Printing Industry - “Discover HEI” : an overview of Heidelberg products and solutions portfolio at DRUPA, Printing industry trade show, Düsseldorf, Germany, May 3 - 6, 2012
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is showcasing an extended product and solution portfolio at drupa 2012. The company is exhibiting solutions that enable print shops and postpress businesses to meet the latest market requirements.
Heidelberg is focusing its drupa 2012 trade show presence on its portfolio of technologies and services under the banner "Discover HEI" - Illustration: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
"The circumstances surrounding drupa 2012 are exceptional, since the industry is still changing. But as a reliable partner, we are ideally placed to offer valuable guidance and recommend appropriate solutions," says Bernhard Schreier, CEO of Heidelberg. "In the current market environment, trust and reliability are priorities for our customers. That is why we use our innovations to respond to customer queries that extend far beyond purely technical issues, for example - what business models are successful in the long run? What new ideas and strategies will truly pay off for print media service providers and in the print media industry in the future? During drupa, Heidelberg will be presenting the ideal solutions to questions such as these from the advertising and packaging printing sector."
DRUPA 2012 Floorplan - Heidelberg is presenting its solutions portfolio at drupa 2012 in Hall 1 in form of complete print shop workflows for commercial and packaging printing (Illustration: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG)
What Heidelberg has to offer at drupa 2012
During the printing industry trade show in Düsseldorf, Heidelberg is presenting a portfolio want to span all key market developments in the sector today to enable customers to seize on the latest trends in the industry and build them into their operations. The trade show presentation will focus in particular on lean production, green printing, web-to-print, print-on-demand, differentiation through coatings and special effects, the future of packaging printing and gaining an edge through the latest know-how. To reflect the trade show banner "Discover HEI" and give visitors a clear point of reference, each of these seven market trends will be summed up with a "HEI" title.
Lean production
Efficiency, cost optimization, and speed are expected throughout the advertising sector. When it comes to print production, return on investment is what matters to the customer who is looking for the best product at the best price. The only way that can be achieved is by streamlining the entire production workflow using process optimization and the fastest possible production processes. According to Heidelberg, this is made possible by HEI Productivity solutions.
“HEI Productivity”. Advertising motif from the Heidelberg drupa campaign. Illustration: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Green Printing Green printing protects the environment and ensures media production can operate on a sustainable basis. Many companies that are major advertisers have environmental regulations that must be strictly observed by all print providers. Print shops around the world benefit from the high environmental standards of Heidelberg and use them to gain a competitive edge in a whole variety of ways. “HEI Eco” covers both the sustainable production equipment and processes that Heidelberg offers costumers.
© Gautier Willaume
Web-to-print Thanks to the Internet, web portals supported by digital processes and software architectures can be used to create printed matter, commission production, and make payments - all online. Web-to-print opens up a whole range of possibilities for print service providers and their customers, enabling them to optimize print production for corporate and end customers and automate manufacturing operations. Web-to-print portals are already proving popular with millions of end users (for photo books, postcards, etc.). However, there is still a huge amount of potential waiting to be tapped in the corporate segment, where the requirements of a wide range of customers can be met with broad-based or customized solutions. Heidelberg will present its web-to-print solutions under the banner of “HEI Integration”.
Print-on-demand, short-run and hybrid production The term "print-on-demand" covers a whole range of state-of-the-art job production techniques. The basic principle is to transform existing data into printed products immediately. This also needs to be done in short to very short runs with identical content or, increasingly, through printing with variable data. Mixed forms are also in demand, with hybrid production combining and integrating offset and digital printing in one application without detracting from the look of the printed image. Applications include the use of Quick Response (QR) codes, which can link printed matter with online media or online marketing campaigns. “HEI Flexibility” will show visitors to drupa how they can implement this trend in their own operations.
“HEI Flexibility”. Advertising motif from the Heidelberg drupa campaign. Illustration: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Differentiation through coatings and special effects
Every type of surface finishing technique such as coating, embossing, and cold foil applications is used to make a printed product stand out and to enhance its impact or durability. When it comes to coatings and special effects, print shops need to adapt to meet the needs of customers and print buyers for a process-optimized production workflow that keeps costs down, doesn't waste time, generates added value, and ensures the final product stands out. Coatings, special effects and the skilled combination of various surface finishing options represent a core competency that delivers maximum benefits and ensures an eye-catching result. Heidelberg is presenting these opportunities under “HEI Emotions”.
Packaging printing
Packaging is printed communication and often offers much more than just words and images. It doesn't serve simply to protect products and aid their transport and storage either. Packaging makes a direct statement about the product inside. It communicates, transfers knowledge, and is often the decisive factor in a customer's decision to purchase at the point of sale. In other words, it is largely packaging that encourages us to buy a product. Coatings and special effects are often used to make products stand out at the point of sale and Heidelberg is exhibiting all the company’s options under “HEI End”.
Gaining an edge through the latest know-how In the age of the Internet, it has become even more important to understand the significance of print media and contemporary production techniques. Lifelong learning has also become a key requirement. It is no longer sufficient for economically advanced and ambitious growth regions to simply acquire a one-off basic foundation in print media production. Instead, individuals need to maintain, expand and carefully develop their expertise on a regular basis, particularly when the production equipment and processes they are using are becoming increasingly complex and demanding. HEI School has a range of offerings that keep print media personnel up to speed for discussions with customers and for their day-to-day work.
Innovations from Heidelberg Services Since the IPEX 2010 trade show, Heidelberg has been expanding the portfolio of services it offers customers. By purposefully integrating services, consumables, and consultancy offerings, the company has extended the range of components it offers for print shops. For example, Heidelberg Services will be presenting new service contracts during drupa. New and extended Prinect functions will also offer workflow solutions for the print media industry. Also coming to DRUPA 2012 is a series of new environmentally friendly consumables known as Heidelberg Saphira Eco.
Speedmaster XL 105 to be unveiled
As customers become more sensitive to prices, run sizes decrease, and job variation increases, print shops in industrialized nations are going to have to reorganize their production systems so that they are even more flexible and efficient. Throughput times in print production are becoming ever tighter and, in response, Heidelberg is unveiling a Speedmaster XL 105 with a production speed of 18,000 sheets per hour in perfecting mode at drupa 2012.
