Heidelberg made its debut in format class 6 in June 2008 when packaging manufacturer Friedrich Freund GmbH (Freund) in Georgsmarienhütte took the world's first Speedmaster XL 145 into service just a short time after drupa 2008. Now, after around 18 months of production, Freund's initial assessment is positive. In direct comparison with the other format class 6 press in operation, the Speedmaster XL 145 achieves 30 percent shorter makeready times and a roughly 25 percent higher production speed. "With ever shorter runs and quicker job changes, the short makeready times and high production speed of the Speedmaster XL 145 are particularly welcome," underlines Managing Director Karl-Heinz Freund. "What's more, the print quality is of the consistently high level we have come to expect from Heidelberg," he adds.

The company, which primarily works for the food industry, is also impressed by the service concept Heidelberg offers for the press. "Right from the start of the project, we had dedicated contacts at Heidelberg who provided us with a highly efficient customer service both during and after commissioning. Our staff also received comprehensive training on the new press. Since the end of the field test, press availability has been in excess of 95 percent," continues Freund. The press currently operates in three shifts with an average net print output, including press- and job-related auxiliary times, of more than 10,000 sheets per hour.

Friedrich Freund GmbH - 100 years of expertise on the packaging market

It was more than 100 years ago that Friedrich Freund founded the business that laid the foundation for the Freund Group. The company now employs a workforce of 230 at its sites in Georgsmarienhütte and Nordhausen. Sales in 2009 totaled EUR 40 million.

The company mainly manufactures packaging made from solid and corrugated board, together with displays that are used by both consumers and retailers (shelf-ready packaging). In 2008, a corrugated board installation with inline laminator for offset-printed board was taken into operation in Nordhausen. This makes Freund one of the few companies in Germany that can produce its own corrugated board and process it inline.

Last year, the company processed 16,000 tons of solid board and 15 million square meters of corrugated board. The packaging specialist's customer base includes numerous manufacturers of branded goods.

Formats 6 and 7b from Heidelberg for the packaging printing and industrial publishing sectors

The Speedmaster XL 145 and Speedmaster XL 162 are the ideal complement to the upper end of the Heidelberg sheetfed offset portfolio. These presses have been designed primarily for use in the packaging printing and industrial publishing sectors. The large-format presses from the Speedmaster XL 145 and XL 162 series are based on the technological platform of the XL 105. As a result, they also deliver benefits such as faster makeready times, less waste, consistently high print quality, good flexibility with a range of printing stocks, and high press availability. In addition, they offer features that are important in packaging printing such as the largest sheet size in format class 6 (106 x 145 cm / 41.73 x 57.09 in) and a high throughput for long runs. Large repeats in particular - for packaging in the food, electronics, and toy industries, for example - can be produced more efficiently in the new formats. These features are enhanced by simultaneous washing of the inking unit, blanket, and impression cylinder, and synchronized plate changes in all printing units in less than two minutes. Last but not least, the Prinect print shop workflow enables this format class to be fully integrated in an end-to-end solution.

Heidelberg has already sold more than 30 presses worldwide, around half of these to customers in the packaging printing sector.