Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

Postfach
69159 Wiesloch
Germany

Gutenbergring
69168 Wiesloch

Matthias Hartung

Phone +49 6222 82-67174
Fax +49 6222 82-9967972

Matthias.Hartung@heidelberg.com
www.heidelberg.com

March 17, 2021

Open to all – print shops now have free access to 
Zaikio’s digital procurement platform

•	Digitized procurement of consumables and paper 
at the latest prices
•	For the first time, print shops can access the portfolios 
of participating suppliers directly from their MIS
•	Zaikio Procurement free of charge to print shops
•	Heidelberg reaches a further milestone on its way to 
becoming a platform provider

		
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is offering all print shops free access to the Zaikio Procurement industry platform with immediate effect – a further milestone on its way to becoming the printing industry’s leading platform provider. Zaikio networks print shops’ IT systems with those of their suppliers, which enables print service providers to establish an automatic link with these suppliers. Following a successful test phase with selected print shops and suppliers, all print service providers who wish to do so can now register on the Zaikio platform free of charge. They will then have direct, automatic access from their management information system (MIS) to the portfolios of the suppliers already linked to Zaikio and can place orders at the latest prices with just a few clicks. Following approval by procurement staff, the orders are transferred directly into the relevant supplier’s ERP system, which reciprocates by providing the print shop’s ordering system with information about availability and delivery options. This process lays the foundation for fully automatic orders based on various factors – from the current paper or ink consumption to stock levels. It also optimizes the digital procurement processes of print shops and suppliers alike.

“With Zaikio, Heidelberg is gradually establishing an industry platform that is open to all companies, digitizes and automates numerous value-adding processes between participants, and makes these operations transparent,” explains Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer. “By making overall processes and collaboration in the printing industry far simpler, Zaikio is boosting the competitiveness of everyone involved,” he adds. 

Zaikio networks big-name MIS providers with established suppliers
Prior to the launch of the Zaikio Procurement platform, Zaikio already had some well-known MIS providers on board. Alongside Heidelberg with its Prinect Business Manager, the other participating MIS providers are Printplus, Printvis, Datamedia, Utraxx, Keyline, and EPMS – and Zaikio is currently in talks with many others. In the future, this means print shops will be able to access the ranges of suppliers such as Sappi or Metapaper and place orders directly from their MIS, once it has been networked with Zaikio. 
Zaikio Procurement costs print shops absolutely nothing. Zaikio’s business model is based on its relationship with the supplier – the print shop has no monetary involvement whatsoever. Activating Zaikio Procurement in a print shop’s MIS is quick and easy, too.

“There are solutions on the market that already promise orders can be placed directly from an MIS. On closer inspection, however, it often turns out that all these solutions are doing is sending e-mails to the suppliers,” says Matthias Prinz, Managing Director and Head of User Experience at Zaikio GmbH. “With Zaikio, print service providers can now access the portfolios of a growing number of suppliers direct from their MIS in an automated process, which means they benefit from maximum transparency and needs-based supplies. It goes without saying that this also works to the advantage of MIS providers and suppliers, who can massively improve their level of service,” he explains. 

Zaikio Procurement is just the first step
Zaikio’s vision is to network all relevant printing industry systems to enable quick and easy data communication. Using Zaikio Procurement to digitize the procurement process between print shops and their suppliers was just the first step. In the foreseeable future, Zaikio will be using Web2Print solutions, workflow tools, and the further involvement of partners to fully digitize and link other key processes between printing industry players.

About Zaikio
Around a year after the takeover of cloud software business Crispy Mountain by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the company launched Zaikio – a new open and independent cloud-based collaboration platform for the printing industry – in the summer of 2020. Zaikio unites all industry players on a single platform. The free Zaikio Account enables each and every user to log into all connected software systems with a single login. The aim is straightforward, standardized data exchange between software, hardware, and the partners involved on the basis of end-to-end automated process chains. So far, over 1,300 people have registered on the platform and set up their own personal Zaikio Account.

Figure: Print shops now have free access to Zaikio’s digital industry platform. In an initial step, they and their suppliers can digitize and optimize their procurement process.

Image material and additional information about the company are available in the Press Lounge of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG at www.heidelberg.com and in the Media Library.

Heidelberg IR now on Twitter:
Link to the IR Twitter channel: https://twitter.com/Heidelberg_IR
On Twitter under the name: @Heidelberg_IR

Further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Group Communications
Matthias Hartung
Phone: +49 6222 82-67174
Fax: +49 6222 82-9967972
E-mail: matthias.hartung@heidelberg.com