NEW YORK, April 7, 2003 - Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) today announced at On Demand in New York (April 7th - April 9th 2003) an expansion of their Professional Services Offerings to help digital print customers increase profitability by optimizing workflow solutions and increasing process efficiency. A new initiative, backed by a team of Heidelberg engineers, product development managers and business development experts, will have a mission to seamlessly Automate, Innovate and Migrate (AIM) digital print processes. The AIM initiative is focused on providing solutions to Heidelberg's digital print customers by integrating Heidelberg's digital presses and software workflow products with existing workflows, legacy systems and existing equipment at the customer site. The scope of this consulting and integration initiative is to help customers reach the next level of process improvements, whether that means optimizing the entire print production process or smoothly integrating Heidelberg products. Here are the core objectives of the AIM initiative: Automate: Print on Demand and Fulfillment Services focus designed to provide Heidelberg customers with capabilities to create, store, print and bill clients economically and automatically. Innovate: Enable applications that create higher value documents, particularly versioned and variable hybrid jobs. Migrate: Provide consulting and integration capabilities that move the existing production environment to a higher level of efficiency by replacing legacy parts that cannot be fully optimized. The migration happens in customer-defined steps and can be redefined throughout the entire project. "In addition to meeting the increasing demand to drive down costs through process efficiency, Heidelberg's AIM initiative ensures that those savings actually accrue and are sustained over time," said Bill Blair, senior vice president, Digital, Heidelberg USA. "The true success of this service, however, will be its ability to create new business opportunities for our digital customers. Providing solutions is an imperative mission of this group." The services provided by Heidelberg's AIM Initiative are immediately available and supplement professional services already offered to the marketplace by Heidelberg. These services include: VDP FastStart: This service, a "starter kit" for businesses new to Variable Data Printing, places expertise on site to assist with initial VDP jobs. Digital Color Printing Pilot Program: This program helps digital businesses build high volume custom applications to address specific market segments. Variable Data Workflow Consulting and Integration services: These professional services focus on planning for and optimizing variable data workflow. The Professional Services Group is the latest example of Heidelberg's commitment to educating and supporting its digital customers. The formation of the group follows the launch of Heidelberg's Business Development Services group, which was formed two years ago to educate the printed communications community about digital printing technology and leverage those solutions to achieve high impact and business profitability. "Education and customer support make up the foundation of Heidelberg's legacy," Blair said. "We don't just sell printing equipment and solutions. We are long-term partners. We want to make our customers successful."