Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS) has installed the first Heidelberg press at its Belfast operation, a six-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106
The press replaces two Manroland 700s. Operations director Alan Porter said the press’s inline camera capability, which can detect print discrepancies and send defective sheets into a waste container, was a particularly attractive features.
Installation took place on 23 March and was followed by a three-week training period for staff unfamiliar with Heidelberg presses.
Porter said: “One key feature that was a deciding factor for us was that makeready can be initiated for one job as the previous one is still going, seriously reducing our lead times.”
The six-colour press runs at speeds up to 18,000sph and has been configured with double coaters. It runs Autoplate XL2 and Hycolor Multi Drive technology, which is designed for fast and simultaneous plate changing and wash-ups.
Inpress Control 2, a closed-loop colour system, measures and adjusts colour on the fly and the 106’s sheet ejection feature is powered by Prinect Inspection Control, which features PDF verification.
MPS Belfast has sold one of its two Manrolands, with the other set to be sold in the near future.
The Speedmaster joins a Komori LS40 sheetfed offset press at the premises, alongside four Bobst die-cutters and a mix of Bobst and Heidelberg folder-gluers.
MPS Belfast employs 170 staff on a single site and produces healthcare cartons for the pharmaceutical sector. MPS itself runs on 19 sites across the UK, with an additional three in the Republic of Ireland.
LENSING DRUCK TARGETS FURTHER GROWTH WITH HEIDELBERG SUBSCRIPTION MODEL
· The new digital business
model from Heidelberg
delivers a complete
package combining press,
software, service, and
consumables
· Lensing has access to
guaranteed printing capacity
· Keen interest in the new
subscription model among
commercial and packaging
producers
· Pay-per-use model boosts
sales of consumables
· Data expertise and Push to
Stop are key levers in
establishing the offering
In January 2015, the Lensing Druck Group merged the sheetfed and digital printing operations of Westmünsterland Druck (Ahaus) and Hitzegrad Print Medien & Service (Dortmund) at a new site in Dortmund-Kley, which now has around 100 employees. The Group thus increased its commercial print shop’s production area to over 6,000 square meters (64,500 sq. ft.) and is continuing its growth trajectory. To meet the changing demands in printing and remain flexible, Lensing has now opted for the new subscription model from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg).
This new digital business model from Heidelberg offers Lensing all the components it needs to run its print shop successfully, such as the press system, software, consumables for all offset presses, and service. Lensing in return gets defined printing capacity that it can utilize for its customer orders. It only pays for use of this capacity (pay-per-use). Overall productivity at Lensing is also expected to rise further during the five-year contract period thanks to the optimized interplay of all the components.
“With its high-quality products, our renowned commercial print shop at the Dortmund-Kley site serves a wide range of very discerning customers and we’re looking to achieve further growth. To ensure we can continue to focus our full attention on our customers in this phase, too, we’re using the new Heidelberg subscription model,” says Martin Cremer, Managing Director of the Lensing Druck Group. “At the same time, we’re making ourselves fit for the future by extensively digitizing a whole range of processes.”
“Increasing numbers of commercial and packaging print shops are interested in our new digital business model and are opting for it,” says Prof. Ulrich Hermann, member of the Management Board and Chief Digital Officer at Heidelberg. “This underscores the appeal of the model, which aligns the interests of our customers with our goal as their supplier – that of continually increasing output! We are also seeing that, along with contract presses, most print shops are also transferring consumables to us for all existing presses so as to maximize the benefits of reduced planning and enhanced performance in selecting optimum products,” adds Hermann.
The Heidelberg subscription model is following the growing pay-per-use trend in mechanical engineering and aims to move away from growth based solely on selling and installing printing capacity.
Lensing chooses digitization from Heidelberg
Push to Stop technology from Heidelberg, which was showcased at drupa 2016, meets market needs head on as the process of digitization continues apace. The technology is proving to be a key lever in particular for subscription customers when making investment decisions and is thus helping to increase its popularity. A Speedmaster XL 106 press from the drupa 2016 generation will also be used at Lensing in Dortmund-Kley.
“Without extensive data expertise, Push to Stop would be unthinkable and is vital for our subscription model. We can now also see how Heidelberg can use this expertise to generate new business at the point of sale. Yet the customer, too, benefits from enhanced performance and much greater competitiveness,” says Hermann.