Container-based industrial label printing : An architectural and cost evaluation

Sammanfattning

Industrial label printing is an important function in production and logistics environments, where labels support identification, traceability, and information flow. Existing printing workflows often rely on server- or VM-based infrastructures and proprietary software, which can create dependencies on Windows-based systems and limit container-based deployment options. This study is conducted in the context of ABB's label-printing environment, where there is an interest in migrating the current server-based solution to a container-based architecture. The purpose is to investigate whether a custom-built, container-based printing service can replace a traditional serverbased solution, with a focus on operational costs, system architecture, dependencies, and operational complexity. The work was carried out through a baseline analysis, an evaluation of existing systems, and the implementation of a proof of concept. The proposed solution is based on a containerized service that uses API-based communication and ZPL to generate labels directly from structured data. The results indicate that a container-based solution is technically feasible and may reduce both system complexity and long-term operational costs. The break-even point occurs between year 1 and year 2, after which the container-based solution accumulates significantly lower costs. This is primarily driven by the removal of BarTender licensing and reduced dependency on Windows-based infrastructure. However, the results should be interpreted with regard to the study's cost assumptions and the exclusion of maintenance costs. Overall, the study suggests that container-based services can be a technically feasible alternative to traditional server-based label-printing solutions, with lower licensing and infrastructure costs under the assumptions of this study.