Page 18 - PWM2024_November EBook

NEWS

HEIDELBERG’s hybrid production

and Prinect Touch Free

A 65 percent of all commercial print jobs produced worldwide
nalysis of the relevant press data has shown that around

on a Speedmaster press from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
AG (HEIDELBERG) involve print runs of fewer than 2,000
sheets. However, some 90 percent of the print volume is
produced on offset presses. Short or very short runs are produced digi-
tally, while medium-sized and long runs are printed on offset presses.
The two technologies therefore exist side by side and complement
each other.
To handle this kind of order structure efficiently and cost-effec-
tively, print shops combine offset and digital printing. They therefore
need hybrid solutions that offer them maximum flexibility and create
the conditions that enable them to produce the entire range – from
very small to very large print runs – cost-effectively, with as little paper
waste as possible, and on time, even when deadlines are very tight.
Moreover, these users want a standardized workflow management
solution that will enable them to process all orders with the greatest
possible degree of automation. In addition to fast and cost-effective
production, another key requirement is print results that are identical
in color, irrespective of which print technology is used to produce the
print job in question. Only then can production deliver the flexibility
and performance that are needed to meet ever tighter delivery times. even more acute. What’s more, the number of print jobs that need to be pro-
This is precisely where HEIDELBERG comes in, offering its customers duced during a shift is rising, while print runs are getting smaller. Given these
a hybrid production environment across all technologies and fully inte-
grated into one workflow with Prinect. “Nowadays, HEIDELBERG is a conditions and processes, staff are also reaching their physical limits. From an
total solution provider and partner that can supply and integrate all the economic perspective, they can no longer handle this volume manually, espe-
latest technologies on a technology-neutral basis and in line with cus- cially since print shops are already experiencing high cost pressures and bat-
tomer requirements. We offer the entire spectrum – from toner to inkjet tling with low profit margins. For print shops to remain profitable, the
and from offset to flexo printing – all controlled from a common Prinect production process needs to be as automated as possible – from the incoming
workflow,” says Dr. David Schmedding, Management Board Member for order all the way through to the end product. The only solution is a workflow
Technology and Sales at HEIDELBERG. “This is unique in the industry,”
he continues. that is capable of managing the entire production environment as autono-
The latest milestone to achieving this is the collaboration between mously as possible. This is why HEIDELBERG developed Prinect Touch Free,
HEIDELBERG and Canon for industrial inkjet printing that was which it showcased for the first time at drupa 2024. In conjunction with
announced at drupa 2024 and has attracted a great deal of interest on the Prinect Production Manager, Prinect Touch Free autonomously steers print
market. With the Jetfire 50 digital printing system that is available now orders through the workflow in a hybrid production environment.
and, in the future, the Jetfire 75, which is currently still in the develop- Supported by AI, the Prinect Touch Free native cloud software calculates all
ment phase, HEIDELBERG is offering its commercial customers a digital possible layouts autonomously and decides iteratively, on the basis of the com-
solution that meets industrial requirements in terms of productivity, flex-
ibility, and quality. plete order backlog, which method (offset or digital printing) represents the
Both systems can be integrated into one workflow with Prinect more efficient, more cost-effective production path that will also meet the
Production Manager, as can the company’s sheetfed offset printing delivery deadline.
presses. Where necessary, HEIDELBERG also integrates digital printing The software analyzes the order backlog and production key performance
systems from third-party manufacturers into the Prinect technology. indicators on an ongoing basis, learns from this, and consequently optimizes
Exactly the same rules always apply to the rendering of the print data and the decisions made for future jobs. In a first step, Prinect Touch Free is based
to color management, regardless of whether the job is being printed using
digital or offset technology. This results in printed products that are identi- on the app modules ‘Pathfinder’, ‘Decision Maker’ with ‘Batch Building’, and
cal in terms of color. ‘Auto Scheduler’. Pathfinder works out all the production paths that are pos-
In a hybrid production environment with different presses and printing sible with the production technology available in the print shop. It draws up
methods, it is even more important to keep necessary interventions in the the relevant layouts and calculates the production costs for each possible path.
production process to an absolute minimum. Each touchpoint comes at a By factoring in costs and the delivery date, Decision Maker decides which of
cost in terms of time and resources, and there is an associated risk of error, the production paths identified should be selected, and it considers alterna-
too. Another issue is that the skills shortage in print shops is becoming
tives, too.
16 PrintWeek MENA November 2024 www.printweekmena.com