Largest Print Shop in Eastern Europe Installs a Speedmaster XL 105

Winkowski invests in enhanced quality and productivity

The Winkowski print shop, headquartered in Pila, Poland, will shortly start production with a Speedmaster XL 105 five-color press with coating and extended delivery from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). Tadeusz Winkowski, the print shop owner, saw this machine at drupa 2004 and was instantly impressed. "The Speedmaster XL 105 will enable us to offer our customers better quality, faster delivery, and improved service overall," says Winkowski. This was once again demonstrated in a one-week test phase last year in Wiesloch. The Speedmaster XL 105 is the tenth sheetfed press Winkowski has bought from Heidelberg. "We invest each year in at least one new press," says Winkowski, describing his strategy. "I can well imagine having even more Speedmaster XL 105 presses in the next few years."

The Speedmaster XL 105 fits seamlessly into Winkowski's printing process as it is the perfect sheetfed offset press for industrial printing offering excellent productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness. Winkowski, Eastern Europe's largest print shop, has chalked up a string of successes. Founded just seven years ago, the print shop today employs over 1,200 staff, generating total sales of 130 million Euro in 2004. The American printing giant Quad Graphics has a 42 percent holding in the company. The remaining stock belongs to Tadeusz Winkowski. Production takes place at Pila and Radzymin near Warsaw. Another print shop with a large logistics center has just been opened in Wyszkow and the first machines are already up and running. The Speedmaster XL 105 will also be installed there and deployed for top-quality envelopes and advertising material. Winkowski has sales offices in Germany, Sweden, Poland and Austria. The company produces high-quality magazines, leaflets, brochures, and books. It sells its products in over 24 countries and has achieved an export rate of 37 percent. Winkowski prints the National Geographic magazine, for example. The following Heidelberg presses are used for the bulk of Winkowski's production - 21 web offset presses, such as the M 600, Sunday 4000, and Sunday 3000, five Speedmaster CD 102 presses and CtP and finishing equipment.

Eastern Europe is a key growth market for Heidelberg. The Speedmaster XL 105 delivered to Winkowski is already the second supplied to Poland. This is further proof that the Speedmaster XL 105 is finding favor with industrialized print shops in the commercial and packaging sectors that value its high level of automation and efficient operation. The Speedmaster XL 105 is designed for production speeds of 18,000 sheets per hour and covers a print format of 75 x 105 centimeters (29.53 x 41.34 inches). It achieves 30 percent increases in productivity levels for most applications.

Image:
Tadeusz Winkowski (right) and Dr. Jürgen Rautert, Director for Engineering and Manufacturing at Heidelberg, set the seal on the purchase of the Speedmaster XL 105.

For further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Hilde Weisser
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 65
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 46
E-mail: hilde.weisser@heidelberg.com