Heidelberg will exhibit innovative press technology, an expanded
newspaper team and a strong commitment to customized solutions at
this year's IfraExpo from 15 to 18 October in Geneva.
A four-high Mainstream press tower will be the
centerpiece of Heidelberg's Ifra exhibit. Twelve Mainstreams
have been sold worldwide since the gapless double-width press was
introduced at Drupa 2000. Recent customers include The Roa-noke
Times in the United States.
"Our objective at Ifra will be to present our unique
technology, our extensive resources and our dedication to serving
customers as a reliable and extremely responsive partner,"
Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier explained.
Schreier emphasized that newspaper publishers worldwide are
demanding press systems that deliver added color capacity, better
print quality, faster production and more efficient, cost-effective
production processes. "Gapless technology delivers distinct
advantages in each of these areas," he said. "It's a
proven concept that can make newspapers more compelling, more
competitive and ultimately more attractive to readers and
advertisers."
The Mainstream prints at up to 80,000 copies per hour with a
1x4 (one-page-around by four-pages-across) plate cylinder
configuration and a 1:1 plate-to-blanket cylinder ratio.
Heidelberg's gapless blanket technology eliminates gap related
vibration, allowing the press to deliver premium print quality at
high speeds with the narrow one-around plate and blanket cylinders.
As a result, the Mainstream can match the output of a traditional
two-around double-width press while reducing plate requirements by
50 percent. The 1x4 configuration also allows the layout
versatility of two-page jumps and sections with unequal page
counts.
The high production speed of the press brings more
productivity to reduce print windows and improve timeliness of the
news. Another advantage of the Mainstream is its compact design
which enables space saving and makes printing units easier to work
on and service.
The Mainstream also include Heidelberg's exclusive Omnipage,
a revolutionary system that automates page recognition at the
console: The Omnipage feature utilizes cameras mounted above the
press console to instantly identify newspaper pages when they are
placed on the console.
The Omnicon control system is then automatically directed to
the tower, web or printing couple corresponding to the identified
page. Small codes printed in the lower margin of the newspaper
pages signal the Omnipage cameras.
Schreier said Heidelberg is continuing to expand its
commitment to the newspaper industry, an initiative the company
first announced in 1998.
"The successful introduction of the Mainstream has
established us as an emerging leader in the market, but newspaper
production involves much more than press technology," Schreier
explained. "We have assembled a team of experts to focus our
expansive resources on modern production challenges and to assist
customers in implementing the most appropriate solutions to those
challenges." That team includes newly appointed Web Solution
Center President Werner Albrecht as well as Senior Vice-President
Newspaper Product Center Jacques Navarre and Sales Director Jean
Segura.
"This year's Ifra show is another important
milestone in our expanding newspaper program," Schreier
concludes. We will listen carefully to the world's leading
publishers and use that dialogue to continue to develop innovative
solutions to their specific production challenges."
For further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Hans-Dieter Siegfried
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 63
E-mail:
hans-dieter.siegfried@heidelberg.com