(June 12, 2008) On the last day of the drupa trade show in Düsseldorf, Heidelberg is encouraged by the result of the event.

"At this point, of course, we can only give our first impressions of how drupa has progressed so far. We will only be able to say with certainty how the interest shown by buyers ultimately translates into real orders and whether it generates actual sales when we publish information on the first quarter at the start of August. I can say, however, that we have so far met our expectations," declares Bernhard Schreier, Chief Executive Officer at Heidelberg.

Customers from 85 different countries paid a visit to Halls 1 and 2 and placed more than 2,500 orders for products and solutions. Although the strongest individual market is Germany, which accounted for 25 percent of all orders, Heidelberg is particularly pleased with how popular the trade show proved outside Germany. At 65 percent, the share of visitors who made the trip to Düsseldorf from outside Germany was higher than at any previous drupa shows. Heidelberg also believes that both the quality of this year's visitor profile and the number of decision-makers that attended the event improved compared with previous years, too. All the products on show at the event attracted keen interest from visitors, with the unveiling of the Speedmaster XL 162 - the latest large-format offering from Heidelberg - proving particularly popular.

"Our HEI Performance and HEI Value concept, which focuses on the combination of innovative technology and added value for our customers, was a complete success," emphasized CEO Bernhard Schreier. Furthermore, dividing both halls into several different sections made the entire Heidelberg portfolio more transparent and helped visitors to get a clear overview.
 
The world market leader's know-how in the growth market of packaging printing proved to be a hit with visitors. By dedicating an entire hall to this segment, Heidelberg was able to demonstrate the full diversity of its portfolio in this sector and could clearly position its offerings. "We have put a great deal of effort into showcasing this particular area, and this work will pay dividends in the future," explained Dr. Jürgen Rautert, member of the Heidelberg Management Board. Dr. Jürgen Rautert also believes that the productive meetings held with customers from around the world indicate that Heidelberg is on course for success. "We have been able to use drupa to lay solid foundations for success in the years ahead. That is why our meetings with customers were so important for everyone involved," adds Dr. Jürgen Rautert.

"Integration in practice" was the claim that Heidelberg brought to drupa this year, and over 1,200 demonstrations of the various workflows in the Prinect family backed up this assertion. Services and consumables - combined under the global Saphira brand - played a key role in enhancing and augmenting the company's comprehensive portfolio.

Of the many products on display, the launch of the Speedmaster XL 105 perfecting press also took center stage. This addition to the Heidelberg range continues the success story of the Speedmaster XL, which was first introduced four years ago. Not to be outdone, other configurations in the 70 x 100 centimeter and 50 x 70 centimeter formats - including the Speedmaster CD 102, the Speedmaster SM 102, and the new Speedmaster XL 75 - also recorded good order levels.

The technology leadership that Heidelberg enjoys was also reflected in the interest shown in Suprasetter platesetters. Orders for postpress solutions were similarly encouraging, with large-format die cutters from the Dymatrix range being sold to customers in Italy and Germany for example.