Gestern. Heute. Morgen. Der Print-Branche tut es gut, sich mit jungen Menschen auseinanderzusetzen. Denn die Generation Smartphone schätzt Print-Innovationen.
Kommentar von Andreas Weber, Head of Value
Mit der Premiere des Heidelberg Digital Print Forum 2019 ist auf Anhieb ein wirklicher Überraschung-Coup gelungen. Ambiente, Themen und Programmgestaltung im Wieslocher Print Media Center weichen vom Üblichen ab. Das Auditorium: grossartig, aufgeschlossen, neugierig, aber auch kritisch und wachsam. Mit anderen Worten: Ich habe mich extrem wohlgefühlt — wie die insgesamt über 170 anderen Teilnehmer und Co-Referenten auch.
Alles was ich heute erleben konnte, deckt sich mit meiner Analyse, die ich vorgetragen habe: Print als Medium und Druckereien als Kompetenzpartner profitieren dann, wenn der Nutzen in den Vordergrund gestellt wird. Das begeistert die, die als Kunde/Auftraggeber oder als Mediennutzer persönlich angesprochen, oder besser berührt werden wollen. Drucken kann nicht nur Inhalte vervielfältigen, sondern auf höchstem Niveau höchst individuell inszenieren.
Manuela Gomez und Wolfgang Hambrecht bei der Eröffnung
Manuela Gomez und Wolfgang Hambrecht bei der Eröffnung
Über 100 Firmen waren vertreten.
Jürgen Grimm und Andreas Weber vor ihren Keynote.
Daniel Szkutnik signalisierte als Agentur-Chef, dass er Partner sucht!
Produktmanager Marc Schmitz führt live via Facebook durch den Event.
Hochkarätige Fachvorträge: Johann Weigert zu Inkjet
Hochkarätige Fachvorträge: Johann Weigert zu Inkjet
Digitale Papier-Innovationen dürfen nicht fehlen.
Heidelberg-Azubis im Einsatz — bei Teilnehmer-Befragungen.
Alles gut gelaufen? Ja!
Fotos: Andreas Weber
Ob auf dem Podium oder beim Marktplatz oder den informativen kurzen Fachvorträgen, es hat sich gezeigt, dass die Print-Welt im Wandel ist, aber durchaus zum Schrittmacher im Digitalzeitalter werden kann.
Meiner Auffassung nach: Druckereien brauchen sich nicht zu verstecken. Sie können mutig und pro-aktiv nach vorne gehen, um neue Geschäftsfelder zu erschließen bzw. Bestehendes zu reformieren.
Die moderne Digitaltechnik im Print steht an der Spitze der Medientechnologien. Und erfüllt die Anforderungen um zeitgemäß und zukunftssicher profitabel Geschäft zu machen.
Die Veranstaltung hat aus meiner Sicht nicht nur wichtige Fragestellungen geliefert, sondern auch konkrete, nützliche Ergebnisse, die für die Branche wichtig sind.
Erfolgreiches Team (v.l.n.r.): Matthias Langner, Laura Sturm, Andreas Weber, Laura Breitner, Manuela Gomez, Daniel Szkutnik, Marc Schmitz. Foto: Heidelberg.
Ein Plädoyer für Print aus anderer Perspektive: Andreas Weber beginnt mit seinen Lieblingsbüchern, u.a Designing for Print und Vienna Stories. Foto: Juliette Pickl, Business Development Manager at Mondi Uncoated Fine Paper
Aus meiner Sicht als Referent ist folgendes wichtig:
Customization rückt in den Fokus! — Und hilft, den Akzidenzdruck zu reformieren.
Social Media kann ein Eldorado für Print sein! V.a. Facebook, Instagram im B2C und LinkedIn im B2B beflügeln neue Geschäftsmodelle.
Der Nutzen rückt in den Vordergrund. Digitaltechnik im Print ermöglicht das.
Das Marktpotential ist erheblich größer als man denkt und bietet Chancen für profitables Wachstum!
Eine von zahlreichen Innovation: Spektakuläre Neon-Bilder im Toner-Digitaldruckdruck
Video: Andreas Weber
Impressionen vom Forum und Statements der Organisatoren und Referenten
“In today’s digital age with its cutting-edge business models based on networks and platforms, everything needs to be transparent, in real time, and focused on enhancing customer benefits.” – Professor h. c. Dr. Ulrich Hermann
Interview and analysis by Andreas Weber, Head of Value | German version
Successful printing doesn’t just happen. It’s all down to innovative plans and putting these into action. That’s the main focus of Chief Digital Officer Professor Ulrich Hermann, member of the Management Board at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG since November 2016. In an exclusive interview, he explains the principles of the ‘subscription economy’, which is now firmly established at Heidelberg and is set to bring about success right from the get-go.
Note: In April 2018 some new reports in the news came up. Handelsblatt published via its global edition some great observations: “Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG begins to look less like a factory and more like an information processing hub for industrial operations.“ — MORE
The subscription economy is taking Heidelberg as a market leader and its primarily industrial customers to the next level of the transformation process. For the first time, printing performance is being assessed and billed on a customized basis, thus representing a brand new development and a challenge for the print sector. Conventional billing methods, i.e. selling equipment at a fixed price in offset printing or click charge models in digital printing, are being replaced by subscription models. This has its benefits.
Info box: What is the meaning behind ‘subscription economy’?
The subscription economy correlates with the fundamental transition toward customized buying and selling in the B2C, and increasingly in the B2B, sector. The focus has shifted away from acquiring and owning products toward long-term, flexible customer relationships and ongoing customer benefits. The resulting technical and organizational demands are high. Some subscription-based solutions already exist in the printing industry, such as standalone software-as-a-service agreements. Important factors include automation, scalability, complex data models, and changed accounting principles right through to analytics. A constant supply of information on customer satisfaction and, most importantly, the way products and services are used is essential to enable businesses to further customize their services. What’s more, this data also helps both the supplier and customer achieve greater growth. Studies show that in the United States – the birth place of digitization – the subscription economy is already well-developed, generating approximately 800 billion US dollars in added value in the past ten years alone. – aw
What is it all about?
The subscription economy could become the main focus in our sector, too. It has already achieved great economic success in the United States but remains largely disregarded in Germany. What difference will it make?
Dr. Ulrich Hermann: Subscription models offer a new approach for generating value by consistently focusing on customer benefits. Primarily, this means the end of product-oriented business models whose added value derives from creating a product, rather than from the benefit customers gain from that product.
Companies with analog models focused on manufacturing and selling products are eager to pass on expenses incurred in development, production, sales and supply to the customer as soon as possible. Whether customers are able to recover their costs is a question that is only considered relevant when it comes to the customer making repeat purchases, in other words it only becomes relevant at some point in the future.
What are the important features of a subscription?
It all boils down to a lasting customer relationship. This undoubtedly develops for services relating to the product, but not for the value of the product itself.
A product-centric focus was the perfect approach for the analog world and shaped the industrial era for over 100 years because it was very difficult to quantify how the product was used and the associated added value for the customer.
In today’s digital economy, however, this approach is outdated as data is available on how products are being used and new business models are shifting the focus away from the value of the product itself and towards the usage value. We now aim to adopt this approach at Heidelberg as the leading supplier on the print shop market.
What are the advantages of focusing on the benefits to the customer and the disadvantages of focusing on the product?
As I’ve said, suppliers in the digital age can use platforms to gather, profile and analyze data on all participants with the aim of continuously and sustainably increasing customer benefits and thus instilling valuable, long-lasting customer loyalty. All processes must therefore focus on this and remain transparent for all participants in real time. If companies focus on the product, they can’t work out in any great detail or very quickly what it is their customers do with the product, when and how. Incidentally, that is a trend that affects many areas of professional and personal life…
… can you give a few examples?
It starts with reading a book or magazine, or when customers switch production equipment on or off, or why they are in the car and where they’re going. Manufacturers/suppliers usually know nothing about how their products are being used. As a result, they have to carry out costly questionnaires and analyses to anticipate how the products are being used and implement laborious improvements in long cycles.
During the analog era, innovations were therefore subject to protracted innovation cycles that were often staggered due to the risks involved. This led to analog companies spending a disproportionately large amount of time on optimizing internal value creation. It is clear that during this era the price of a product did not reflect how the customer used it but rather covered material and production costs.
A milestone on the road to the digital transformation and finally implementing the subscription program. A YouTube video of Dr. Ulrich Hermann discussing the market launch of the Heidelberg Assistant in December 2017.
The key to success
How can the focus be switched to customer benefits?
If we consider customer benefits to be the cornerstone of a company’s business operations, we end up with completely different approaches. Companies want to know what customers are paying for when using the products they have provided. This is exactly what disruptive business models in the digital world are based on. Usage patterns serve as the measure of all things – supported by the user experience and the customer journey.
