A Catalyst for Innovation: Research & Development at Heidelberg
Tasks, processes and definitions - basis paper looks at
innovation management in the print technology group
Innovation is the key to a company's commercial success, and research & development (R&D) is the heart of innovation. Heidelberg - the world's market leader in sheetfed offset printing systems - every year invests more than six percent of its sales, i.e. more than 200 million Euro, in maintaining and extending its innovation strength.
The core business of Heidelberg is sheetfed offset presses in format classes A3 (35x50 centimeter), A2 (50x70 centimeter) and A1+ super format (70x100 centimeter). These format classes are positioned at the very center of the process and value added chain. However, the focus on what comes before and after is increasing all the time. With this in mind, Heidelberg not only offers presses but also machines for printing plate manufacture, finishing equipment and software components for integrating the full sweep of print shop processes. This requires complex interaction between hardware, software and brainware.
The role of research and development at Heidelberg is to enhance this end-to-end workflow by providing innovations that make it better, more effective and faster. How does development take place at Heidelberg? What is developed? Who is involved in the process? This text gives an insight into the research and development process at Heidelberg, introducing the different departments and their core areas of expertise, and to show how teams interact within this high-tech organization. It will provide an example of the complete workflow by depicting a production chain that consists of the Suprasetter platesetter, the Speedmaster XL 105 press, the Dymatrix diecutter and the relevant integration software from the Prinect workflow.
The complete document can be downloaded as a PDf file in the top right-hand corner of this page.
Innovation is the key to a company's commercial success, and research & development (R&D) is the heart of innovation. Heidelberg - the world's market leader in sheetfed offset printing systems - every year invests more than six percent of its sales, i.e. more than 200 million Euro, in maintaining and extending its innovation strength.
The core business of Heidelberg is sheetfed offset presses in format classes A3 (35x50 centimeter), A2 (50x70 centimeter) and A1+ super format (70x100 centimeter). These format classes are positioned at the very center of the process and value added chain. However, the focus on what comes before and after is increasing all the time. With this in mind, Heidelberg not only offers presses but also machines for printing plate manufacture, finishing equipment and software components for integrating the full sweep of print shop processes. This requires complex interaction between hardware, software and brainware.
The role of research and development at Heidelberg is to enhance this end-to-end workflow by providing innovations that make it better, more effective and faster. How does development take place at Heidelberg? What is developed? Who is involved in the process? This text gives an insight into the research and development process at Heidelberg, introducing the different departments and their core areas of expertise, and to show how teams interact within this high-tech organization. It will provide an example of the complete workflow by depicting a production chain that consists of the Suprasetter platesetter, the Speedmaster XL 105 press, the Dymatrix diecutter and the relevant integration software from the Prinect workflow.
The complete document can be downloaded as a PDf file in the top right-hand corner of this page.
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