Enormous cost and competitive pressure, as well as the increasing difficulty of recruiting suitable personnel on the market, are driving the printing industry. An additional challenge is the fact that printing companies now have to generate a significant portion of their revenue, which they previously achieved with high-volume orders, through a large number of small orders. With conventional working methods, it is difficult to manage such an order structure economically. The solution is the consistent digitization and automation of as many processes as possible, as well as the increased use of robotics to reduce manual intervention to an absolute minimum. These topics were addressed at SHIFT 2025, a new two-day event format organized by HEIDELBERG featuring external speakers on the one hand and interactive practical workshops on the other. More than 200 guests from all over Europe and overseas attended the summit.
The first day focused on practical applications from various companies, including Micropress Printers Ltd based in Reydon, UK, and Bauer Packaging from Gemany.
In the printing industry, the range of tasks that need to be digitized and automated is particularly wide. It extends from order entry, planning, production, and materials management to shipping, invoicing, and the evaluation of KPIs (key performance indicators). The second day of the event at the Home of Print in Wiesloch-Walldorf was dedicated to this broad topic. Heidelberg, together with its partners, presented itself as a solution provider and system integrator for end-to-end production in commercial and packaging printing—from the PDF file to the delivered product.
“With SHIFT, Heidelberg has created a platform where participants can network, discuss the topic of digital transformation and gain inspiration for solutions,” says David Schmedding, Chief Technology and Sales Officer, Heidelberg. “We want to support our customers as partners with all our process expertise and experience in process digitalization. Heidelberg will therefore continue the format due to the positive feedback.”