Have companies in the print industry grasped this point? After all, nearly everyone nowadays is talking about customer orientation.
Technology suppliers often do not fully grasp that customer orientation, as a prerequisite to focusing on customer benefits, itself requires a comprehensive organizational transformation. Everything changes – from the mindset and culture right through to product creation. The ability to digitally measure the usage of products and services is key to creating added value. All business activities must pursue this aim.
Analyzing valid, long-term data collected from installed machinery and systems helps develop benchmarks with reference groups, which in turn enables the derivation of target figures and reference variables for optimum usage. We have been collecting such data at Heidelberg since the introduction of Remote Service technology back in 2004 and it has formed the basis for introducing Heidelberg Subscription.
With regard to the print industry, does this mean that it is not enough to simply introduce digital processes into print product manufacturing?
Exactly. In the digital economy, competition isn’t all about the product – the main focus is on developing the relevant user experience. I like to show a picture that presents the bustling streets of Manhattan as the heart of New York City. Some ten years ago, the streets were still filled with yellow cabs. Today, it’s dark sedans.
The product in this example is the same, just black and not yellow. It is a vehicle with a driver and passenger – and from the outside it is not immediately recognizable as a digital product. The difference, however, lies in the user experience. It is much easier to order, select, pay for and travel in a taxi with Uber and to influence the quality of the business model by writing a review.
Passengers feel like they are being taken seriously – as a business partner rather than a prisoner behind a plexiglass pane, if you like. It is no longer just about the service or product portfolio, but rather the customer journey and a new, intelligent way of using the product.
What does this mean in real terms for Heidelberg and its customers?
In our line of work, the subscription economy offers the opportunity to think about how we need to fundamentally change our business not just by selling machinery and services, i.e. billing for the product value, but by developing new models that assess the usage and the resulting positive effects.
This film on Heidelberg Subscription shows how Heidelberg is going down new paths in marketing, too.
How it works
What is the concept behind Heidelberg Subscription?
More than a year has passed since we began the transformation. We initially asked ourselves the following questions. What offers the biggest profit potential for our customers? Cost-effective printing capacity or optimum utilization? If our customers only derive added value from maximum machine utilization – in other words from optimized utilization of a coordinated combination of numerous individual products such as printing presses, consumables, software and services – why shouldn’t they actually pay us for this added value rather than for the individual components?
How did you go about answering these key questions?
A team of people with backgrounds in a wide range of disciplines such as finance, services, product development, sales and marketing / product marketing were tasked with developing a business model in which Heidelberg would not sell individual products to the customer, but rather offer the use of an end-to-end system that has been optimized for the specific needs of that customer. As early as December 2017, we concluded our first comprehensive subscription contract with folding carton manufacturer FK Führter Kartonagen, which is part of the WEIG Group. More contracts are in place, and interest in the market is continuing to grow significantly.
Aren’t print shops skeptical? Many are still coming to terms with click-charge models, which are now used as standard in digital printing.
There is a disadvantage to the click-charge models commonly found on the market. They reflect the market prices of digital printing press suppliers and are not based on the customer’s actual cost per printed page for offset printing. There are also no benchmarks for productivity targets etc. In our model, we bill per printed page using the ‘impression charge’.
What is an ‘impression charge’?
The price per page reflects the potential of increased utilization during the contract period. However, the customer has to have a successful business model that allows for sustainable growth. Our subscription model is quite simply a genuine performance partnership. If Heidelberg fails to boost productivity during the contract period, neither the customer or we can fully satisfy margin targets. That is the difference to click-charge models.
The normal click charges for digital printing are based on the costs incurred by the digital press manufacturer and its profit expectations, not on the comparative costs for the customer. They represent a product-based pricing that the customer, the print shop, cannot control and that does not reflect their actual cost structure. Digital printing is therefore not a digital business model.
Added to this is the fact that if utilization fluctuates or is insufficient, click charges can quickly have disastrous effects.
So what is key for developing billing models based on customer needs?
Print shops want to be able to manage their costs themselves. And with good reason, as for many centuries printing was a skilled trade with humans controlling the quality of the work. Only recently has the business started to be industrialized following the automation of production processes with the help of standards. For a craftsman, what’s important is focusing on customer proximity and creating a bespoke end product with a special touch. Accordingly, print results sometimes varied dramatically in terms of quality and price.
An introductory explanation on Heidelberg Subscription.
What are the benefits?
What does industrial production do differently to craftsmen?
Industrial production based on standards creates results that are largely consistent. Only the level of automation creates differences in production, and defines the print outcome and the operating result.
To stand out, print shops must therefore make substantial investments in their own, increasingly digital customer relationships. Digital marketing, an online presence and digitizing the process of ordering best-selling products are becoming very important. Investing in the pressroom may be an age-old tradition but it opens up few opportunities to stand out. It also distracts from the actual job of a printing company in the digital age – namely to attract customers. With this in mind, switching to a subscription model is an easy and entirely logical decision.
What does results-based payment entail?
Our experienced performance-focused consultants conduct a comprehensive analysis of the print shop, reviewing costs for personnel, consumables, downtimes, plate changes, waste, depreciation, and much more. Once this thorough analysis has been completed, a unit page price can be determined that is specific to the relevant customer.
What’s more, we use the performance data we have gathered from more than ten thousand networked machines to establish reference variables. Thanks to this database we can make an offer to the customer to lower this price through a subscription contract because we know how to optimize their operations.
What criteria apply for the subscription?
Heidelberg Subscription is based on the following considerations/criteria:
Customers must demonstrate growth potential in terms of overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). For most customers, this averages between 30 % and 40 %.
Concentrating on product innovations and customer acquisitions, customers must aim to significantly boost order volumes.
Suitable customers are offered an attractive price based on the above considerations and on a specific expected OEE increase, e.g. from 35 % to 45 %. Using this model, we sell productivity gains and help customers to achieve and exceed their goals. Heidelberg is responsible for setting up the turnkey system accordingly. We promise customers that the price premium for our optimized and more productive turnkey system will not only be worth it, but will out-do their expectations.
How do potential customers react to this new approach?
Many customers are enthusiastic as they are not dealing with a supplier that demands money up front for better quality and even charges for servicing if a machine breaks down. Instead, Heidelberg does everything it can to exceed agreed performance targets and ensure quality matches customer expectations.
Is Heidelberg taking a risk by standing as guarantor for success?
Yes and no. Yes because with the subscription contract, it is in our own interest to ensure machinery is running, software updates are carried out, the use of consumables is optimized, and to do everything we can to increase output. No because ultimately, we take care in choosing our subscription customers. Most importantly, customers must all have one thing in common – they need to concentrate on growth and product innovation on the market, and their business model must demonstrate the potential for further growth.
Analyzing such factors has always been important for us as a manufacturer. We want to grow alongside our successful customers. In the traditional business, this took a back seat provided the customer could pay for the equipment. What we are talking about here is an excellent, new dimension to the partnership. We are no longer looking at whether our machinery, services or materials are cheaper or more expensive than rival products. Everything is defined by the mutually agreed performance targets, using the calculated price per page as a guideline.
Another important aspect of the subscription model is based on autonomous printing following the Push to Stop principle presented at drupa 2016. – See our ValueCheck and case report.
Invoicing method
How do you determine the costs with a subscription contract?
That is tailored to the customer and their potential. For customers wishing to expand their business, for example, we might recommend our Speedmaster XL 106. Customers then make an upfront payment, which is only a small portion of the overall cost that would have been due if they had purchased the machinery. They also pay a fixed monthly charge based specifically on the price per page calculation of the agreed page volume that the customer aims to print and that is lower than their average page production. Additional impression charges are only incurred if the page volume exceeds the agreed targets.
Is the subscription tailored to the customer?
A fundamental and unique element to our offer is that we can customize the subscription in its entirety. For example, for companies unable to greatly increase productivity because excellent industrial systems already ensure a high OEE, we adjust the upfront payment and the fixed monthly charge accordingly. Alternatively, for customers with significant potential to increase performance and dynamic opportunities to increase order volume, we focus more on the variability of the payments.
With our subscription program, customers no longer need to worry about investing in their pressroom, making full use of available technology, or keeping systems up to date.
Why should customers tie themselves exclusively to Heidelberg?
If customers opt for the conventional model, they are dependent on a much bigger group of partners. Buying machinery takes up a large part of investment and often means being dependent on a bank. The supposed freedom that comes with pulling together consumables and optimizing the various features themselves comes with greater outlay, and all the separate relationships with numerous suppliers are diametrically opposed to the print shops’ profit targets…
…so that means the classic method of gathering lots of offers before purchasing brings its own problems?
