(November 28, 2008) Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) recently installed South Africa's first Speedmaster XL 75 at Masterpack in Johannesburg, one of the country's leading packaging printers.
 
The Speedmaster XL 75 installed at Masterpack is equipped with the cutting-edge technology showcased at drupa. One example is the new Prinect Press Center press control station featuring Intellistart, the process-oriented operator guidance system. Another first for South Africa in this format class is the double coater. This enables Masterpack to produce high-quality packaging in a single pass, combining conventional inks with UV varnish, gold and silver coatings, and dispersion coatings. The company's production operations focus on high-quality folding cartons, information leaflets to go inside packaging, and sales displays for the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and confectionery industries.
 
The Prinect Image Control color measuring system included in the scope of supply ensures efficient quality control in print production. This was a major consideration when Stewart Butler, Managing Director of Masterpack, was deciding on a press. "Heidelberg is the only supplier to offer a color measuring system integrated into the printshop workflow in this way. Prinect Image Control ensures that we can take full advantage of the quality benefits offered by the new press," he explains.

In addition to the new Speedmaster XL 75, Masterpack also operates a Speedmaster CD 102 and Speedmaster SM 102.
 
With some 800 print shops, South Africa is the continent's most important market for Heidelberg. The annual growth rate for packaging printing is encouraging at around eight percent.
 
"Installing such a high-tech press with special surface finishing options in South Africa underlines the growing demand for high-quality print products on emerging markets. This is just the start of a highly promising development in our industry, for which Heidelberg is very well equipped," comments Dr. Walther Stählin, who is in charge of the EMEA region at Heidelberg.