• Hokuriku Sunrise expects increasing productivity and more efficient processes
• Subscription agreement for Speedmaster CD 102-4 replaces two competitor presses

Kenichiro Kimura (left), President of Hokuriku Sunrise and Joerg Bauer, Member of the Management Board of Heidelberg Japan, seal the first "Heidelberg Subscription" contract in Japan.

Kabushiki Kaisha Hokuriku Sunrise (K.K.Hokuriku Sunrise) is the first Japanese customer of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) to opt for the "Heidelberg Subscription" digital business model. The company was founded in 1975 and employs 34 people. Its core business includes marketing services and a broad portfolio in commercial printing. The subscription agreement with Heidelberg includes a Speedmaster CD 102-4, which replaces two competitor presses in A1 format, all consumables, service, including service parts, workflow, training and consulting services. Customers can order consumables and service parts via the Heidelberg eShop. As part of the "Vendor Management Inventory", Heidelberg also manages the inventory of consumables and service parts on behalf of the customer.

Kenichiro Kimura, President of Hokuriku Sunrise: "When I first heard about the new "Heidelberg Subscription" business model, I was initially sceptical as to whether this might actually be an option for Japanese print companies in general and our company in particular. But in the end, we were completely convinced by the benefits of the offer. Without major one-time investments, we will be using the latest printing technology in combination with the right consumables. At the same time, we benefit from Heidelberg's high level of service and consulting expertise. We are therefore convinced that, together with Heidelberg, we will succeed in maximizing productivity".

"Heidelberg Subscription" is also an interesting option for print shops in Japan," says Jörg Bauer, Sales Manager and Member of the Management Board of Heidelberg Japan. In a highly industrialized country like Japan, increasing productivity is a top priority for most print companies. With "Heidelberg Subscription", we have created a win-win offer for our customers in which the interests of both parties to the contract are absolutely aligned".

About “Heidelberg Subscription”
With its subscription model, Heidelberg is focusing on a growing trend for pay-as-you-go Per-use in mechanical engineering, in order to become more independent of the pure sale of printing presses. In this Heidelberg model, the customer pays exclusively for a productive industrial service, i.e. for the number of printed sheets. In the new digital business model, the highest level of the billable sheet price includes all the equipment, consumables such as printing plates, inks, coatings, detergents, blankets and a comprehensive range of services geared to availability. With new variants of the digital business model, Heidelberg is making the range attractive to an increasing number of print shops. At the customer's request, Heidelberg can also take over the entire logistics for consumables ("Vendor Managed Inventory") as part of the subscription offering.

The rollout of the subscription model is proceeding according to plan and is to be expanded further. The establishment of pay-per-use models in industrial offset printing is the result of Heidelberg's ongoing digital transformation and its software and data expertise. Heidelberg offers customers a "smart" complete system consisting of press, services, consumables, consulting and software solutions. The stable management of such a complete system is not possible without Big Data applications, such as predictive maintenance, and Heidelberg's push-to-stop approach to autonomous printing.

Video material and further information on Heidelberg's subscription offer can be found here: www.heidelberg-subscription.com.