Everyone tries to pass on their costs. If we focus on the actual purpose of printing on paper, I believe all these dependencies are a much bigger issue than signing up to a long-term subscription contract with one manufacturer in which the profit interests of the manufacturer and customer are aligned for the first time. A Heidelberg Subscription contract runs for five years. We anticipate continuous OEE growth within that period. For example, if we increase page volume from 35 million pages per year to 55 million pages, this corresponds to OEE growth from approximately 35 % to 60 %. There is no need to explain what this means for the customer’s profits.
Is Heidelberg therefore financing the manufacturing costs for the production equipment?
The equipment belongs to Heidelberg and forms part of our balance sheet and/or our financing partners’ balance sheets. On the one hand, this fits in with the expectations of those customers who are undergoing digital transformation, i.e. the move toward an automated printing operation and digital customer relationships. Subscription customers always enjoy the highest possible level of automation without having to worry about technology updates, or financing new investments.
On the other hand, such customers also want to use digitization to bolster relationships with their own customers. Digital expertise helps to significantly improve go-to-market capacity across a broad spectrum.
How go-to-market is changing
Does this mean the subscription model also helps improve customers’ go-to-market capacity because it frees up resources at the print shop?
Every new print shop development until now has required enormous effort to ensure the technology is sound but also to secure prices that reflect more complex and thus more effective products. Placing a unilateral focus on production and ignoring customer value in digital customer relationships will come back to haunt even extremely successful modern printing companies.
Devoting resources to further develop the customer journey offered by the print shop and not getting bogged down by technical and administrative aspects is the best way of standing out from competitors and keeping ahead of the curve.
In other words, you are shifting your customers’ business focus?
Our high-growth customers are all excellent entrepreneurs who always focus on where the money flows so as to protect their investments. Customer orientation is greatly enhanced if we no longer force them to buy and maintain capital-intensive production equipment. Focusing completely on the customer as a core concept of the digital economy is always the best way forward for a prosperous business. That applies both to us and our customers.
With the subscription model, Heidelberg takes care of the financing. Do you anticipate any new challenges as a result?
A listed company with experience in customer financing such as Heidelberg cannot help but adopt new approaches in terms of financing. We even have a banking license. What works best for our investors is always cash-stable contracts with selected customers that have good potential for growth and are highly innovative.
That’s exactly what our subscription program ensures with its guaranteed monthly payments – particularly given that we can pool contracts and also trade through a financing partner. This is a much more attractive option for investors than having to negotiate contracts with individual print shops. Risks are balanced thanks to a diversified base of carefully assessed and chosen subscribers.
Last but not least, how quickly can you and do you want to increase market share with the subscription model?
There is very strong demand. But we are taking our time and signing contracts with selected ‘early adopters’. In this financial year, we aim to conclude ten contracts to gain experience and lay a solid foundation to gradually establish the offer across the market.
As early as December 2017, Heidelberg concluded its first comprehensive subscription contract with folding carton manufacturer FK Führter Kartonagen, which is part of the WEIG Group. Photo: Heidelberg
Final conclusions
How would you summarize this development?
We live in exciting times with completely new opportunities for both Heidelberg and its customers. The digital economy offers entirely new mindsets for these opportunities. Ensuring the transparent use of products and services in a digital business relationship enables us to concentrate on the real source of added value…
…and what does that ultimately mean?
The transparency we provide establishes fair business relationships between those involved, but also places great responsibility on all participants in the interest of preserving their freedom. This responsibility puts the spotlight on the values of the business partners. Heidelberg values have remained constant throughout our long industrial history and play a particularly important role in our digital strategy. We have reworded the responsibility assumed by Heidelberg in its role as a printing industry partner: Listen. Inspire. Deliver. Digital business models hardly get any better than that.
Thank you for agreeing to this interview and giving a detailed insight into the hidden complexities of mastering digital transformation.
#ValueCheck – Heidelberg Subscription as a new economic system
Why the subscription model from Heidelberg is not only a logical choice, but also essential for ensuring growth with innovative ideas
STATUS QUO
The print production volume (PPV) is stable at approximately 410 billion euros worldwide each year.
Despite this, the number of print shops and print units is decreasing due to improved press performance.
Even as print runs shrink, OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) can be increased through the automation of industrial-scale operations.
Today, growth rates can be more than doubled from 30 percent to 70 percent over ten years.
Given that the PPV cannot be doubled, there is an inevitable and considerable decrease in the number of print units that can be sold (up to 50 percent).
Heidelberg therefore has to generate added value elsewhere if it is to avoid becoming dependent on crowding out competitors or snatching market shares in order to survive in a shrinking machinery market.
MEASURES
Heidelberg is gaining attention as an “all-in system” thanks to its extensive print know-how and its servicing database, which has been established on the basis of predictive monitoring since 2004 and focuses on the continuous analysis and improvement of installed production equipment. More than 10,000 Heidelberg presses are currently subject to continuous analysis.
With its subscription model, Heidelberg takes care of everything to ensure maximum use is made of installed print shop technology.
EFFECTS
The risk associated with innovations is not only dramatically reduced, but also more widely spread.
Capital-intensive investments in production equipment no longer put a financial strain on print shops. Heidelberg supports customers, pooling and implementing investments with financing partners on good terms.
This has immediate positive effects on our industrial-scale customers, as increased flexibility and variability of usage provides immense freedom to concentrate on optimizing the marketing of enhanced performance and accelerating print shop growth.
The continuous increase in utilization results in improved profitability in the short, medium and long term.
The subscription program opens up linear and exponential growth opportunities for both Heidelberg and its customers.
Photo: Heidelberg
About Dr. Ulrich Hermann
Dr. Ulrich Hermann has been a member of the Management Board at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in his role as Chief Digital Officer since November 2016. Thanks to his proven expertise in the digital transformation of businesses, Hermann was made an honorary professor at Allensbach University, Constance, Germany, in August 2017.
Born 1966 in Cologne, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at RWTH in Aachen and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology M.I.T., Cambridge, United States.
In 1996, he completed a doctorate in business economics at the University of St. Gallen, in 1998 he became the Managing Director of Bertelsmann Springer Science and Business Media Schweiz AG, and in 2002 he was appointed Managing Director of Süddeutscher Verlag Hüthig Fachinformation.
In 2005, he assumed the role of Chairman of the Management Board at Wolters Kluwer Germany Holding, later becoming a Member of the Divisional Executive Board for the Central European Region at Wolters Kluwer n.v. in 2010.
About Andreas Weber, Founder and CEO of Value Communication AG: Since more than 25 years Andreas Weber serves on an international level as a business communication analyst, influencer and transformer. His activities are dedicated to the ‘Transformation for the Digital Age’ via presentations, management briefings, coachings, workshops, analysis&reports, strategic advice.
When iron stirs emotions: Koenig & Bauer commended for product campaign by Marketing Club Dresden/ Germany. Photo: kba.com
Graphic Repro On-line News to Friday 15 December 2017
Welcome to a roundup of 15 News items, plus Laurel Brunner’s Verdigris environmental Blog, which this week looks at Kodak, as it hopes to become the leading company for sustainability in the graphics industry.
As the year draws to a close the news has also slowed down, so I shall leave you to browse through this week’s headlines which contain an excellent selection of mixed news once again. Of particular note are the leaders on Tuesday with Baldwin Technology having now finalised the acquisition of QuadTech from QuadGraphics; and then on Thursday we have Leonhard Kurz, as it announces ground breaking test results from INGEDE confirming flawless deinkability for the recyclability of KURZ’ foil-decorated papers and boards. Then Sappi on Friday, as it announces plans to significantly increase the production of dissolving wood pulp at its Saiccor and Cloquet Mills in South Africa and North America by 2020.
World Premiere: Dr. Ulrich Hermann, Member of the Board and Chief Digital Officer at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, started at 12. December 2017 together with Tom Oelsner, SVP Sales Excellence, the go-to-market campaign for Heidelberg. Read our ValueCheck and ValueDialog report.
The tailender for this week goes to Koenig & Bauer (Monday) for the commendation it received for its current campaign ‘Built for Your Needs. The KBA B2 Presses’ product campaign, at an awards ceremony held at the Marketing Club in Dresden at the end of November.
If you are in the Southern Hemisphere and are due to close for the holidays during the coming week, do take care, stay safe and enjoy your time with your family and friends over the festive season and New Year. Please don’t drink and drive, or text and drive, or even use your cellphone when driving… we need you to stay alive. Have a wonderful Christmas and wish you a very Happy and Prosperous and Successful New Year 2018.
My best wishes and best regards
Mike Hilton
e-News comprises: Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative and our drupa Newsroom, all of which can be accessed from the Website Home Page and its Index. We also have News in Review, which provides an overview of the week’s news each weekend.
