is joined once again by Rob Karsten, who leads the print business for Excelitas in Europe. Rob has been a long-standing advocate of LED curing in print, and since the acquisition of Phoseon his remit has expanded to cover the full Excelitas portfolio: UV, IR, excimer and LED technologies.

The conversation sets the scene for Rob’s upcoming talk at FuturePrint Industrial Print in Munich, where he will explore how AI and sustainability can work together to transform packaging and industrial print.

Rob explains how the move from traditional mercury UV systems to digital LED curing is not only reducing energy consumption, but also generating richer process data. That data, in turn, is the fuel for AI-driven improvements in yield, scrap reduction and process stability. Sustainability, he argues, is no longer just about energy labels - it is about running smarter, more efficient factories end to end.

He outlines the key domains where AI can make a tangible difference today, from material optimisation and packaging design through to predictive maintenance, smart energy use, logistics and inventory management. Rob also talks about the importance of prioritising: not all AI projects are equal, and businesses need to start where return on investment and environmental benefit are easiest to see and measure.

Crucially, he challenges the assumption that sustainability and profitability always conflict. When you treat sustainability as a question of yield, waste and process efficiency, AI and data become powerful tools for improving both environmental outcomes and the bottom line. At the same time, he cautions that AI itself has an energy footprint, and that the industry will need to think systemically about net impact.

Finally, Rob shares a preview of his AI for Industrial Print session in Munich, which will provide a practical roadmap for ranking AI opportunities in packaging and print, and highlight where the “big wins” really are.

FuturePrint Events:

FuturePrint TECH: Industrial Print: 21-22 January '26, Munich, Germany