Headquartered in Wassenberg, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the WKS Group is one of the leading print and media service providers in Europe’s German-speaking countries. With some 1,000 employees at seven sites throughout Germany, it offers a wide range of commercial printing services, including fulfillment and logistics solutions, and is continuing to grow.
Besides the high-volume, industrial-scale production of commercial print products, WKS also provides its customers with digital services such as marketing portals and shop systems. At its Felsberg site, the WKS Group is now investing in two new highly automated Speedmaster XL 106 presses from Heidelberg, with the specific goal of creating a center of excellence for sheetfed offset printing.
“Our latest-generation end-to-end sheetfed offset printing solutions are making print shops more efficient, even in a challenging market environment,” says David Schmedding, chief technology & sales officer at Heidelberg. “Cutting-edge technology goes hand in hand with a collaborative partnership between Heidelberg and its customers,” he adds.
Focus on magazines, brochures, and periodicals
The presses being installed at WKS are a Speedmaster XL 106-8-P and a Speedmaster XL 106-8-P+L, each with a fourth-generation CutStar sheeter and a configuration geared toward maximum performance. The new Peak Performance generation presses are specially designed to address the key challenges in commercial printing, such as competitiveness, cost pressures, the skills shortage, digitalization, and sustainability.
The new presses will turn the former web offset production shops at the Felsberg site into an ultramodern sheetfed offset printing center. Complementary postpress investments will ensure efficient, future-oriented production and boost sheetfed offset operations on a long-term basis. The WKS Group mainly uses the site to produce high-quality magazines, brochures, and periodicals.
Both Speedmaster XL 106 presses leverage the potential of industrial print production in terms of productivity, quality, and availability. What’s more, the Push to Stop function, supported by AI-controlled assistance systems, enables largely autonomous performance on an operator-independent basis. Integrating the fourth-generation CutStar sheeter further increases cost-effectiveness and the level of flexibility when it comes to paper management.
The production process is enhanced by three existing Stahlfolder postpress systems from Heidelberg that ensure excellent postpress efficiency and precision, while Prinect Production Manager controls the workflow. Comprehensive service agreements give the customer additional certainty regarding the stability of its production operations.
“The complete portfolio and customer focus of Heidelberg remain an example to our sector and have once again won us over,” says Ralph Dittmann, managing director of the WKS Group. “Investing in the latest Peak Performance technology of Heidelberg means we are able to unlock further market potential and make the WKS Group more competitive,” he emphasizes.
Full-range supplier for industrial print production
The WKS Group’s investment confirms the appeal of the strategy adopted by Heidelberg as a full-range supplier and end-to-end solution provider for industrial print production. Besides high-performance presses, Heidelberg also offers a comprehensive portfolio comprising software, automation, and postpress solutions, consumables, service, and consulting – all from a single source. The company’s goal is to help customers with their transformation to autonomous print production and maximize their added value throughout the entire process chain.