Headline News
Almost 30,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation pages
Week beginning Mon 11 December – the published date appears in article footline
Tuesday Baldwin Technology acquires QuadTech Inc.
Acquisition creates vision and inspection print technology powerhouse for the commercial, newspaper, labels, packaging, converting and publication gravure industries…
Vaughan Patterson, product marketing manager for commercial and industrial print at Ricoh SA reports on the recent Two Sides global survey which included South African respondents…
drupa 2020 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry. Visit the drupa 2020 Website.You can also visit blog.drupa.comfor the latest industry news and developments.
Online Feature articles 2017
Only 49 articles last year – but you will find another eleven Expert Articles and ten drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber in our drupa Newsroom. There were over 70 in 2015, and over 90 in 2013 and in 2014 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page.
Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf in 2017 and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index. It is divided into Chapters for your convenience…just scroll down to view each Chapter
The various Chapters in the drupa Newsroom are highlighted below. When you enter, just scroll down to see and access the complete collection::
drupa daily; drupa Exhibitors’ show + post-show News; drupa pre-show Exhibitor news; post-drupa from Messe Düsseldorf; drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber; drupa Expert Articles – and more
If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.
GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923) provides weekly updates from the Graphic Repro On-line Website and is compiled and published by Mike Hilton,graphicrepro.net, PO Box 10 Peterburgskoe Shosse 13/1, 196605 Pushkin 5, St. Petersburg, Russia. e-mail graphicrepro.za@gmail.com
Heidelberg, MPS in Obersulm and the publisher of turi2 edition selected the most important media persons in Germany for a unique, masscustomized cover page for a printed magazine. In total a number of 1,241. All together delivered as “pixels” a complete portrait of each single candidate printed on Primefire106. — One of those media VIPs was Andreas Weber, Head of Value, Frankfurt am Main/Germany.
Graphic Repro On-line News to Friday 24 November 2017
Welcome to a roundup of just 16 articles at the end of a quiet week for news, which tapered out almost completely by Friday. You’ll also find Laurel Brunner’s Verdigris Blog discussing the increasingly difficult problems encountered in successful paper recycling, as inks and coatings continue to change quite rapidly in their formulations and content. Rather like chasing moving goal posts.
Key news this week includes a more than £2-million pound spend by Taylor Bloxham of Leicester, UK on a new highly-spec’d Rapida 106 from Koenig & Bauer on Tuesday; while on Wednesday Wrap Cube became the first UK company to use 3M’s 780mC Reflective Wrapping Film, supplied by Spandex (you must see the photographs to appreciate why this gets a mention); and on Thursday,
Heidelberg celebrated the world premiere of the Primefire 106 with packaging printers from all over Europe at MPS-WestRock in Obersulm near Heilbronn, Germany at the beginning of November; and Scodix announces the start of its commercial roll-out of the E106 Digital Enhancement Press at an Open House, from 4 – 6 December at Gundlach Packaging Group’s facility in Oerlinghausen, Germany.
See as well the real-time report by Andreas Weber: “Value Check: Very well done — World Premiere of Heidelberg Primefire106 at MPS Multi Packaging Solutions in Germany”
To end the week on a high note, we had just one article from InPrint on Friday announcing that last week’s show in Munich ended with positive results. The next InPrint will take place in Milan at the end of 2018, before returning to Munich at the end of 2019.
That’s it until next time. There’s more to explore if you check out the headlines carefully, including the British Book Design and Production Awards winners on Monday; and some sound advice from Charl Vogel at Ricoh South Africa on Tuesday.
My best regards
Mike Hilton
e-News comprises: Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative and our drupa Newsroom, all of which can be accessed from the Website Home Page and its Index. We also have News in Review, which provides an overview of the week’s news each weekend.
Headline News
Almost 30,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation pages
Week beginning Mon 20 November – the published date appears in article footline
Tuesday How some commercial printers get hamstrung over new kit
Some commercial printers who invest in new production equipment don’t necessarily get the returns they reasonably expect says Charl Vogel, head of Commercial and Industrial print at Ricoh SA…
Label Academy publishes new industry textbooks
The Label Academy has extended its book series with the publication of two new reference books, ‘Shrink Sleeve Technology’ and ‘Label Markets and Applications’…
Thursday World premiere of Heidelberg Primefire 106 at MPS
Heidelberg celebrates the world premiere of the Primefire 106 with packaging printers from all over Europe at MPS-WestRock in Obersulm near Heilbronn, Germany at the beginning of November…
Scodix E106 press available from December 2017
Scodix starts commercial roll-out of its E106 Digital Enhancement Press at an Open House from 4 – 6 December at Gundlach Packaging Group’s facility in Oerlinghausen, Germany…
drupa 2020 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry. Visit the drupa 2020 Website. You can also visit blog.drupa.com for the latest industry news and developments.
Online Feature articles 2017
Only 49 articles last year – but you will find another eleven Expert Articles and ten drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber in our drupa Newsroom. There were over 70 in 2015, and over 90 in 2013 and in 2014 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page.
Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf in 2017 and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index. It is divided into Chapters for your convenience…just scroll down to view each Chapter
The various Chapters in the drupa Newsroom are highlighted below. When you enter, just scroll down to see and access the complete collection::
drupa daily; drupa Exhibitors’ show + post-show News; drupa pre-show Exhibitor news; post-drupa from Messe Düsseldorf; drupa ante portas Blogs from Andreas Weber; drupa Expert Articles – and more
If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.
GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923) provides weekly updates from the Graphic Repro On-line Website and is compiled and published by Mike Hilton,graphicrepro.net, PO Box 10 Peterburgskoe Shosse 13/1, 196605 Pushkin 5, St. Petersburg, Russia. e-mail graphicrepro.za@gmail.com
You should keep the date 8 November 2017 in mind. Experts from around the globe joined the #Heideldruck #PackagingDays to get deep insights on how the packaging business makes progress to get transformed by innovation bizz concepts and digital print technologies. It’s all about the paradigmeshift from #massmarketing to masscustomization.
My take: It’s not a speculation anymore. It’s meanwhile a solide fact that modern print technologies like Heidelberg presented it take the lead to guide us in a sustainable way on the digital transformation journey. Driven by competency, creativity, relatedness and ‚German Mut’ we have new a solide basis to re-invent what we do. It’s amazing that such huge and fast growing markets like Label & Packaging were able to adopt print innovations in their sophisticated industrial environment on such a high level.
To make a long story short, I will share my real-time report via Twitter, a rich collection of quotes, comments, photos and video interviews produced in an authentic and unplugged manner during the event. It should give you the feeling like to have joined us in Wiesloch at the Heidelberg Print Media Center and at the MPS factory in Obersulm, Germany.
Note: For any reason there is probably a technical problem caused by WordPress. Some of the video thumbnails are shown upside down. But the videos should work properly if you click on it.
Prelude
A real world premiere commented by Andreas Weber.
Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer made clear that his company is the market leader in providing packaging print production solutions on a high-class quality & productivity level.
Steffen Schnizer, GM Sales at Multi Packaging Solutions MPS, Obersum/Germany, highlighted the excellent partnership with Heidelberg to make Primefire106 perfectly fitting to the needs of MPS customers demand.
Steffen Schnizel gave a special interview in German language as well. His key point: Packaging printing creates the highest demand regarding quality, color, productivity, reliability. At least Heidelberg could fulfill that now in the field of digital printing as well as in offset printing.
Heidelberg’s SVP Global Head of Digital Print Business Montserrat Peidro explains the relevance of digital print innovations for the market. Masscustomization is already the main topic to cover an increasing demand by brand owners! — (English version first, German version second).
Heidelberg’s Board member Stephan Plenz shared great insights to identify the right technological needs and solutions. The secret: It’s not enough to have the right digital print engine … The Heart or better: the brain is Prinect — Heidelberg’s digital frontend system architecture which’s able to manage all kind of digital printing machines plus offset printing machines in once.
Mark Schaefer (left) and Andreas Weber at #xug17orlando. Photo: Jeroen van Druenen, Amsterdam, NL.
By Andreas Weber, Head of Value
Amazing success: #xug17orlando wasn‘t just a best-in-class conference on #multichannel #print #transformation. — Via #InfluenceB2B it became a BLOCKBUSTER attracting experts around the globe. — Read as well the summary of all relevant content topics via my Storify multimedia report: ValueCheck at #xug17orlando — Be. More. Human. All you can learn regarding #Transformation #Print #Multichannel #Masscustomization
So far (10/29 to 11/04) we got for a very special topic like ’multichannel‘ a giant reach on Twitter of more than 1.2 Million and on LinkedIn of more than 110k via my own accounts. And even after the conference ended there is still interaction. Seems that my #influenceB2B Programme works properly! It includes a smart mix of real-time messaging and storytelling including a bunch of live videos, photos, comments, re-tweets a.s.o.. Very special: round about a number of 20 ’silly talks‘ — unplugged live video interviews with attendees, speakers, sponsors and organizers. (Special thanks to Christian Kopocz for doing the perfect camera work). All of them were shown on screen directly to the audience during the sessions, a part was shared via Social Media and Vimeo. So it’s not by chance to got those great stats and amazing feedback.
