Warneke Paper Box of Denver, Colorado, recently began installation of a new Primefire 106 of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The 7-color industrial inkjet 40” B1 size digital press will allow the packaging printer to expand their business by collaborating with their customers on targeted short run packaging campaigns and provide added security to cartons through variable content. According to Steve Huppert, Vice President and COO of Warneke Paper Box, “We first saw the Primefire at drupa 2016 and were amazed by the results. We’re excited for the new opportunities that it will create for both us and our customers.”

Opportunity to Gain New Markets
Being the first commercially available industrial inkjet digital printing system in the 70x100 (40”) format, Primefire 106 is designed to equip packaging converters with the possibility to add extra value to each produced box, to achieve faster time to market with their products and to streamline supply chain costs with print-on-demand capabilities. Its direct-to-sheet 7-color imaging and outstanding color registration allows for unique security printing features to be incorporated, along with variable content, for anti-counterfeiting packaging designs.

Matching offset print quality in 40” format, the Primefire 106 provides Warneke with the flexibility to choose the best technology for each print-job and to make sure they best serve their customers’ needs. Jobs with a very aggressive turnaround deadline, those requiring variable data or those that are reprints or very short in length, will be produced digitally on the Primefire 106, while offset equipment will be used for mainstream production with long run lengths and high price sensitivity per box.

“By adding Primefire 106 to its existing offset production fleet, Warneke will now be able to use the most profitable technology for each different purpose. Additionally, with the new product types and possibilities they will now be able to offer to their customers, Warneke is set to grow their business now and into the future”, says Montserrat Peidro-Insa, Head of Digital Print Business at Heidelberg.

The Primefire 106 digital printing system offers the highest quality of 1,200 x 1,200 dpi with initial production speeds of 2,500 sheets per hour and is designed to achieve volumes of up to 1.5 million sheets per month thanks to its industrial print uptime level. The platform is modular, which accommodates further speed increases and feature updates without having to replace the press. “We’ve trusted Heidelberg as a partner for years to develop groundbreaking technology that can help their customers turn a profit. We have no doubt that the Primefire will do just that,” said Stacy Warneke, President and CEO of Warneke Paper Box. “We’re thrilled that we will be the first in the US to put this state-of-the-art technology to work.”

Trustworthy Partner
After being a beta site for many other Heidelberg products, Warneke knew that they could trust Heidelberg to produce reliable groundbreaking technology that will provide an immediate return to their business. “We’re excited for Warneke to install the very first Primefire in the United States,” said Felix Mueller, President of Heidelberg Americas. “We expect that this machine will help the company expand their business while also increasing profitability.”

Steve Huppert, Vice President and COO and Stacy Warneke, President and CEO of Warneke Paper Box are excited for the new opportunities that the Primefire 106 from Heidelberg will create for both the company and their customers.