It is hot and busy on Heidelberg’s stand, and I have to push my way through to the long enquiry desks that sit either side of the entrance to the hospitality area. I’m waiting to meet Ryan Miles, managing director of Heidelberg UK. He’s chatting to a labels company that previously has had no contact with the German press supplier, and promising to visit after Drupa.
Going through into the lounge area, we find a table and Miles has to find a spare chair; it’s not easy. The place mid afternoon is packed out. Then comes a drink order. The interior of the lounge is as well designed as the rest of the stand, which is by mutual appreciation one of the best, if not the best, at the show. Heidelberg has in the few days earlier delivered the sort of announcement that ensures it is also among the main topics of conversation on the show floor, in the Altstadt bars and aboard Heidelberg’s hospitality ship, renamed the MV Steinberg after a long serving highly respected company CEO.
That was the announcement to the effect that Heidelberg will sell Canon’s popular iX3200 B3 inkjet press and its forthcoming iV7 B2 inkjet press, under the names Jetfire 50 and Jetfire 75. It had caught everyone by surprise, not least Heidelberg and Canon’s own staff, let alone those from Ricoh and others in the inkjet world.
Heidelberg had laid enough hints that it intended to offer more in digital printing and a deal with Ricoh, partner over ten years for its Versafire presses, seemed obvious. There had been talks as Ricoh is introducing the B2 Z75, but no deal reached. Then in the run up to Drupa, a high level deal was sealed between Canon and Heidelberg. Only a few were privy to this with Miles among them, signing agreements not to speak about the deal. On the eve of the show a press was moved into place under the cover of darkness and remained shrouded until this was lifted away at a press conference on the evening before the show opened.
Says Miles: “The Canon deal is positive for both parties. For us this offers the best quality and commercial value for customers. We are known and trusted by many printers for our service and using our own DFE will give us a USP for the press. And then when the B2 press arrives it starts to add balance to our portfolio and enables us to cover all segments in the commercial print space. And the Prinect workflow binds it all together. This is a really good development for us.”
The iX3200, a 1200dpi inkjet press capable of 4,500sph, has earned a growing reputation for productivity, quality and reliability. Canon has been particularly successful in the UK with direct mail and book printers. Sales have been slower in commercial print, though have been growing: ESP Colour, PBL, Micropress and Whittington Moor are all Heidelberg customers that are buying the inkjet press.
The B2 press is scheduled for launch next year. The iX7 will have the same resolution, a more compact design and piezo printheads of Canon’s design. The stated performance is impressive: up to 8,700 B2 sheets an hour on a 750x614mm sheet at 1200dpi.
The first press will keep Heidelberg in a sector where sales of new litho machines are as rare as hen’s teeth, the second may encourage Heidelberg customers to stay with the supplier when considering whether to invest in a B2 digital press.
While the agreement takes effect immediately, there are practical issues to tackle first. Because the deal was only completed in the last few weeks and had been kept under wraps, there has been no possibility of integrating the technology into sales, support or software programmes. These are being devised now, says Miles. Realistically it means that Heidelberg UK at least will be holding back on installations until the start of the new year.
“We have very good skills in the team and we have some inkjet experience from the Gallus products, we will need to invest in training the teams which will result in a seamless service experience for customers,” he explains.
Drupa, however, was not all about inkjet for Heidelberg. It introduced visitors to 21,000sph running in commercial printing with a spectacular fully automated plate changing demonstration where the machine’s operator was only involved to a minimal effect. A Cutstar 4 developed in collaboration with Contiweb offers non stop printing.
“There are more than 40 areas inside the machine where there have been improvements,” he says, “but no silver bullet. There have been improvements in running speed, in reducing energy needed, waste and makeready time.” There is an increase in the use of AI which will only increase further and means of mining data to improve performance.
This machine is already running at Stephens & George, although without the plate to unit system. Miles explains that this is because average run in Wales is around 4,000 sheets, leaving plenty of time to fetch plates from the plate room. Park Communications is also lined up for the Drupa generation press.
While a company like Stephens & George is replacing an older machine, others will be using the productivity of a new machine to replace two older presses. This, Miles says, means a reduction in the print company’s carbon footprint as well as reducing the labour requirement through running less machinery: both necessary in today’s environment. And this will also enable a company to grow thanks to the additional capacity while not increasing the overhead. “This reinvigorates what an investment decision should be,” he argues. “And on folding carton presses, a reduction in energy for drying of 30% is incredible.”
It is no longer about machines on their own. As the presses run faster, any disruption is relatively more costly in terms of lost production. Heidelberg is able to provide the Saphira products that are matched to the press and mean that when there is a problem, Heidelberg is on the spot.
“Printers can’t afford for the press not to work. We need to deliver the other products and services to add value and it is working for them because they have challenges in their business. They need production to be seamless and working well. It’s frustrating when suppliers are called in and blame each other: ‘it’s the ink’, or ‘it’s the fount’.
“Now we are starting to do a lot of performance training for operators in Wiesloch to help them get the best from the machinery. Operators get training when the press is installed and if it’s working you don’t mess around with it. This can add value over the period of running the press.”
The space is becoming noticeably less congested so that when we rise there is no clamour for a chair going spare. It is a temporary situation, Somehow Miles will be back again, in conversation with customers and fighting for space at one of Heidelberg’s tables.
