Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) announced that international packaging manufacturer Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS) becomes the first pilot user of a Primefire 106.
The Primefire 106 was first introduced at drupa 2016, and is the first industrial digital printing system in B1 format, from Heidelberg powered by Fujifilm Inkjet Technology.
The first pilot phase started back in January in cooperation with the MPS’s German manufacturing facility in Obersulm. US-based MPS specialises in packaging solutions for beauty and personal care, consumer and pharmaceutical brands and employs over 9,000 people in 14 countries. The company is planning a major expansion of its digital packaging printing arm in order to offer customers significant added value at the point of sale.
“Our customers include many well-known brand companies from industries like consumer and cosmetics. Fast, creative changes to the brand and product appearance are crucial here today to sales success. That’s why we offer these customers high-quality, flexible, and variable or personalized packaging solutions that will enable them to tap into additional business potential and set themselves apart from their competition. For this we need a reliable, industrial digital printing press like the Heidelberg Primefire 106 that can be integrated into our existing workflow,” explained Steffen Schnizer, managing director and global head of beauty and personal care sales at MPS in Obersulm.
System reliability and Heidelberg service pledge key factors in the investment decision
The image quality, reliability and rapid development of the technology following the product premiere at drupa 2016, and the company’s long years of positive experience of working with Heidelberg in the area of offset printing were key factors in MPS’s investment decision.
“Our business model is based on zero tolerance of error, quality, availability, and on-time delivery. We have many years of experience with Heidelberg as a reliable partner in the area of offset technology. Their quality and service pledge are outstanding. As such we’re confident that Heidelberg digital technologies are also the right choice for us, and we look forward to being involved in the market launch of the Primefire 106 as an early adopter,” said Götz Schümann, managing director of MPS in Obersulm.
Based on the leading Fujifilm Inkjet Technology from the co-development partner Fujifilm and the proven Heidelberg Peak Performance platform, the newly designed system is providing dependable offset-like quality production with the benefits of digital printing.
Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO, Heidelberg, says, “Heidelberg will be setting new standards when it comes to technologies of the future, digitisation, and efficiency. The necessary cultural shift has only just begun.”
Multi Packaging Solutions produces high-end packaging for consumer branded products in the premium and luxury market space, and the technical requirements for the machines they use are correspondingly high. These prerequisites offer Heidelberg the perfect platform to be able to extensively test and enhance the new machine in real-life operation.