KENNESAW, Ga. – September 17, 2008 – Heidelberg USA today announced that its online consumables business recently reached a milestone when it processed its 50,000th order. The company's online shop, which was launched four years ago, gives customers convenient access to the full range of Heidelberg Saphira Consumables for prepress, press and postpress needs. The 50,000th online order was placed by Alta Systems, a general commercial shop in Gainesville, Fla., which uses Saphira violet plates and chemistry for its Prosetter P74 platesetter and Heidelberg Saphira press consumables for its 6-color Speedmaster SM 74 sheetfed press.

"Our main criteria for choosing the right consumables were cost, quality and convenience," said Rick Nesbit, Alta's owner. "To my surprise, I found that Heidelberg consumables are actually very inexpensive. In fact, Heidelberg does the best job of administering consumables of any company I've ever dealt with. In addition to the convenience of ordering online, Heidelberg's shop saves me a lot of time because my invoices are always correct."

Nesbit founded Alta 25 years ago and now has 40 employees; among them is Jim Pickett, the shop's lead prepress operator who is responsible for ordering consumables. "It's very easy to place orders for Heidelberg consumables, and the online shop saves us a lot of time," Pickett said. "Most importantly for us, the products are guaranteed since Heidelberg tests them in advance to confirm they will work with our system." Nesbit also appreciates the peace of mind that comes with knowing he'll get top performance from his equipment by using Heidelberg Saphira Consumables. "The products are exceptional quality-wise, and the guarantee is great," he said. "Heidelberg stands behind everything. Working with Heidelberg, we have a personal relationship with a professional who is always available to answer our questions, which we have found is not necessarily the case with other suppliers."

"Heidelberg is unique in that all online activity is supported by a dedicated in-house and field consumables sales team," said James Martin, senior vice president of marketing, Heidelberg USA. "Through our 'Call, Click or Visit' approach, our customers now have a variety of ways to place their consumable orders."

Heidelberg entered the consumables business in 2001 and launched its online shop a few years later in response to customer needs. "The marketplace was looking for the ability to place an order 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Rick Boggess, Heidelberg's director of Prinect CtP and consumable sales. "Recognizing that many of our sheetfed customers run multiple shifts and work on the weekends, Heidelberg designed its online shop to provide customers access to consumables based on their own schedules and needs."


In addition to ordering consumables online, Heidelberg customers also can now order spare parts online as well as access Heidelberg's technical support database. Customers who order Heidelberg Saphira Consumables via the online shop enjoy a two percent discount on each purchase, which can add up to substantial savings over the course of a year.

"We recognize that our customers are making substantial investments in equipment to take advantage of the latest technologies," Boggess said. "Our consumables are carefully developed and chosen to provide customers with the maximum return on their investments through optimal performance of their Heidelberg equipment."

To learn more about or to purchase Heidelberg Saphira Consumables, visit www.us.heidelberg.com.