Major interest in digital and offset print applications from Heidelberg at Print China 2015

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Press release from the issuing company

This year, Print China 2015 once again lived up to its reputation as Asia’s largest trade show for the printing industry. Over 190,000 visitors took the opportunity to find out about current and future print media industry topics in Dongguan in Guangdong Province from April 7 to 12, 2015. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has been represented in China for many years and knows customer needs for integrated and efficient solutions, enhanced service, and new applications like no other supplier. The products, geared precisely to these trends, ¬thus generated high levels of interest among the Asian visitors. A particular highlight was the integration of digital and offset applications. The new Linoprint CV digital printing systems and the Jetmaster Dimension 250 for 4D printing were presented in China for the first time. The premiere of the four-color Speedmaster CS 92 proved a popular response to the rising demand for cost efficiency and the main print formats used in Asia. This machine has been specially developed for Asia and cuts printing plate costs by over 20 percent thanks to its new sheet format. Both the digital and offset presses were integrated via the Prinect print shop workflow.

“Asia is one of the key markets for us and we were able to showcase our integrated digital and offset printing applications to a large number of visitors. We’re delighted with how the trade show went and the interest in the solutions exhibited was high, as we had expected,” says Harald Weimer, member of the Management Board responsible for sales and services at Heidelberg. With 4D printing, Heidelberg highlighted possibilities that transcend the two-dimensional printing of flat materials that has characterized the last few centuries. This opens up totally new prospects for print shops to fulfill the growing demand for personalized consumer goods and proved to be a big draw for visitors. The new Speedmaster CS 92 also met market needs, with sales of almost twenty presses.

The services and consumables sector was a key feature of the Heidelberg booth alongside equipment. There were large numbers of visitors inquiring about solutions to increase machine availability and about support for complex printing applications, with the result that numerous contracts were concluded. So it comes as no surprise that every second press is already supplied with Remote Service to ensure the fastest possible service. And this figure is continuing to grow, with all presses from the Qingpu site near Shanghai being shipped with a service contract.

Growth market of digital printing – Linoprint CV and Jetmaster Dimension 250 4D printing system produce a “wow” effect

Like everywhere else in the world, Chinese print shops are also harnessing the potential of digital printing. The new Linoprint CV from Heidelberg with white/coating function offers users even greater flexibility for cost-effective printing of short and personalized runs. The Linoprint CV also supports a wide range of substrates.

The Jetmaster Dimension 250 digital printing system has been specially developed for print service providers looking to build up new business areas. This system prints three-dimensional objects with personalized content – hence the name 4D printing. At Print China, the Jetmaster Dimension printed over 500 soccer balls with customized content and exceeded all expectations. “We’d like to build on the wow effect generated here. We have a lot of people interested in this technology and will be launching the Jetmaster Dimension on the Chinese market by the end of the year,” says Weimer.

The new Gallus DCS 340 digital labeling system was also unveiled at Print China 2015. This is a joint project between Heidelberg, Gallus, and Fujifilm that shows the opportunities offered by the new partner strategy at Heidelberg. By accessing partner technologies, Heidelberg is able to meet customer needs very rapidly. For example, the prototype of the new digital labeling system was developed and presented to the public in less than fourteen months.

Offset printing – new Speedmaster CS 92 successfully unveiled

Special print formats are mainly used for production in commercial printing in Asia, and the new Speedmaster CS 92-4 is a response to this. With its print format of 650 x 940 millimeters (25.59 x 37.01 inches), it cuts printing plate costs by 20 percent over a conventional 70 x 100 centimeter (27.56 x 39.37 inch) press. The Speedmaster CS 92 is based on the tried-and-tested platform of the Speedmaster CD 102. It is equipped with the Preset Plus Feeder and Preset Plus Delivery, Prinect Press Center Compact, and AutoPlate for fast setup as standard. The target groups are commercial and packaging printers.

The Speedmaster CS 92-4 will be produced in proven Heidelberg quality at the Qingpu plant near Shanghai. Since the start in 2006, this site has supplied over 5,000 printing units or over 1,350 presses in the Speedmaster SM 52, SM 74, and CD 102 series. Four-color standard presses are produced for the small and medium formats, while up to six colors including coating unit are supplied for the 70 x 100 centimeter (27.56 x 39.37 inch) format. Heidelberg was therefore quick to respond to the increasing requirements of Asian customers. Over five percent of Chinese production is now exported to neighboring Asian countries and this proportion is rising.

Close to the customer

China remains one of the largest single markets for Heidelberg. Four branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong and two offices in Chengdu and Guangzhou ensure comprehensive customer support locally. A total of over 1,000 Heidelberg employees work in China, including more than 600 in sales and service. A Print Media Center is to be opened at the Qingpu site this fall to give customers a practical overview of the Heidelberg portfolio.