Chief executive Bernard Schreier (pictured) used the German manufacturer’s press conference to confirm that it is in talks with most of the “well-known” digital print vendors to make the “very serious decision” over who to partner with.
He said digital print played an important role in the printing industry, which is “why Heidelberg will be teaming up with digital print companies this year, 2010, and introducing a range of relevant solutions for our customers”.
Schreier explained that Heidelberg “already has partnerships with digital print producers”, adding that its Prinect workflow software offered an open interface to link offset with digital presses.
Heidelberg has a range of industry alliances across digital, MIS and workflow as part of Prinect. Its digital workflow partners are Xerox, Canon, HP and Kodak.
Schreier explained that Heidelberg was looking for a technology partner so as to offer digital print equipment, consumables and service to its customer base.
“However, there is no question of Heidelberg producing these in-house nor just moving boxes that do not offer any added-value to our customers.”
Rumours of a return to digital for Heidelberg first emerged in January. The vendor first admitted to the plans in March.
The German offset giant also used Ipex to reveal new products aimed at SMEs and an iPhone app.
Prinect S is an entry-level edition of its flagship workflow software aimed at small- to medium-sized print shops.
“The user benefits from all the basic print shop workflow functions that are needed to combine pre-press and press room management in a single system,” Schreier said.
Prepress Manager S is aimed at SMEs and provides the “first step into a job-based integrated workflow that is compact and cost-effective and can be upgraded to a full-features Prepress manager over time”, added Heidelberg UK managing director George Clarke.
The vendor’s entry-level arsenal will now also include colour control, with the release of the Easy Control spectral measurement tool.
The product brings the technology of its Inpress Control and Axis Control within the reach of the smaller print shop.
“It is available for the SM 74 and SM 52 presses with up to six units in straight of perfecting mode,” said Clarke.
“It can read an A3 sheet in just three seconds and the positioning of the colour bars can be adjusted to ensure maximum use of the sheet.”
The vendor also gave a sneak preview of its iPhone app, which will let printers monitor job progress remotely.
The application, which “could be available by the end of the year”, gives access to MIS-style job tracking features via the smartphone, “which shows the power and the depth of information we can get with Prinect”.
Steven Kiernan is in Birmingham for the Ipex exhibition.
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