Can‘t wait to see the stats by others who contributed as well like XUG – The XMPie Users Group Inc., XMPie, Christian Kopocz, Jeroen van Druenen and others. Additional effects were created by Mark Schaefer and Mandy Edwards as leading Social Minds giving presentations and sharing our Tweets.
Christian Kopocz reported in the meantime interesting figures covering the total reach by Real Time Tracker checking the hashtag #xug17orlando as well. I made it already part of my chart.
#InfluenceB2B success factors at #xug17orlando
At least it was all about having a great and seamless conversation driven by competency, trust and for sure a lot of fun!
No briefings and storyboards were needed. All activities happened spontaneously.
Almost all conference attendees got involved and became part of the game (so not only as usual the hosts, sponsors and speakers).
The intense Social Media work helped to get straight to the point and to showcase in real-time what happened and what was really relevant to the audience.
Even the main Round-table was on-the-fly re-organized to adopt the #InfuenceB2B Programme rules. Any single participant got the chance to share the individual expertise and opinions to answer the key question: How to make money with XMPie? The result was a rich collection of Hashtags representing a short&sweet practical guide.
Some comments of attendees and supporters
Brian Euclide, President TEC Mailing Solutions LLC, Madison, Wisconsin
— NOT OFTEN — do I leave a conference or a user group meeting with a positive attitude or an optimistic outlook. However, recently I attended the #XMPie User group meeting #XUG17Orlando for the first time and I feel personally compelled to highlight not only this group but the people in attendance. From the very first minutes upon arrival until the last minute at the bar before an early morning flight… I had the opportunity to engage with people like Andreas Weber Helene Blanchette Lori Wisz and of course Inbar Keren Yudasin. I have never left a conference wanting to stay another day! I left so inspired and yearning to go back. Thank you to Jeroen van Druenen & Christian Kopocz for having the #CloudMailingGuys! #Xerox #TECMailing
Mark W. Schaefer, Keynote Speaker, Executive Director Schaefer Marketing Solutions
Agree! This was a first-class event. Very impressive group of attendees. I really enjoyed meeting everyone and hope you’ll have me back some day soon!
Inbar Keren Yudasin, Production Systems Analyst at Fuji Xerox Australia, Sydney
I really liked your Live Videos [my Silly Talks] done in a charming and unplugged mode. It‘s so authentic. And quite important for a better understanding how to benefit from other expert minds to gain a better knowledge
Sample for a ’Silly Talk’-live video by Andreas Weber with one of the sponsors, PunchOut2Go. They liked it that much that they published it immedately on their own Twitter account. — Plus the charming talk with lovely guests from France! And the most interesting conversation with Adobe. TX to Mike Zahorik!
Andreas Weber is an international very well reputated analyst and as well an educator, speaker, influencer and transformer. Since more than 25 years he deals with all major technology inventors like Apple, Adobe, Canon, Google, HP, Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Xerox and many others. He is also in touch with many start-ups and innovative graphic communication service providers around the globe.
Since the very beginning he is a digital communication savvy and online community organizer.
His business activities are dedicated to the ‘Transformation for the Digital Age’ via presentations, management briefings, coachings, workshops, analysis&reports, strategic advice.
Canon Europa hat zu einer neuen Organisationsstruktur gefunden, die bestmögliche Kunden- und Marktorientierung ermöglichen soll. Interessenten und Kunden haben es nunmehr mit einem zentralen Ansprechpartner zu tun, der seinerseits die Koordination mit unterschiedlichen Canon-Experten steuert. Das Customer Experience Center von Canon in Poing bei München repräsentiert als echter Hotspot eine Erster-Klasse-Anlaufstelle für Print-Innovationen. — Am 20. September 2017 wurde zu den Production Printing Days 2017 nach Poing eingeladen. Das dargebotene komplette Leistungsspektrum an Hard- und Software trumpfte mit einer Vielzahl an Anwendungslösungen auf, die von Expertenteams erläutert wurden, damit die Besucher sich durch den wahren Dschungel an Neuheiten durchfinden konnten. Ein guter Zeitpunkt für einen ValueDialog, der Canons „Transformation Journey“ verdeutlichen soll. Mark Lawn, Canon Europe, Director of Graphic & Communications Group, stand Rede und Antwort.
Warum unterscheidet Canon zwischen ‚Commercial Printing‘ und ‚Graphic & Communications‘?
Mark Lawn: Diese Differenzierung bezeichnet unseren Weg, eine Art Profil unseres Auditoriums in einem dynamischen Umfeld zu finden. Viele neue Applikationen finden nicht mehr nur in klassischen Marktsegmenten statt. Nehmen Sie als Beispiel eine Firma wie Amazon, die nicht mehr nur mit Büchern handelt, sondern diese auch selbst druckt und damit zum ‚Graphic Communications Provider‘ geworden ist. Hier müssen wir als Technologie- und Lösungs-Lieferant anders agieren können.
Das heißt, Canon stellt sich darauf ein, mit unterschiedlichen Firmentypen zu tun zu haben, die einerseits eine Geschichte in der Herstellung von Drucksachen haben und im Digitaldruck weiterkommen wollen sowie andererseits Quer- oder Neueinsteiger, die mit Hilfe von Print-Innovationen neue Geschäftsmöglichkeiten erschließen?
Inspirierend: Canon zeigte anhand einer eigens kreierten, fiktiven Marke auf, wie per Omnichannel Markenkommunikation funktioniert. Fotos: Canon Europe (oben), Andreas Weber
Mark Lawn: Ganz genau. Es gibt ausserhalb der klassischen Druckbranche, die sich auf industrielle Fertigung von Drucksachen fokussiert, eine Vielzahl dynamischer Anbieter, die ein breites, crossmediales Lösungsangebot entwickeln für eine Vielzahl an Kunden. Unsere Organisationsstruktur muss sicherstellen, hier jeweils einen zentralen Ansprechpartner zu bieten, der Wissen und Ressourcen bündelt, um individuelle Anforderungen präzise zu erfüllen. Im Bereich Graphic & Communications ist es entscheidend, sich in der Wertschöpfungskette nach vorne bewegen zu können, um zu einem möglichst frühen Zeitpunkt Einfluss auf Kommunikationsprojekte nehmen zu können und Print ins Spiel zu bringen. Also nicht nur mit denjenigen zu agieren, die Druckaufträge vergeben. Hier können gerade kleinere Dienstleister ihre hohe Flexibilität unter Beweis stellen. Das wollen wir aktiv unterstützen.
Dynamik bedeutet Veränderung. Womit müssen wir mittelfristig rechnen? Die drupa 2020 steht schon fast vor der Tür…
Mark Lawn: Pragmatisch gesehen, stellt sich die Frage: Womit beschäftigen wir uns heute? Aus meiner Sicht mit der Darstellung des Möglichen mit Hilfe von Print-Innovationen; es muss die Kluft geschlossen werden zwischen dem Stand der Technik und den Anforderung der Marken/Werbungtreibenden mit ihrer ‚digitalen’ Ausrichtung im Marketing. Hier wissen die wenigsten um den Nutzen von Print in einer vernetzten Welt. Die Print-Branche insgesamt muss sich in der Verantwortung sehen, das rasch zu ändern — vor allem auch mit Hilfe von Experten wie Ihnen als Influencer, im Social Media wie auch in Vorträgen.
Auf die Zukunft projiziert, heisst das, es findet ein Wandel statt vom Print Service Provider hin zum Business Solution Provider? Mit dem Focus auf ein neues ‚Ecosystem‘?
Mark Lawn: Da stimme ich voll zu. Das wird zwingend notwendig sein. Dazu müssen wir aber unser Silo-Denken in der Print-Branche aufgeben. Momentan ignorieren wir noch zu oft den Wandel, den ein Nachfrage-getriebenes Supply-Chain-Management provoziert. Neue Marktpotentiale werden so gut wie gar nicht zur Kenntnis genommen. Und: Wir erreichen mit unseren Botschaften noch nicht das richtige Publikum, um durch passende, neue Leistungsversprechen die tatsächlichen Innovations-Möglichkeiten, die sich mit Print, wie wir bei Canon es verstehen, überzeugend darzulegen. Denn nur so können neue Ideen durch konkrete Anwendungen in wertschöpfende Maßnahmen verwandelt werden. Die Branche muss sich zum ‚Problemlöser‘ transformieren, um jede Art von neuer Herausforderung nachhaltig mit zielführende Lösungen zu bedienen.
