Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

Postfach
69159 Wiesloch
Germany

Gutenbergring
69168 Wiesloch

Hilde Weisser

Phone +49 6222 82-67971
Fax +49 6222 82-99 67971

Hilde.Weisser@heidelberg.com
www.heidelberg.com

23 November 2017

Heidelberg celebrates the world premiere of the Primefire 106 with packaging printers from all over Europe
		
•	First user  Multi Packaging Solutions in Obersulm opens its doors for a joint open house with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
•	Joint open house with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

More than 70 customers from 40 packaging manufacturers from all over Europe took advantage of an opportunity at the beginning of November for an in-depth visit to the packaging printing company Multi Packaging Solutions in Obersulm. Part of the global differentiated paper and packaging solutions provider  WestRock headquartered in Norcross, GA, in the US, it is the first commercial user of Heidelberg’s new digital flagship, the Primefire 106 for the 70x100 cm format. Multi Packaging Solutions  produces high-end packaging for consumer branded products in the premium and luxury market space, and the technical requirements for the machines they use are correspondingly high. These prerequisites offer Heidelberg the perfect platform to be able to extensively test and enhance the new machine in real-life operation. 

“Our customers are extremely demanding,” emphasized Joint Managing Director Steffen Schnizer at the open house event. It is therefore important for us to use the most suitable machines for the specifications of the job. “For a long time, digital printing presses were not able to meet our customers’ high standards for quality and color fidelity”, he said. “The Heidelberg Primefire 106 meets these requirements.” The extremely high density of 1200 dpi or more than 10 billion dots per printed sheet provides a level of sharpness and brilliance previously unknown in digital printing. Manufacturers of packaging for high-ends products in particular appreciate this. 

Extremely positive response
The close cooperation with  Multi Packaging Solutions offered the best opportunity to present Heidelberg’s latest digital printing solution as a complete installation to major packaging printers from all over Europe and to discuss integration and application possibilities. The customers exhibited an exceptionally high level of interest in the Primefire 106, with far more visitors than originally expected wanting to see the performance of the Primefire 106 for themselves. Steffen Schnizer was impressed by the keen interest shown by the attendees and spoke  about a “great setting” in view of the large number of visitors. 

Apart from the sharpness and brilliance, the visitors were above all impressed by the extremely short setup time during job changes and the fact that there was almost no start-up waste. This makes it economically viable to produce shorter run lengths right down to a minimum run length of one, and opens the door for personalization and customization for the first time on a B1 sheet. “Personalized products are very much on trend and there is strong consumer demand for them,” stressed Schnizer. Examples include customized names or messages on cosmetic packaging.

Packaging printing is the strongest growing segment in the print media industry. Annual worldwide growth rates of three percent are expected in the coming five years, increasing to up to 20 percent for digital packaging printing, and Heidelberg is the industry leader in the area of packaging. The company not only offers its customers the widest range of products, but is also the clear market and technological leader in this area. There is strong global interest from print shops in the new Primefire 106, with correspondingly high demand. The second machine will be going to another customer in Southern Germany this year, while the third will be going to a customer abroad at the beginning of next year. Production at the Wiesloch-Walldorf site is already at capacity until mid-2019. Heidelberg is currently considering whether to expand capacity in order to meet the strong demand.

Video: World Premiere. Primefire 106 in production at Multi Packaging Solutions.
www.heidelberg.com/Primefire-MPS_EN

Photo 1: More than 70 customers experienced the world premiere of the Heidelberg Primefire 106 at the packaging printer Multi Packaging Solutions in Obersulm near Heilbronn at the beginning of November.

Photo 2: Steffen Schnizer, Joint Managing Director of Multi Packaging Solutions in Obersulm, welcomed the open house guests together with Montserrat Peidro-Insa, Head of Business Area Digital at Heidelberg. He confirmed to them that the Heidelberg Primefire 106 meets his customers’ high standards for quality and color fidelity. 

Photo 3: Montserrat Peidro-Insa, Head of Business Area Digital at Heidelberg, presented the possibilities and innovative business models offered by the Primefire 106 to the customers at the open house at Multi Packaging Solutions.

Image material as well as further information about the company can be found in the Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG press portal at www.heidelberg.com.

For more information: 
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

Hilde Weisser
Phone: +49 6222 82-67971
Fax: +49 6222 82-99 67971
E-mail: Hilde.Weisser@heidelberg.com