Joan Perez Pericot, HP Industrial We speak to Joan Perez Pericot, vice president and general manager of HP Industrial, about the launch of HP Nio and the role of AI in print Can you talk through what underpins the innovations in AI and the tech that HP Industrial has brought to the market? After the many interviews and visits we have done since we formed the new software and solutions team, it became very clear that many customers are really struggling to scale up growth efficiently. The core problem is not just in the presses. In fact, a common theme we hear is that the printing part is mostly solved, but where they are struggling is everywhere else. There are three big themes we have been hearing loud and clear. One is the challenge of growth − the challenge of connecting with brands and streamlining this connection. This includes a lack of standardisation, long and complex integrations, and the complexity that these digitalised workflows are bringing between brands and print service providers (PSPs). The second is all the complexity of all the different workflows they have inside of the production floor that are disconnected and different. It requires a lot of manual work to integrate them, to figure out capacity, to manage reprints, and to manage situations that are not really planned – especially in peak seasons. The final issue is the lack of data that production managers and PSPs have in general, which means that they cannot make intelligent decisions, and cannot often make the most out of every piece of equipment. This lack of data ends up with the kind of errors, mistakes, and inefficiencies that stop them from maximising their capacity. How do your solutions aim to tackle these issues? Our solutions try to solve all of these core issues with the concept of what we call an intelligent automation platform. We want to demonstrate how we can help our customers grow by streamlining their connection with their clients and then help them to run their production more efficiently with automation solutions that are dynamic, intelligent, and efficient. We also want to show how we can help them maximise the capacity of their equipment and have more control by providing fleet management solutions that are smart – applying AI to maximise the output of the equipment, make the most out of every operator, and make them more productive. What was the thinking behind the launch of HP Nio? We released many technology enhancements built from customer feedback that we continuously invest in and develop. Among these solutions is HP Nio, which we recently announced at this year’s DSCOOP. HP Nio feels like our first giant leap into artificial intelligence. We see Nio as a kind of AI companion for the production manager and for the operator. This companion can convert complex data and a lot of information that we have from the press into insights that can drive much more production, can boost the capacity and efficiency of the equipment, and also maximise the productivity of the operator. Through Nio we can generate insights, we can do troubleshooting, and we can help the operator learn things and respond to questions in a natural language, a very casual manner, and an easy to use interface. We believe this is going to be a real revolution on how operators and production managers interface with and make the most out of their equipment. The print sector can be a little bit hesitant to take on board new technologies, so what's the response been to HP Nio so far? And do you see much wider adoption happening in the near future? So far the response has been great. We are now in the alpha and beta phase, and we expect the solution to be live in the market by the beginning of October. The good thing about Nio is that it’s not a brand-new software or a new application that customers need to adopt – Nio runs on top of all of our existing PrintOS applications. This means it is embedded in the solutions that our customers have subscribed to already, providing an added layer of intelligence, insight, and interaction. For that reason, we expect a high 70 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk September / October 2025 - Issue 356 Q&A: JOAN PEREZ PERICOT, HP INDUSTRIAL
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