Vielen Dank für das Gespräch.
Mark Lawn beim Pressebriefing in Poing. Video: Andreas Weber
Graphic Repro On-line News Review to Friday 16 September 2016
Welcome to another roundup of 27 news articles posted during the past week, plus one new addition to Online Features from KBA in Nuremberg, with a new long perfector with coating and nine inking units at L/M/B Louko, which scooped this year’s ‘Top Innovator of 2016’ award in Germany.
Then we have Laurel Brunner back with her latest Verdigris environmental Blog, which this week looks at Plastic Dreams. Following which is Nessan Cleary’s very latest Wild Format Technology Guide which explains the basics of the printhead – the heart of an inkjet printer and directly responsible for placing each individual drop of ink on the substrate. This is the ninth article in this new series from by Laurel Brunner, Nessan Cleary, Sonja Angere and Paul Lindström at Digital Dots. All of which can be downloaded as PDFs, with almost 40 still to follow over the coming ten months or so.
On Monday we also announced the first in a new series from Andreas Weber at ValuePublishing entitled ValueTrendAnalysis: Transformation – ‘Beam me up Scotty’. The article is an overture to a series of trend letters and trend studies produced by ValuePublishing together with Muchcommunication.
Our news this week again comprises a completely mixed bag. We have tried to carry all of the current and imminent show-related articles for you which include announcements regarding Photokina in Cologne; from Labelexpo Americas and SGIA Expo which took place last week you will find announcements from EFI, Cerm, Ultimate, Durst, HP, Agfa, Presstek and Xeikon; then we have the agenda for the Inkjet Conference 2016 taking place in Neuss from 4 – 6 October; followed by ProImage, Scodix, KBA, Goss and Presstek at Graph Expo 2016, which opens this coming weekend.
Leading the news on Tuesday: Esko announced more than 120 free online training sessions to be available in a choice of five languages to help Esko’s global customers get the most out of their new software. You’ll find all the details in the article below with links to be able to register.
News leaders this week included Wallpaper Magazine with HP Indigo on Monday teaming up to create 220,000 unique posters for the publication’s 20th anniversary this month. On Wednesday we had HP Inc announce its acquisition of Samsung’s Printer Business, with the aim of disrupting the copier segment by reinventing and replacing service-intensive copiers with superior multifunction printing technology.
Recent sales and installations successes began on Monday with Manroland Sheetfed at Dongguan Xincai Packaging in China; Tuesday saw Heidelberg at Newnorth Print in the UK with the very latest Stahlfolder KH 82 combination model with Palamides delivery; then Esko in Brazil with the milestone 3000th CDI – a CDI Spark 5080 for trade house Clicheria Blumenau – its fifth Esko CDI.
Among the various articles you will find quite a bit of new kit, including EFI with an enhanced Jetrion for labels; Mimaki with new wide-format inkjet direct sublimation for textiles, combining printing and heating for colour fixation into a single footprint; also HP with a new Latex Printer series at SGIA on Friday.
My tailender for the week from Tuesday’s headlines is the Blog Post relating to the K-Show (the world’s number one event for plastics and rubber) from 19 – 26 October in Düsseldorf: by Chris Winczewski at X-Rite Pantone. Not exactly printing as such, but extremely interesting and related – since X-Rite and Pantone and colour control are so closely related to our own industry, and the K-Show is becoming more relevant as production boundaries become blurred in our fast changing world.
That’s it until next time.
My best regards,
Mike Hilton
Registration inkjet conference 2016: theijc.com
Registration inkjet conference 2016: theijc.com
Our e-News comprises: Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative and Wild Format Technology Guides from Digital Dots, as well as our Drupa and FESPA Newsrooms which can be accessed from the Index on our Home Page. We also have News in Review, which provides a weekly overview and listing of all news added to the site.
Headline News
Over 28,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation news page
Wed 14 September… HP to acquire Samsung’s Printer Business
Aim is to disrupt copier segment, and to reinvent and replace service-intensive copiers with superior multifunction printing technology…
Cerm at Labelexpo Americas 2016
Inspiration and Collaboration will be a central theme for Cerm at Labelexpo Americas in Rosemont, from 13 – 15 September…
GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923)is sponsored and made possible by:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg), The world’s largest printing press manufacturer for the industry worldwide. Heidelberg customers enjoy the most comprehensive and extensive sales and service network in the industry for JDF compliant workflow, computer-to-plate, sheetfed offset, Web-to-print, digital printing, digital inkjet for labels and packaging, packaging and finishing, all with complementary consumables. Heidelberg has offices in around 170 countries. Visit the Heidelberg Website for more information.
drupa 2020 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry, responds to the challenges of the changing market and provides pioneering solutions for the future. This is highlighted by the new marketing and communication strategy where drupa claims its position as ‘No.1 for Print & Crossmedia Solutions’ with the slogan ‘touch the future’. The issues of ‘package printing’, ‘multichannel’, ‘green printing’, ‘3D printing’, and ‘functional printing’ will become increasingly important to the overall communication strategy. To find out more, visit the drupa 2020 Website.
Online Feature articles 2014 – 2016
Only 35 so far this year, with well over 70 last year, and over 90 in 2013 and in 2014 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page, with prior years in our Archives.
Technology Guides for Wild Format 2016
This is the brand new series for 2016 – 2017 of new guides. The first four can be found in this special section on the Website, listed in the Index on the Home Page. All have PDFs for downloading.
Latest No 9…The basics of printheads
In many respects the printhead is the heart of an inkjet printer, directly responsible for placing each individual drop of ink on the substrate. By Nessan Cleary
5… Where Do You Start your Wild Format Project?
The range of what’s possible with digital inkjet technology just keeps on growing. There are so many production options to choose from… By Laurel Brunner
6… Wide format Inkjet Basics
Wide format printing has grown at an astronomical rate over the past decade, mainly because it can cope with a growing range of applications. By Nessan Cleary
7… To Judge a Book by Its Cover
Despite the old proverb, humans are prone to judge their fellow man by first impressions, so appearances are important. By Sonja Angerer
8… Workflow Basics for Wide Format Projects
While the creative part of a printing project involving wide, or very, very wide-format production should be unrestrained and ‘wild’ (allowing yourself to think out-of-the-box). By Paul Lindström
FESPA Newsroom
The FESPA Newsroom can be found via the Index on our Home Page.
Drupa Newsroom Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index. It is divided into the following Chapters for your convenience and ease of use… but you must scroll down to view each Chapter when you visit the Newsroom…
drupa daily to download as PDFs
These eleven jam-packed drupa daily news issues are ready to read now. They contain hundreds of superb articles, interviews, features and news. You can download each one complete as a PDF…
drupa 2016 Exhibitors’ at show + post-show News
Latest additions of 86 in total are now in alphabetical order can be accessed in our drupa Newsroom.
drupa 2016 News from Exhibitors (now in alphabetical order)
The series of over 240 pre-show articles can be accessed in our drupa Newsroom in alphabetical order.
drupa ante portas Blogs 2016
Includes the tenth and final article in this series from Andreas Weber in Mainz, Germany…
drupa 2016 Expert Articles – and more
Includes the eleventh and final article in this series from Claus Bolza-Schünemann, CEO and president of Koenig & Bauer (KBA) and drupa president 2016…
The Graphic Repro On-line Website is supported and sponsored by:
If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.
GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923) provides weekly updates from the Graphic Repro On-line Website and is compiled and published by Mike Hilton,graphicrepro.net, PO Box 10 Peterburgskoe Shosse 13/1, 196605 Pushkin 5, St. Petersburg, Russia. e-mail graphicrepro.za@gmail.com
One of the top exhibitors: Leonhard Kurz at Luxe Pack in Monaco from 21 – 23 September
Graphic Repro On-line News Review to Friday 09 September 2016
Welcome to another roundup of news articles posted during the past week. You will find quite a nice selection below, including upcoming appearances at various events led by Leonhard Kurz atLuxe Pack in Monaco from 21 – 23 September (on Monday); Sun Chemical at K 2016 in Düsseldorf from 19 – 26 September (Tuesday); Toray at WAN-IFRA’s World Publishing Expo in Vienna from 10 – 12 October; EFI at Graph Expo in Orlando from 24 – 26 September; and then Industrial Inkjet (Konica Minolta) at Labelexpo Americas in Rosemont from 13 – 16 September (all on Wednesday). Then we have Fujifilm at InPrint 2016 in Milan, from 15 – 17 November; and Spandex at the Print Show from 11 – 13 October at the NEC, Birmingham (on Thursday); and finally AVT and HP Indigo with advanced integration to be shown live for the first time at Labelexpo Americas 2016 (leading the news on Friday).
