(November 05, 2008) Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) opened its new Print Media Center (PMC) in Wiesloch-Walldorf with a series of successful customer events.
 
Over a period of four days, more than 100 packaging printers from all over Europe obtained a comprehensive overview of the Heidelberg solution portfolio. Virtually all the innovations introduced at drupa 2008 have now been integrated in the PMC.
 
The PMC is located in Hall 11, which opened in fall last year and is also used for assembly of the new large-format Speedmaster XL 145 and XL 162 presses. With a total area of 4,000 square meters, Wiesloch-Walldorf now boasts the world's largest competence center for packaging/label printing and special applications. Heidelberg uses three complete production lines at the PMC to demonstrate state-of-the-art integrated folding carton production, taking in everything from layout work to the complete, packaged folding carton. It is equipped with a total of six Speedmaster presses in formats 35 x 52 centimeters (13.8 x 20.5 inches) to 121 x 162 centimeters (47.6 x 63.8 inches).

The Suprasetter CtP platesetter, the Varimatrix and Dymatrix die cutters, and the Diana and Easygluer folder gluers can be networked with the new Prinect Packaging Workflow. Special applications provide opportunities to stand out from the competition. These include UV printing, cold foil applications, and surface finishing with Duo technology, which can be combined with flexographic printing before and after offset printing. An ink-mixing room and a fully equipped workshop for die cutters - a joint initiative with Heidelberg partner Marbach - round off the facilities. Customers can discover innovative brand protection and security options with the new inkjet technology Linoprint. The PMC in Wiesloch-Walldorf is expected to attract a total of around 600 customers each year. From spring 2009, the Print Media Academy will also offer packaging printing courses and training.

"Our Print Media Center now has two locations where we can provide customer demonstrations for specific target groups," explains Karl Kowalczyk, Head of the PMC at Heidelberg. "At Heidelberg headquarters we cater to commercial printers, while Wiesloch-Walldorf focuses on packaging printing and special applications," he adds. The Print Media Center in Heidelberg now incorporates the latest solutions and products from drupa 2008. Last year alone, the PMC had visitors from over 1,450 printshops and provided 2,400 demonstrations.
 
Both the demonstration center in Heidelberg and the one in Wiesloch-Walldorf have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) quality seal certification. By using FSC paper and card - that is to say materials from sustainably managed forests - and supporting the global FSC system, Heidelberg is making a further important contribution to its strategy of environmental and corporate social responsibility.

Packaging printing - a growth market
The packaging market is growing around twice as fast as the traditional commercial printing market, and this trend is ongoing. As a result, Heidelberg is stepping up its activities in this market segment, and its new large-format presses - the Speedmaster XL 145 and XL 162 - were among the products showcased at drupa 2008. No fewer than 20 of these presses have already been sold all over the world, half of them for packaging and the other half for commercial and letterpress printing. Heidelberg is planning to increase the proportion of its total sales accounted for by the market segment of folding cartons and labels - which is less sensitive to economic develop-ments - from the current level of 15 to 25 percent in the midterm.
 
The new Print Media Center in Wiesloch-Walldorf enables Heidelberg to cater specifically to the needs of packaging printers and demonstrate its know-how in this field. Copaco was among the first groups of customers to be given a comprehensive demonstration. This partnership of four medium-sized packaging manufacturers based in Mainz celebrated its 40th anniversary this year and the Copaco Group is now in the top five in its industry in Europe. Heidelberg used live production operations and talks to demonstrate the latest solutions for improved makeready times and productivity, surface finishes and special applications, integrated printshop workflows, counterfeit protection, and options for the new large format.
 
New basic press text on packaging printing
Heidelberg has been active in packaging printing for a great many years and is the only manufacturer to offer end-to-end production and software solutions from a single source. The new basic press text on packaging printing provides an overview of the company's strategy and portfolio. It sets out facts and figures, looks at trends in packaging printing, and gives details about the company's positioning in this market segment. Solutions and products for prepress, press, and postpress are also described in detail, as are issues such as integration and networking, customizing, surface finishing, and piracy protection.