Skilled Labor Shortages in Printing and Packaging
Executive Summary
Skilled labor shortages remain one of the most immediate operational constraints facing the digital printing and packaging industry in 2026. Across printing plants, packaging facilities, and converting operations, companies are struggling to recruit and retain experienced press operators, technicians, maintenance personnel, and finishing specialists. The issue is no longer temporary. It has become structural.
The strongest response has not been blanket automation or complete equipment replacement. Instead, the most effective strategy emerging across the industry is targeted modernization. Companies are first standardizing workflows, then automating the most repetitive and error-prone tasks, while using modular retrofits and maintenance-friendly systems to expand capacity without completely rebuilding production environments.
This shift is reshaping how converters evaluate equipment investments, workflow software, maintenance strategies, and labor planning.
The Scope of the Labor Problem
The shortage is broad and persistent.
According to PRINTING United Alliance, roughly three-quarters of U.S. printing companies report difficulty hiring qualified press and bindery operators. PMMI reports similar conditions in packaging and manufacturing, with 95% of consumer packaged goods companies surveyed saying they struggle to hire skilled operators and technicians. Nearly 60% expect hiring conditions to become even more difficult over the next several years.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects thousands of annual openings for printing press operators and bindery workers through 2034 despite overall employment growth remaining relatively flat. This reflects replacement demand rather than industry expansion. Experienced operators are retiring faster than they can be replaced.
The challenge is compounded by turnover among younger workers entering the industry. Many facilities report that newer hires often leave before becoming fully trained. Others struggle to adapt to increasingly complex workflows involving hybrid analog and digital systems.
The result is a growing loss of operational knowledge inside print facilities.
Many production environments still rely heavily on tribal knowledge developed over decades by senior operators. When those employees retire, facilities often discover that processes were never properly documented or standardized. PMMI reporting has highlighted that operators are frequently forced to work with highly customized equipment, outdated manuals, and inconsistent training methods.
At the same time, only a small percentage of respondents in recent workforce studies identified traditional printed SOPs as the most effective training tool. The industry is increasingly recognizing that modern workflows require more intuitive interfaces, guided troubleshooting, embedded support systems, and standardized production logic.
Why Workflow Standardization Matters
As labor shortages worsen, standardization is becoming just as important as automation.
One of the biggest operational risks facing converters today is workflow inconsistency. When every operator performs setup, color correction, troubleshooting, or maintenance differently, training becomes more difficult and production becomes less predictable.
Standardized workflows reduce dependency on individual expertise.
Esko’s 2024 operational reporting found that workflow standardization delivered some of the largest operational improvements among surveyed companies. This matters because standardized systems reduce variation, simplify training, and make production easier to scale across multiple shifts or locations.
Instead of relying on one highly experienced operator to manage complex workflows manually, facilities are moving toward software-driven processes that guide setup, automate repeatable decisions, and reduce unnecessary human intervention.
This transition is especially important in environments where staffing levels fluctuate frequently.
A standardized workflow allows newer operators to become productive faster while reducing the likelihood of setup errors, color inconsistencies, missed inspections, or production delays.
Where Automation Is Delivering the Most Value
The first automation investments are typically targeting the areas where labor shortages create the most operational pain.
Loading and unloading operations, repetitive material handling, inspection tasks, and changeovers remain among the most labor-intensive areas in packaging and print production. These are also the tasks most vulnerable to fatigue-related errors and staffing disruptions.
As a result, automation investments are increasingly focused on inline inspection systems, robotic handling, and setup reduction technologies.
BOBST has emphasized the growing importance of inline inspection systems capable of performing continuous label-content verification during production. These systems reduce reliance on manual visual inspection while improving consistency and traceability.
FANUC America has similarly positioned robotic palletizing, depalletizing, and collaborative robotic systems as practical tools for addressing labor shortages. Rather than replacing operators entirely, these systems are often used to redeploy workers away from repetitive physical tasks toward higher-value production responsibilities.
This operational shift allows facilities to maintain throughput with leaner staffing models while reducing burnout and repetitive strain concerns.
The Growing Importance of Color Automation
Color management is becoming another major target for automation.
Color correction traditionally requires significant operator skill and experience, particularly in packaging environments where brand consistency is critical. Manual color adjustments can consume substantial production time during make-ready and increase waste levels when corrections are inconsistent.
To address this, companies are increasingly adopting automated color management systems.
Esko’s Print Clone platform is designed to reduce trial-and-error color matching by automating portions of the correction process. BOBST’s oneECG system similarly aims to digitize color management workflows, simplify make-ready procedures, and reduce operator dependency.
These technologies are valuable not only because they improve consistency, but because they lower the skill threshold required to achieve acceptable production results.
This distinction is critical in an environment where experienced press operators are increasingly difficult to recruit.
Remote Diagnostics and Predictive Maintenance
Labor shortages are also affecting maintenance departments and field service operations.
Facilities are finding it more difficult to recruit technicians capable of troubleshooting increasingly sophisticated equipment. In response, manufacturers are investing heavily in remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance tools, and AI-assisted support systems.