One article in Online Features not to be missed this week came from Canon South Africa, highlighting the benefits of the South African Disabled Golf Association’s First Swing programme for disabled children, and showcased in action at the Zwartkop Country Club near Pretoria. Please don’t skip it. The four latest Wild Format Technology Guides are also complete, with links below. A key software announcement this week from Esko on Monday, with a new clean-sheet design of ArtPro+ which brings fresh innovation to packaging design and prepress with its native PDF editor. On Thursday you will find the latest additions to the new high performance Select flatbed inkjet series from Fujifilm; while on Friday, FFEI introduces both an extended colour gamut and linerless label production for its hybrid Graphium press, enabling converters to address new sectors digitally.
Of particular interest on an environmental note this week on Wednesday, is Brunel Print which claims to be the first UK printer to make all its production carbon neutral without customers incurring a charge for it. This article is by Gareth Ward at the Print Business. I thought those with an environmental interest ought to see it. This was followed by UPM and leading the news on Thursday, as it retains its industry leader position in the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index for the fifth time in a row. Major sales and installations this week began on Tuesday with Sexton Printing, which expects a 40 per cent increase in productivity with its new Speedmaster XL 75-5+L from Heidelberg; from Healeys, as it meets increased demand for A4 property brochures with an investment in a Horizon landscape bookletmaker; and from York Repro-Graphic as it turns to Asahi’s AWP flexographic plates for fixed colour palette printing – all three are based in the UK. On Wednesday, KBA North America announced a flood of orders and installations for East Coast printing companies; while on Friday to finish the week in style, Fine Print UK is taking the LE-UV route with its latest £1m high-specification Speedmaster XL 75-5 LE-UV investment; while Rotolito Lombarda group has expanded its digital production capabilities with a new HP Indigo 12000 Digital Press in Milan, Italy; KBA announced a large-format Rapida 164 with coater and triple delivery extensi on for Printcenter Eesti in Maardu, Estonia; and lastly: Kase Printing in North America is set to install an automated Stahlfolder TH 82 6/6/4 (debuted at drupa) to complement its two existing Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 105 presses. There’s a lot more if you scroll down carefully including what SPGPrints is doing in Kufstein, Austria; but as my tailender for this week: Xeikon announced on Friday that it has promoted Filip Weymans who previously served as director segment marketing Labels & Packaging, to vice president marketing at Xeikon. Congratulations Filip on a nice reward for all the effort and hard work.
Our e-News comprises: Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative and Wild Format Technology Guides from Digital Dots, as well as our Drupa and FESPA Newsrooms which can be accessed from the Index on our Home Page. We also have News in Review, which provides a weekly overview and listing of all news added to the site.
Headline News
Over 28,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation news page
Mon 05 September… Leonhard Kurz at Luxe Pack Monaco 2016
Packaging trends and a host of ideas for current and future product finishing innovations, 21 – 23 September…
EFI announces new DFE for Konica Minolta
New EFI Fiery Digital Front End provides higher performance for Konica Minolta bizhub press 1052e and bizhub press 1250e/P…
GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923)is sponsored and made possible by:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg), The world’s largest printing press manufacturer for the industry worldwide. Heidelberg customers enjoy the most comprehensive and extensive sales and service network in the industry for JDF compliant workflow, computer-to-plate, sheetfed offset, Web-to-print, digital printing, digital inkjet for labels and packaging, packaging and finishing, all with complementary consumables. Heidelberg has offices in around 170 countries. Visit the Heidelberg Website for more information.
drupa 2016 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry, responds to the challenges of the changing market and provides pioneering solutions for the future. This is highlighted by the new marketing and communication strategy where drupa claims its position as ‘No.1 for Print & Crossmedia Solutions’ with the slogan ‘touch the future’. The issues of ‘package printing’, ‘multichannel’, ‘green printing’, ‘3D printing’, and ‘functional printing’ will become increasingly important to the overall communication strategy. To find out more, visit the drupa 2016 Website.
Online Feature articles 2014 – 2016
There were again well over 70 last year, 90 in 2014, and over 90 in 2013 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page, with prior years’ via Search Archives (option 2).
Downloads 2016 Chapter 01
Two Sides Global Research Survey 2016
Consumers still value print & paper, but environmental misunderstandings persist due to serious lack of awareness…
Technology-related Chapter 02
Online Features Sep/Oct Chapter 07
First Swing sponsored by Canon South Africa
The benefits of the South African Disabled Golf Association’s First Swing programme for disabled children, showcased in action at Zwartkop Country Club…
Technology Guides for Wild Format 2016
This is the brand new series for 2016 – 2017 of new guides. The first four can be found in this special section on the Website, listed in the Index on the Home Page. All have PDFs for downloading.
5…Where Do You Start your Wild Format Project?
The range of what’s possible with digital inkjet technology just keeps on growing. There are so many production options to choose from… By Laurel Brunner
6…Wide format Inkjet Basics
Wide format printing has grown at an astronomical rate over the past decade, mainly because it can cope with a growing range of applications. By Nessan Cleary
7…To Judge a Book by Its Cover
Despite the old proverb, humans are prone to judge their fellow man by first impressions, so appearances are important. By Sonja Angerer
8…Workflow Basics for Wide Format Projects
While the creative part of a printing project involving wide, or very, very wide-format production should be unrestrained and ‘wild’ (allowing yourself to think out-of-the-box). By Paul Lindström
FESPA Newsroom
The FESPA Newsroom can be found via the Index on our Home Page.
Drupa Newsroom Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index. It is divided into the following Chapters for your convenience and ease of use… but you must scroll down to view each Chapter when you visit the Newsroom…
drupa daily to download as PDFs
These eleven jam-packed drupa daily news issues are ready to read now. They contain hundreds of superb articles, interviews, features and news. You can download each one complete as a PDF…
drupa 2016 Exhibitors’ at show + post-show News
Latest additions of 86 in total are now in alphabetical order can be accessed in our drupa Newsroom.
drupa 2016 News from Exhibitors (now in alphabetical order)
The series of over 240 pre-show articles can be accessed in our drupa Newsroom in alphabetical order.
drupa ante portas Blogs 2016
Includes the tenth and final article in this series from Andreas Weber in Mainz, Germany…
drupa 2016 Expert Articles – and more
Includes the eleventh and final article in this series from Claus Bolza-Schünemann, CEO and president of Koenig & Bauer (KBA) and drupa president 2016…
The Graphic Repro On-line Website is supported and sponsored by:
If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.
Photo @2016: Andreas Weber, ValuePUBLISHING, Mainz/Germany.
Graphic Repro On-line News Review to Friday 22 July 2016
Welcome to this week’s roundup of another 30 selected news articles for the week, plus five new additions to our drupa Newsroom from Elitron, KBA-Flexotecnica, Manroland Sheetfed, and SEI Laser; as well as a new entry in Online Features Downloads from Two Sides, as it publishes the findings of its Global Reach Survey 2016, where you will find the introductory article complete with link to download the complete 15-page findings and report as a PDF.
There will no Verdigris environmental Blog for the next couple of weeks as Laurel Brunner is taking a short break. She will be back during the second half of August. I shall also take a break as news is in very short supply due to the main holiday season in Europe and it has been difficult this past week or so to put together a reasonable selection of good newsworthy stuff each day. As with last week’s key news announcements (Xaar on Monday and Screen Europe on Tuesday) I have drawn on the assistance of Gareth Ward at Print Business UK for two key articles again this week, for the Anton Group and Kodak Inkjet announcement on Wednesday; and then for Xerox and RR Donnelley on Friday, in order to bring you up to date with that.
Other news leaders this week came from HP on Monday, with its plans for Photokina 2016 in Cologne in September. Tuesday was led by Canon Europe as it ships Goloseo children’s books produced at drupa 2016 to South Africa to support the Room to Read Literacy Programme. On Thursday, Two Sides took the lead as it announces availability of its Global Research Survey 2016 in PDF format; and while consumers still value print and paper, there are numerous environmental misunderstandings that persist due to a serious lack of awareness, says Two Sides. Please don’t skip it. The 15-page Report is well worth studying for anyone involved with publishing, print and paper wherever you are.
On Friday, management board chairman and CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Dr. Gerold Linzbach, announced that he will not renew his contract which runs until August 2017. Following a successful turnaround of the company, he will not seek to extend his contract and aims at pursuing new professional challenges and will continue to serve the company until the end of his contractual term, to enable the Supervisory Board time to find a replacement.
