Heidelberg is running a series of teaser videos, encouraging printers worldwide to sign up to an hour-long Showtime event on 23 June. The first of these can be accessed through Heidelberg’s website and via social media. It is a minute long and teases about “something big” that is coming. Additional videos will be released closer to 23 June and while these will contain further links, Heidelberg is determined to keep a lid on exactly what will be revealed.
Packaging is to feature prominently, as will print embellishment. The event will be shown live with Heidelberg striving to make it feasible to watch from any country. The session will be followed by one to one appointments with Heidelberg staff. UK printers will be able to talk with marketing and product executive Matt Rockley.
The two partners that Heidelberg highlights are Polar and Masterwork, the former a longstanding partner offering guillotines and the latter providing Heidelberg with platens and folder-gluers. The other sponsors underline the packaging flavour. IST Metz produces UV curing technology; Jindal is a worldwide supplier of plastic packaging films, Kurz and Univacco supply metallic foils and application technology, Kocher + Beck and Marbach offer die cutting technology. Buchmann Karton is a folding carton board producer while Jeco and Stocklin provide plastic pallets and pallet handling systems from simple pallet trucks for robot guided vehicles.
If carton and packaging production is a key theme for the Showtime event it reflects the wider view that Heidelberg has of its market. Around 50% of press production already goes to the packaging sector where it says that the market is growing 2% a year. In contrast commercial print is at best a stable market with publishing products hit by a switch to digital alternatives.
However, the ‘something big’ title is in contrast to Heidelberg‘s recent actions. Little more than 15 months ago, at the point that lockdowns were being inflicted across the world, Heidelberg announced it was pulling out of the VLF press sector where the XL162 was pitched at publishing and the XL145 had proved appealing to packaging groups. With demand for cartons increasing during the pandemic year, might Heidelberg now be reconsidering its decision last year?
Heidelberg pulls plug on large format
