Official commissioning of new large-format press from
Heidelberg/emphasis on packaging printing
The official commissioning of a Speedmaster XL 145 at FREUND
GmbH in Georgsmarienhütte just a short time after drupa marks
the successful debut in practice of the new format class from
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). FREUND GmbH, which is
celebrating its centenary this year, is the first company to use
the new generation of presses form Heidelberg. When taking delivery
of the XL 145, the Managing Partner of FREUND GmbH, Karl-Heinz
Freund, stressed the close relationship with Heidelberg. "We
have enjoyed a very successful technology partnership with
Heidelberg for a number of years. The company has the most
comprehensive range in the industry, delivers top quality, and
provides its customers with added value and an exemplary
service," he enthused. Freund went on to reveal that the
company had been waiting for Heidelberg to move into the
large-format class for these very reasons. Werner Albrecht,
Chairman of the Management Board at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Vertrieb Deutschland GmbH, also referred to the long-standing
cooperation between FREUND GmbH and Heidelberg, stating "The
handover of the Speedmaster XL 145-6+L, elevated and equipped with
logistics, is a perfect example of this mutual trust."
New format class from Heidelberg
The Speedmaster XL 145 and the Speedmaster XL 162 are the
ideal complement to the upper end of the Heidelberg sheetfed offset
portfolio. The presses have been designed primarily for use in the
packaging printing and industrial publishing sectors. This new
generation of presses offers customers outstanding advantages in
terms of user-friendliness, makeready times, high plate throughput,
and synchronous washup processes. This enables productivity
increases of up to 20 percent over similar presses. The 102 x 142
centimeter (40.16 x 55.91 inch) and 120 x 162 centimeter (47.24 x
63.78 inch) formats being offered cover more than 75 percent of the
entire large-format market.
The new large-format presses have been designed to meet the
specific requirements of the packaging printing sector. The new
portfolio extends the Heidelberg one-stop supplier concept for
folding carton production - with prepress, press, and postpress
solutions all being supplied from a single source. The 102 x 142
centimeter format of the XL 145 press is currently the most popular
format in the packaging printing sector. Analyses carried out by
Heidelberg show that the three centimeter (1.18 inch) larger
print sheet supported by the XL 145 (106 x 145 centimeter or 41.73
x 57.09 inch) delivers around ten percent more space for nesting
individual repeats on the sheet. The packaging printing sector is
also making increasing use of the 120 x 162 centimeter format - the
format of the new XL 162. Both presses are manufactured on a
standardized platform.
The workmanship, durability, and print quality of the new
presses match the Heidelberg standards that customers have come to
expect. Several configurations are available for processing
substrates ranging from 0.06 to 1.6 millimeters (0.0024 to 0.063
inch).
Both presses will be capable of operating at a production
speed of up to 15,000 sheets per hour. As with all presses, this
maximum print speed is determined by a range of parameters. The
most important of these include the quality of the materials,
substrates, inks, and coatings used, as well as the temperature and
humidity.
There are currently some 3,000 presses installed with 102 x
142 centimeter and 120 x 162 centimeter formats, a number boosted
by an additional 1,000 or so new printing units every year. The key
regions are currently central Europe and the Middle East (50
percent), North America (30 percent), and Asia Pacific (20
percent), particularly Japan and China. Italy leads the way on the
European market for large-format printing with more than 20
percent. This relates primarily to letterpress printing, which has
traditionally enjoyed a high share of the print industry in Italy.
Packaging accounts for a large share of the print jobs
(around 50 percent), followed by letterpress (20 percent) and
commercial printing (also 20 percent). The remaining ten
percent is made up of various smaller-scale applications.
FREUND GmbH - a 100-year success story
It was 100 years ago that Friedrich Freund founded the
company that laid the foundation for the FREUND Group. In its
centenary year, FREUND is keen to carry on the strong tradition of
innovation with continued specialization of production at its
sites. Key milestones include the opening of the Nordhausen plant
with its Asitrade system for manufacturing corrugated board on May
31, 2008 and the installation of the new XL 145 press from
Heidelberg with its 106 x 145 centimeter sheet format in
Georgsmarienhütte in May 2008.
The FREUND Group employs a workforce of 300 at its four sites
in Georgsmarienhütte, Krefeld, Dresden, and Nordhausen, and
generates annual sales of 44 million Euro.
At its headquarters in Georgsmarienhütte, the company
produces special packaging made from solid board.
The Krefeld plant prints in the 100 x 70 centimeter (39.37 x
27.56 inch) format, producing straightline folding cartons made
from solid board and blanks for automatic packaging machines, i.e.
folding cartons that are not glued but delivered to customers
immediately after die cutting.
The plant in Dresden specializes in the manufacture of
displays, while the one in Nordhausen produces packaging made from
laminated corrugated board around the clock. The Group has invested
a total of nine million Euro in new buildings and equipment,
creating 50 new jobs in the process. The Nordhausen plant's planned
sales figure for 2008 is 14 million Euro and the production
capacity is 24 million sheets per year - enough to cover
around 5,600 soccer fields!
In April 2008, the Asitrade corrugated board installation
with inline laminator for offset printed board was commissioned in
Nordhausen. This makes FREUND one of a small number of suppliers in
Germany with the ability to manufacture corrugated board in-house
and an inline postpress operation.
Last year, 17,000 tons of solid board and 17,000,000 square
meters of corrugated board were processed at the four sites. The
Group's regular customers include a large number of well-known
names such as Storck, Coppenrath & Wiese, Johnson &
Johnson, Fronhoffs, Schne-Frost, Fuchs-Gewürze, Tetra, and
Homann.
Image:
World premiere of the Speedmaster XL 145 at FREUND GmbH
(from left to right): Werner Albrecht, Management Director of
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Vertrieb Deutschland GmbH, Karl-Heinz
Freund, Managing Partner of FREUND GmbH and Heinz Lunte, Mayer of
Georgsmarienhütte.
For further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Hans-Dieter Siegfried
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 63
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 69
E-mail:
hans-dieter.siegfried@heidelberg.com
FREUND GmbH
Thomas Wirth
Marketing Manager
Tel.: +49 (0)5401 486 29
Fax: +49 (0)5401 486 89
E-mail:
t.wirth@freund-verpackung.de