David Savastano, Editor12.15.15
The press manufacturing industry has changed tremendously in the last 10 years. Yesterday, I wrote a blog post on the evolutions of KBA; today, I want to look at the changes being made at Heidelberg.
When I first attended drupa back in 2000, Heidelberg was the king of the show, taking up both Hall 1 and 2. This was still the case in 2008, just before the global recession took its toll; by 2012, Heidelberg had consolidated to Hall 1. Meanwhile, digital press leaders such as HP, FUJIFILM, EFI and newcomer Landa were taking over increasingly larger areas on the show floor.
Heidelberg has been a lot of really rough years, cutting jobs and losing money. Any thought that the sheetfed market is going to return to its past glory is long gone, and the company is going to have to survive by being a lot more flexible and diversified.
To meet the demand for inkjet printing, the company has been expanding its digital printing portfolio. Back in 2011, Heidelberg and Ricoh signed a distribution agreement in which Heidelberg would sell Ricoh’s printers.
In 2013, Heidelberg and FUJIFILM formed a partnership in which the two companies would work together to develop new presses. Heidelberg is reporting that it will showcase its new inkjet-based digital printing system designed for industrial commercial and packaging printing at drupa 2016.
In 2014, Heidelberg acquired Gallus Holding AG, a packaging industry leader in the label and folding box segment. Gallus, in conjunction with Heidelberg and FUJIFILM, introduced the Gallus DCS 340, its digital label press, which officially launched at Labelexpo 2015.
Much as is the case with KBA, the traditional leaders in sheetfed press technology have a lot to offer in terms of experience and customer base, but are lacking on the inkjet technology side. For Heidelberg to remain a force in the printing industry, it has to be able to provide for all of the needs that its customers require, and for many printers, that includes digital printing. These partnerships and acquisitions are an important way to remain relevant in the changing world of printing.
When I first attended drupa back in 2000, Heidelberg was the king of the show, taking up both Hall 1 and 2. This was still the case in 2008, just before the global recession took its toll; by 2012, Heidelberg had consolidated to Hall 1. Meanwhile, digital press leaders such as HP, FUJIFILM, EFI and newcomer Landa were taking over increasingly larger areas on the show floor.
Heidelberg has been a lot of really rough years, cutting jobs and losing money. Any thought that the sheetfed market is going to return to its past glory is long gone, and the company is going to have to survive by being a lot more flexible and diversified.
To meet the demand for inkjet printing, the company has been expanding its digital printing portfolio. Back in 2011, Heidelberg and Ricoh signed a distribution agreement in which Heidelberg would sell Ricoh’s printers.
In 2013, Heidelberg and FUJIFILM formed a partnership in which the two companies would work together to develop new presses. Heidelberg is reporting that it will showcase its new inkjet-based digital printing system designed for industrial commercial and packaging printing at drupa 2016.
In 2014, Heidelberg acquired Gallus Holding AG, a packaging industry leader in the label and folding box segment. Gallus, in conjunction with Heidelberg and FUJIFILM, introduced the Gallus DCS 340, its digital label press, which officially launched at Labelexpo 2015.
Much as is the case with KBA, the traditional leaders in sheetfed press technology have a lot to offer in terms of experience and customer base, but are lacking on the inkjet technology side. For Heidelberg to remain a force in the printing industry, it has to be able to provide for all of the needs that its customers require, and for many printers, that includes digital printing. These partnerships and acquisitions are an important way to remain relevant in the changing world of printing.