You will find some new sales and installations announcements below from Andi Druk in the Netherlands, as it invests in the first Canon Océ and Müller Martini integrated continuous feed inkjet and digital finishing lines for magazine and book production; and also for Manroland Sheetfed in Brazil with another Roland 700 – both on Monday. On Tuesday, Witherbys in London increases automation and output with a new Speedmaster XL 75-6 and automated Stahlfolder CH 56; Inci.Flex in Italy becomes the first to automate its flexo platemaking process with Esko’s new CDI Crystal 5080 XPS flexo platemaker, debuted at drupa. We also have Toppan Forms, which is now the biggest Kodak Prosper Inkjet customer in the world, as it adds a fifth Prosper Stream Inkjet press – a Prosper 6000C; while German commercial printer Nino-Druck made its first steps into the personalised photo market with Taopix at drupa.
On Wednesday we announced that Anton Group UK will be the first in the world to work with the new Kodak Ultrastream printhead shown in tests at drupa. This was followed by corrugated packaging printer Grupondunova in Catalonia, which becomes the first Spanish company to invest in the Inca Onset X large-format inkjet flatbed press, complete with ClinchTech Robotics. Then we had Park Communications in the UK, which has added a four-clamp Horizon BQ470 PUR perfect binder to deliver cost effective fast turnarounds. Thursday saw IBW Industrial Binding in Belgium increase its investment in Muller Martini kit with a new Diamant MC 60 bookline, and an Alegro perfect binder with extremely short changeover times, to use with the new hard-cover line.
On Friday, to round off the week, we included Xerox with early adopters at drupa 2016 snapping up no less than 120 Xerox Production Inkjet presses, including continuous feed and more. Then we have Seaway Printing in the U.S., which expects a 50 per cent increase in productivity with its new Speedmaster XL 106-4+L from Heidelberg USA. You will find lots of new kit this week if you check out the news announcements carefully. These include Canon SA on Monday as it launches its new imageRUNNER Advance C5500 series, intelligent multifunctional devices aimed at today’s modern working environment. Xitron on Tuesday. KBA-Flexotecnica on Wednesday, as well as SEI Laser. On Thursday, EFI released Packaging Suite 4.0 debuted and shown at drupa; and then we have KBA with the Varijet B1 Xerox-powered digital press (also from Gareth Ward, Print Business); and then Elitron with three new digital cutting machines which were shown at drupa.
On Friday we have Fujifilm with its new processless plate, the Superia ZD, which is UV-compatible and designed for longer runs. Lastly, from Ricoh South Africa with new wide-format multifunction printer which it is aimed at the CAD/GIS and graphics markets in EMEA.
The tailender for this week: On Monday, Manroland Web Systems opened the doors of its new digital web STORE. So, now you have a 24-hour, fast shopping ability on-line.
Our e-News comprises: Headline News – Online Feature Articles – the Verdigris initiative from Digital Dots. Our Drupa and FESPA Newsrooms can be accessed from the Index on our Home Page, as well as News in Review, which provides a weekly overview and listing of all news added to the site.
Headline News
Over 28,000 news items have now gone online since we launched our Website in September 2001. News for the past 24 months can still be accessed via the Home Page and its continuation news pages
Sun Chemical at GlassTec 2016 in Düsseldorf
Sun Chemical to present its latest SunVetro offerings at GlassTec 2016, taking place at Messe Düsseldorf, from 20 – 23 September…
EFI releases Packaging Suite 4.0
EFI Packaging Suite 4.0, shown at drupa, offers new value for label, folding carton and flexible packaging converters…
KBA takes the modular approach to inkjet
The Varijet was not shown at Drupa, but is KBA’s pitch for the B1 digital press market has its eyes focused on carton printing…
GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923)is sponsored and made possible by:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg), The world’s largest printing press manufacturer for the industry worldwide. Heidelberg customers enjoy the most comprehensive and extensive sales and service network in the industry for JDF compliant workflow, computer-to-plate, sheetfed offset, Web-to-print, digital printing, digital inkjet for labels and packaging, packaging and finishing, all with complementary consumables. Heidelberg has offices in around 170 countries. Visit the Heidelberg Website for more information.
drupa 2016 (drupa), the international flagship fair of the printing and media industry, responds to the challenges of the changing market and provides pioneering solutions for the future. This is highlighted by the new marketing and communication strategy where drupa claims its position as ‘No.1 for Print & Crossmedia Solutions’ with the slogan ‘touch the future’. The issues of ‘package printing’, ‘multichannel’, ‘green printing’, ‘3D printing’, and ‘functional printing’ will become increasingly important to the overall communication strategy. To find out more, visit the drupa 2016 Website.
Online Feature articles 2014 – 2016
There were again well over 70 last year, 90 in 2014, and over 90 in 2013 which can still be accessed via the Index on the Home Page, with prior years’ via Search Archives (option 2).
Downloads 2016 Chapter 01
Two Sides Global Research Survey 2016
Consumers still value print & paper, but environmental misunderstandings persist due to serious lack of awareness…
Wild Format Technology Is All About You
This is the first in a new series of articles explaining how you can use wide-format digital printing technology to produce…
Into the Great Wide Open
Harvesting the powers of modern wide-format digital printing, it is possible to elicit a nod and a smile from even the most…
Industrial Revolution
Printing has always been an industrial process. Done right, productivity continues to rise and costs to fall. But…
Drupa Newsroom Our Drupa Newsroom with news from Messe Düsseldorf and for Drupa 2016 can be found in the Index. It is divided into the following Chapters for your convenience and ease of use… but you must scroll down to view each Chapter when you visit the Newsroom…
drupa daily to download as PDFs
These jam-packed drupa daily news issues are ready to read now. You can download each one complete as a PDF…
drupa daily issue No 1 on 31 May 2016
Includes drupa President and Koenig & Bauer chief executive Claus Bolza-Schünemann’s Red Sofa chat with Thomas Fasold…
drupa daily issue No 2 on 1 June 2016
Includes Kodak chief executive Jeff Clarke talking to Darryl Danielli about the business’s evolution and how it’s getting back to its roots…
drupa daily issue No 3 on 2 June 2016
Includes Canon EMEA president and chief executive Rokus van Iperen’s talk with Darryl Danielli about the importance of merging cultures…
drupa daily issue No 4 on 3 June 2016
Includes Landa Digital Printing founder and chairman Benny Landa as he tells Darryl Danielli how he has been retired for 50-plus years…
drupa daily issue No 6 on 5 June 2016
Includes Olaf Lorenz, GM of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, as he discusses the KM-C with Darryl Danielli…
drupa daily issue No 7 on 6 June 2016
Includes Jean-Pascal Bobst, chief executive of Swiss manufacturer
Bobst talking to Darryl Danielli about the importance of family…
drupa daily issue No 8 on 7 June 2016
Includes Eijiro Hori, president of post-press kit manufacturer Horizon sharing his thoughts on the importance of partnerships with Darryl Danielli…
drupa daily issue No 9 on 8 June 2016
Includes Massivit chief executive Avner Israeli emphasises to Darryl Danielli that printers should embrace the 3D opportunity sooner rather than later…
drupa daily issue No 10 on 9 June 2016
Includes Marabu chief executive York Boeder talking with Thomas Fasold about digitisation in printing and the strengths of screen printing…
drupa daily issue No 11 on 10 June 2016
Includes Wolfgang Kroplunik, head of business development & Western Europe, Uncoated Fine Paper at Mondi, talking with Thomas Fasold about paper and changing requirements in the digital transformation…
drupa 2016 Exhibitors’ show + post-show News
Latest additions – and counting – can be accessed in our drupa Newsroom.
drupa 2016 News from Exhibitors (now in alphabetical order)
The series of over 240 articles can be accessed in our drupa Newsroom in alphabetical order.
drupa ante portas Blogs 2016
Includes the tenth and final article in this series from Andreas Weber in Mainz, Germany…
drupa 2016 Expert Articles – and more
Includes the eleventh and final article in this series from Claus Bolza-Schünemann, CEO and president of Koenig & Bauer (KBA) and drupa president 2016…
Previous… E-commerce, automation and cloud for print
Touch the future. Drupa Expert Article No 9 by Simon Eccles, who over the years he has been editor of eight industry publications. Today he writes white papers and technical reports and contributes regular technical features to many publications…
The Graphic Repro On-line Website is supported and sponsored by:
If you would like to send news for consideration for the Graphic Repro On-line Website (ISSN 1814-2915) or to submit comments, please e-mail Mike Hilton at: graphicrepro.za@gmail.com.
GraphicRepro.Net e-News (ISSN 1814-2923) provides weekly updates from the Graphic Repro On-line Website and is compiled and published by Mike Hilton,graphicrepro.net, PO Box 10 Peterburgskoe Shosse 13/1, 196605 Pushkin 5, St. Petersburg, Russia. e-mailgraphicrepro.za@gmail.com