HP today announced that Heeter Direct installed HP Indigo 7500 and 5500 Digital Presses to offer new solutions to its customers, improve turnaround times and increase efficiencies.

The Canonsburg, PA-based company will install an HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press in 2013 to further expand its range of applications and take advantage of new business opportunities. With a more than 60-year-old tradition thriving on general cut-sheet offset jobs, Heeter Direct’s future growth depends on its ability to deliver the highest quality in both traditional and digital print capabilities.

“HP is investing in the future of print and has dedicated resources to develop digital platforms like the Indigo 10000 and the high-speed inkjet technology. We want to be a part of that,” said Scott Heeter, president, Heeter Direct. “In today’s challenging market, it’s important to partner with an organization genuinely concerned about the success of its customers, which has been our experience  with HP.”

Entering new markets with expanding capabilities
About 10 years ago, Heeter Direct started repositioning its business to develop expertise in monochrome variable-data printing (VDP), as well as direct mail and fulfillment across demanding vertical markets such as pharmaceuticals and healthcare; casinos and gaming; higher education and public utilities. This shift helped the company rebound from the recession and post double-digit sales growth the past three years.

"We realized very early that the value in digital print for our customers was not in short run static work but in medium and long run variable data work," says Heeter. "It's been a consistent and constant migration ever since, with our sales growth driven by digital print and fulfillment mail."   

Accelerating growth with digital print
Recognizing the opportunity to meet evolving customer needs and pursue new markets, Heeter charted a growth strategy driven by expanding digital print capabilities, including full-color VDP.

Heeter Direct’s installation significantly increases its full-color digital printing capacity. The new presses, which were upgraded with HP Indigo 7600 and 5600 Digital Press capabilities, combine to deliver 188 four-color pages per minute (PPM), with an additional 33 percent throughput boost available in Enhanced Productivity Mode (EPM) to 250 PPM. Together, the presses are capable of producing more than six million pages each month.

"We specialize in managing mission critical projects with complex data and extremely tight deadlines," said Heeter. "Our new HP Indigo presses give us capacity to meet our customers’   demanding turnaround times with offset quality.”

This expanded capacity creates immediate efficiencies in Heeter Direct’s core business by shifting certain offset projects to run more economically on the HP Indigo digital presses, while freeing capacity on its offset machines for longer run projects. But even more valuable to Heeter Direct may be the new jobs it can now print digitally. Medium to long runs featuring full-color variable data, special effects and offset quality will help customers more effectively reach their target audiences.

“Heeter Direct is a prime example of a printing company that took a strategic look at its business and the opportunities open to it,” explained Jan Riecher, vice president and general manager, Graphics Solutions Business, Americas, HP. “In evaluating its growth potential, the company has thrived by changing its business model and investing in solutions for continued future success.”

Expanding for the future
Heeter Direct will further expand its capacity and job range with the upcoming installation of a 29-inch HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press. Announced in March, the press will add a monthly duty cycle up to 2.2 million sheets and printing speeds of 3,450 sheets per hour in full color, and 4,600 sheets per hour in EPM.

This significant size and productivity boost does not come at the expense of quality, enabling offset-matching work to be produced digitally in B2 size, including VDP projects. These new digital capabilities will open up new jobs to Heeter Direct, such as point-of-purchase collateral and packaging applications.

Additional information about HP Indigo Digital Presses and other HP graphic arts solutions is available at http://www.hp.com/go/gsb. Follow HP on Twitter @HPGraphicArts.