Heidelberg’s Packaging Day showcases Primefire’s big step into industrial digital printing

Opening the event, Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen explained how Heidelberg is offering products for products for folding carton, including making machines, consumables and service options, to a market which is very important to the company.

“It is a market leader in the folding carton segment, no other equipment supplier supplies more equipment in the packaging segment than any other press maker is producing for the segment,” said Hundsdörfer.

He said that despite the expected growth rate of 3% in the next five years in packaging, the industry is facing significant challenges. “Consolidation is continuing at an accelerated pace. There are severe run length reductions, demand for special promotional products and legal requirements, and last but not the least the competitive situation in the global market.”

Strategy and technology, he said, will help the packaging companies to stay ahead of the competition. “For those seeking solutions for operational excellence, we have high productive machines ranging from short-run to pharma production in multi-colour separation to shortest makeready on our large-format presses, as well as the digital solutions, like our Primefire 106, a hybrid inkjet/offset press for the folding carton market.”

Hundsdörfer mentioned the Pira study, and how it has proved that Heidelberg has the most productive presses offering the lowest cost per sheet in the industry. “This is key to the packaging market.”

After the opening remarks from Hundsdörfer, Steffen Schnizer, the managing director, SVP sales, global beauty and personal care at Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS), the company where the first Primefire 106 has been installed, took to the floor to give a first-hand account of how the Primefire technology is a perfect fit for meeting the challenges of ‘when, where and how’ can its customers sell to their customers.

Steffen Schnizer of MPS

MPS was acquired by WestRock in 2017 and is part of the business for high-value packaging in the cosmetic market, beauty and personal care market - pharma, confectionery, spirits, globally. “One of our strategic approaches within MPS is to find an develop new ideas creating values for the customer, and that leads also to the idea of why MPS and Heidelberg are working together,” he said.

MPS has many firsts with Heidelberg, a UV sheetfed machine in 1978 and a double varnish and double drying stations in 1996. “We have digital experience since the last 17 years, but when we needed to step within the digital solution, where we could provide value to our customer, we explore the common development approach of the Primefire,” said Schnizer.

He added, “Our customers talk about minimum order quantities, how we can run small orders in an efficient and competitive way. I am very happy to see the PrimeFire deliver our capabilities.”

Schnizer concluded by saying, “We are convinced that PrimeFire will change the printing industry, a way in which digital will play a part in the folding carton industry.”