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 MPS-WestRock in Obersulm, Germany. Part of the global WestRock packaging group based in Atlanta (USA), it is the first commercial user of Heidelberg’s new digital flagship, the Primefire 106 (70×100 cm format).
“Our customers are extremely demanding,” emphasized 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 colour fidelity”, he said. “The Heidelberg Primefire 106 now meets these requirements.”
The extremely high density of 1200 dpi or more than 10 billion dots per printed sheet provides a high level of print sharpness and colour brilliance. 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 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.
There is strong global interest from print shops in the new Primefire 106. 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 of the Primefire at the Wiesloch-Walldorf site is already at capacity until mid-2019 and so Heidelberg is currently considering whether to expand capacity in order to meet the strong demand for this press.
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 MPS-Westrock.
