KENNESAW, Ga. – April 7, 2005 – Heidelberg USA President James P. Dunn told an audience of bindery managers, manufacturing/operations executives and warehouse supervisors yesterday that there is as much, if not more, opportunity in postpress as in any other area of print operations. Speaking at the Research & Engineering Council of the National Association for Printing Leadership (R&E Council/NAPL)’s 47th Annual Binding, Finishing & Distribution Seminar in Chicago, Dunn discussed the future of postpress technologies, which he predicted increasingly will involve total workflow integration. Calling postpress integration “the promise of technology fulfilled,” Dunn noted that a successful integration is one in which the investment fits the need, results in high utilization and improved productivity, and is supported by real plant engineering and continual process improvement. Dunn acknowledged that while broad-scale integration is a big step for mid-sized companies, the benefits of automating processes and reducing manpower can be well worth the inherent risk in terms of increased sales and greater competitive advantage. For market leaders, Dunn called integration a matter of leveraging resources and processes already in place to expand market presence and maintain a competitive edge. The newest generation of Heidelberg postpress equipment underscores the manufacturer’s commitment to workflow integration in the bindery. •Heidelberg’s TH/KH Stahlfolder family feature new, ergonomic control systems. Complete integration of these folding machines in both the production line and the management workflow renders job handling transparent. Once captured or defined, production data can be used throughout the process. All models share a new, modular control system. Simple symbols and graphical displays provide a quick overview of all machine functions including folding roller spacings and sheet stops. New jobs can be loaded into the machine from the integrated fold library via Compufold or directly from the production workflow via Prinect FCS 100; individual folding units can also be programmed with the aid of graphical representations of fold types on the touchscreen. •The Heidelberg Stitchmaster ST 400 offers automatic format presetting of the entire machine and automatic synchronization of all feeders and stitcher with the saddle chain, trimmer infeed, and the trimmer itself. The ST 400 can be operated either at a central touchscreen or locally at each unit. The JDF-capable control system can be integrated seamlessly into Heidelberg’s Prinect workflow. It also includes functions for product monitoring, diagnostics, and quality control. Presetting data from prepress can be imported, and stored settings retrieved for very quickly readying the machine for new or recurring jobs. •Heidelberg’s POLAR X/XT generation of high-speed cutters feature network operating functions such as lifting, lowering, loading, jogging, buffering, transporting and unloading into automatically controlled processes. All POLAR X/XT cutters are optioned for network compatibility via the P-Net interface, an Ethernet-capable network system with central server. P-Net permits easy upgrading with Compucut, Remote Diagnosis, Data Control industrial data acquisition and future networking of peripherals. Ergonomic improvements include a user-friendly operating panel. Most POLAR X high-speed cutters are equipped with a 15” color display; XT models also feature a touchscreen. The “OptiKnife” feature eases knife changing and fine adjustment. The theme of this year’s R&E Council/NAPL event, held April 4-6 at the Marriott Chicago O’Hare Hotel, was “Finishing for Profitability…NOW!” Attendees heard from a roster of recognized industry leaders about market opportunities and future challenges in the finishing and distribution industry.