Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
(Heidelberg) is unveiling a new digital press for the growth market of
digitally printed labels. This represents the next milestone in the company's
strategic realignment, particularly in terms of significantly expanding sales
in the digital sector over the medium term.
The rapid progress in rolling out
the digital strategy shows that the partnerships Heidelberg has nurtured with
various suppliers are proving highly successful when it comes to developing new
digital printing systems for industrial applications. For example, the Gallus
Group, which was recently taken over in full by Heidelberg, has held a customer
event to present the forthcoming Gallus DCS 340 (DCS = Digital Converting
System) digital label printing press, which is based on inkjet technology from
Fujifilm. Heidelberg and Gallus jointly developed the digital production system
for industrial label printing in less than one year. Heidelberg is to
manufacture the inkjet unit at its Wiesloch-Walldorf site, while the flexo and
converting units for the new press will be produced at the Gallus plant in St.
Gallen, Switzerland. The system is slated to enter series production in the
coming year and will meet growing demand for the cost-effective production of
short, medium, and versioned runs in label printing.
"We are pursuing a growth
strategy in our digital printing operations," says Heidelberg CEO Gerold
Linzbach. "Today, less than twelve months after we started our
collaboration with Fujifilm, we can stand alongside Gallus and unveil the first
print-ready system. The only way to rapidly leverage growth potential in
digital printing is through partnerships. This helps us get a lot closer to our
medium-term sales targets in the digital sector."
Having completed its takeover of
Gallus Holding AG in the summer, Heidelberg has reinforced its commitment to
the growth segment of digital label printing. Ferdinand Rüesch, former owner of
Swiss-based Gallus Holding AG, supports the strategic realignment that
Heidelberg is pursuing. With a total stake of around nine percent, he is the
company's biggest individual shareholder.
"It was the right time to
take this step. It is only by working with a strong partner such as Heidelberg
that Gallus can overcome the long-term challenges facing digital printing in
our sector and still make full use of the potential that is out there,"
says Rüesch.
Digital printing drives change in the growth segment
The newly unveiled digital
printing system has been designed for the self-adhesive labels market. The
global print volume for these labels is growing by around four percent a year.
Although only around five percent of this volume is printed digitally, this
figure is rising rapidly. Indeed, digital printing is driving change in this
highly promising market segment. It is anticipated that, in the medium term,
just under half of the presses sold in this sector will be digital. By
launching this new technology, Heidelberg and Gallus will be actively shaping
change in the business models used in this segment and offering users a
versatile and cost-effective solution.
"Heidelberg has reached
another milestone in its realignment in the digital sector. The next steps to
develop additional digital printing systems as part of the collaboration with
Fujifilm are already being taken," says Linzbach.
