Research and Development - Investments with a Future |
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- Customer Requirements Determine Priorities
- Development of a New Format Category through
drupa 2008
- Prinect Workflow Software Expanded
The cost structure of print shops represents an important strategic focus of our R&D work. Each reduction of material or staff expense represents hard cash for our customers. Potential reductions in makeready times and in paper waste that result from the application of our solutions are consequently outstanding selling points for Heidelberg.
Furthermore, we are focusing to an even greater extent on our successful approach of developing not only individual printing presses, but optimally networked, comprehensive solutions - in order to thereby offer our customers further value added.
Specially Tailored Solutions for Customers Worldwide
Since we develop scalable and modular products in all formats, we are in a position to react flexibly to market demands and satisfy customer requirements, ranging all the way from entry-level operations to the peak-performance segment.
Our development activity takes into consideration regionally varied customer requirements - for the purpose, among others, of putting ourselves in a position to further expand our strong presence in the world’s growth markets.
The challenges faced by our customers define the focus of our work. Trends indicate that the average print run will continue to shrink, with a simultaneous rise in the number of orders. Our customers must cut their costs and be able to offer new possibilities for differentiation if they are to achieve longterm success and generate adequate earnings.
To ensure that our developments will also be well received by customers, we make use of our so-called Technology Roadmap to ensure that the primary focus of product development and expansion is on the benefit to the customer.
The Focus: Rapid Inking-Up, Short Makeready Times, High Productivity
Prinect, our workflow software, makes it possible for us to secure broad economic benefits for our customers. The newly developed Prinect Inpress Control measuring instrument creates a closed color-feedback control system that makes possible the shortest possible order set-up time available in the market. Even the smallest color inaccuracies are quickly recognized and immediately eliminated during the production run, thereby avoiding potentially considerable paper waste and high postprocessing costs.
As a further highlight, during the financial year 2006/2007 we introduced the Anicolor zoneless inking unit, which allows offset print shops to produce even the shortest of runs with considerably higher profit margins. Anicolor reduces startup paper waste by up to 90 percent; in the low print run segment, capacity can be boosted by up to 50 percent due to extremely short set-up times.
The reliable increase in speed of our printing presses for medium-sized and long print runs expands the potential economic deployment of sheetfed offset printing presses for a range of orders that were previously only served by web offset printing. When in use, our maximum performance class Speedmaster XL105 demonstrates that it can ensure performance that is 30 percent higher than comparable models, and in individual cases even much more! Our new model for ultraviolet printing inks is able to turn out 18,000 sheets per hour – an absolute innovation in the market. Sophisticated drying systems that we are developing in conjunction with systems partners will help us obtain this competitive advantage.
Additional Focus of Attention: Further Penetration of Package Printing Market
We will introduce the Speedmaster XL145 and XL162 models, a new generation of printing presses, at drupa 2008. We are so far in line with our ambitious timetable. We are also developing a platesetter for this larger format, allowing us to penetrate the package printing market to a greater extent. Our products will offer a number of innovative solutions to place us in a position to especially well serve this rapidly growing offset printing segment.
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As at: June 2007
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Investments in Re-
search and Development
During financial year 2006/2007, we invested 237 million Euro in research and development for our complex mechatronical systems, for software development, and for the series servicing of our product portfolio - 23 million Euro more than in the previous year. Our R&D rate, which increased slightly to 6.2 percent, reflects our strategy of expanding our market leadership through new technologies.
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