Koenig & Bauer has emphasized AI-supported service assistance and visual remote support tools that help operators identify and resolve issues more quickly. HEIDELBERG similarly promotes remote diagnostic systems capable of identifying faults and resolving some service issues without requiring onsite technician visits.
These technologies reduce downtime while lowering dependence on highly specialized maintenance personnel.
Predictive maintenance systems also help facilities shift away from reactive service models. Instead of waiting for failures to occur, operators can monitor system conditions proactively and schedule maintenance before production disruptions happen.
For facilities operating with smaller maintenance teams, this transition can significantly improve uptime and reduce emergency service demands.
Software Is Becoming a Labor Tool
Workflow software is now playing as large a role in labor reduction as physical automation.
Modern print operations increasingly rely on software platforms that eliminate manual job handling, reduce repetitive data entry, and automate prepress preparation.
Esko’s Automation Engine automates processes such as job creation, step-and-repeat generation, variable-data handling, and quality checks. Fiery workflow systems centralize job management while supporting remote server access, rules-based workflow logic, and cloud-based approval systems.
Durst Group’s Smart Factory portfolio demonstrates how ERP integration, advanced RIP technology, cloud-based workflows, and production analytics are converging into centralized production ecosystems.
The operational goal is straightforward: reduce manual touchpoints.
Every manual handoff inside a workflow creates another opportunity for delay, inconsistency, or operator error. As staffing becomes more constrained, facilities are focusing heavily on eliminating unnecessary interventions wherever possible.
Why Modular Retrofits Are Gaining Momentum
Many converters are modernizing through phased upgrades instead of full equipment replacement.
This approach has become increasingly attractive because complete line replacements are expensive, disruptive, and difficult to implement while operating with lean staffing levels.
Modular retrofit systems allow facilities to improve capabilities incrementally while maintaining existing infrastructure.
Domino Printing has highlighted retrofit digital modules that add variable-data printing functionality to existing flexographic equipment without requiring full line replacement. This allows converters to extend equipment life, expand production capabilities, and reduce capital costs while minimizing disruption.
A B Graphic International has taken a similar approach with modular digital finishing systems designed to add automation and capacity incrementally.
These phased modernization strategies align closely with the operational realities facing many print facilities today. Companies want to improve efficiency and reduce labor dependency, but they often cannot afford the downtime, retraining demands, or capital expenditure associated with complete facility overhauls.
Maintenance-Friendly Design Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
Maintenance simplicity is becoming a major equipment evaluation factor.
Facilities increasingly want systems that operators can maintain internally without constant reliance on outside service technicians.
PMMI reporting indicates strong demand for simplified maintenance support tools including guided HMIs, step-through troubleshooting systems, picture-driven documentation, and short-form training videos.
Manufacturers are responding by simplifying routine service procedures and designing systems around faster component replacement.
Domino Printing has demonstrated systems featuring remote diagnostics, operator-replaceable service modules, centralized control software, and automated inspection tools designed to reduce specialist dependency.
This represents a broader shift toward maintenance-by-design.
Instead of assuming every facility will have access to highly specialized technicians, manufacturers are increasingly designing systems that prioritize recoverability, repeatability, and operational simplicity.
Real-World Examples of Labor-Driven Automation
Recent deployment examples illustrate how companies are approaching labor shortages pragmatically.
A North American flexible-packaging manufacturer implemented robotic automation systems to improve throughput and reduce staffing pressure in repetitive handling operations.
A high-volume web-to-print operation using Fiery JobFlow reportedly reduced repetitive setup times from several minutes to under one minute while automating a large percentage of daily setup procedures.
A German label converter using BOBST Connect gained remote visibility into production speed, waste, downtime causes, utilization, and inspection reporting without burdening operators with extensive manual reporting responsibilities.
These examples share a common pattern.
The goal is not necessarily to remove workers entirely. The goal is to simplify operations, reduce repetitive tasks, eliminate avoidable errors, and allow smaller teams to maintain stable production performance.
Practical Recommendations for Converters
For converters evaluating modernization strategies, the most effective approach is usually phased and operationally focused.
The first priority should be identifying the tasks consuming the most skilled operator time every shift. In many facilities, these bottlenecks include:
Changeovers
Inspection processes
Color correction
Job setup
Troubleshooting
Unplanned downtime recovery
Once those bottlenecks are identified, companies should prioritize the least disruptive solution capable of reducing manual intervention.
In many cases, software standardization delivers meaningful gains before physical automation is even required.
After workflow consistency improves, companies can evaluate targeted automation systems such as inline inspection, robotic handling, predictive maintenance platforms, or modular digital retrofits.
Complete line replacement should generally be reserved for situations where the existing platform can no longer meet production, substrate, quality, or uptime requirements.
Conclusion
The labor shortage affecting digital printing and packaging is not a short-term disruption. It is a long-term structural shift that is changing how production environments are designed and operated.
The companies adapting most successfully are not simply automating everything. They are simplifying workflows, reducing operator dependency, standardizing processes, and modernizing incrementally.
The future of productivity in print is increasingly defined by operational efficiency, maintainability, and consistency rather than raw equipment speed alone.
Facilities that can operate reliably with smaller teams, faster training cycles, and lower workflow complexity will be positioned far more competitively over the next decade.
Sources
BOBST
HEIDELBERG
Fiery