“I practically grew up with HEIDELBERG machines in our family-run business,” recalls Günther Berninghaus, managing partner of Papierwerk Landshut Mittler, about his childhood. “Back then, we were an industrial craft business specializing in the printing of folding cartons.
"Even as a little child, I used to accompany my father to work, walking past HEIDELBERG Tiegel and cylinder presses to his office. Of course, I had no idea back then how deep the connection between the printing press manufacturer and I would one day become."
After completing an apprenticeship as a printer, Günther Berninghaus went on to study printing technology in Munich, where he had hands-on experience with machines from all the major manufacturers. “My time at university solidified my belief that HEIDELBERG was the ideal partner for our company,” he reflects.
When he joined the family business alongside his father, Heinz Berninghaus, in 1985, one of the key decisions was to invest in their first four-color press in the 3b format, equipped with a coating unit. “I persuaded our printing team to choose the new HEIDELBERG Speedmaster. Looking back, it was a stroke of luck for us,” says Günther Berninghaus, who leads the company in the third generation and will soon appoint his son Daniel to the management, representing the fourth generation.
The fact that plm became not just a customer but also a development partner for HEIDELBERG began with a hands-on project. One of HEIDELBERG’s technical directors, Jürgen Fürbass, came up with the idea to retrofit the two-color GTO machine used by plm, on-site and by hand, with rough-chromed transfer cylinders to make it capable of four-color printing for cardboard.
The result of this modification impressed both sides and contributed to the ongoing development of a new generation of four-color GTO machines at HEIDELBERG. A test machine from this series was also set up at plm."
In 1992, HEIDELBERG launched its concept customer program. The partners selected as concept customers were given the opportunity to test new developments in practice before they were officially released to the market. Based on customer feedback, HEIDELBERG engineers made fine adjustments or potential improvements before the machines went into mass production.
'We were involved in the concept customer program from the very beginning,' says Günther Berninghaus. 'Looking back, I think this type of pragmatic, collaborative partnership was a real win for both sides.'"
He fondly remembers the year 1999 and the alpha test of the Speedmaster SM 52 V+L, which featured the world’s first coating unit in this machine class. "The coating unit was so innovative that it had to be kept hidden from view. That’s why we enclosed the machine in our workshop with a wooden barn, ensuring that no unauthorized person could see the coating unit."
One of the many practical outcomes of this testing was the valuable input plm provided to enable the new machine to handle cardboard printing over 250 g/m². This not only benefited plm, as the company specialized in folding carton printing for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, but also allowed HEIDELBERG to expand the potential customer base to include commercial printers.
The close collaboration between plm and HEIDELBERG continues to this day. Currently, the focus is mostly on software-related topics, with the partners setting up joint pilot projects. "These are primarily aimed at optimizing processes," reports Daniel Berninghaus, looking ahead: "What will be exciting for the future of our company is how we decide on our next machine investment: Will we stick with the half-format, or will we switch to the 106 format? This will largely depend on the further development of the half-format."
Günther Berninghaus concludes: "Over the past four decades, many true friendships have developed, some of which will last into retirement. It's not just the machines, but also the culture that makes HEIDELBERG something special."
