The new Speedmaster drupa 2020 generation – here the Speedmaster XL 106 8-color press with fully automatic printing plate logistics
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will present its full expertise as a market and technology leader in the printing and media industry at drupa 2020, under the slogan ‘Unfold your Potential’. drupa 2020 is scheduled from 16 to 26 June 2020 in Düsseldorf. The main focus will be on the customer and their requirements, as well as optimally developing and exploiting their business potential through the latest technologies, innovative solutions and new business models. With a view to the key factors such as process optimization and intelligent, operator-independent productivity, Heidelberg will be presenting the next stage in a smart printing business – the Smart Print Shop.
“At drupa 2020, Heidelberg will address the increasing job complexity in the press room with the simultaneous increase in requirements for operator qualification and improved productivity. In addition to increasing the output of the printing press itself, software-supported applications, intelligent user guidance and autonomous processes as part of an integrated solution system – or as we say, ‘Smart Print Shop’ – will continue to grow in importance in terms of the competitiveness of the print shop,” explains Ulrich Hermann, member of the Management Board responsible for Lifecycle Solutions and chief digital officer at Heidelberg. “Heidelberg not only supplies tailored technology, from equipment to software and consumables, but also performance services aimed at increasing the performance of our customers’ overall system. With new services like Heidelberg Subscription, we not only ensure optimal technology, but also look after our customers’ available productivity. This delivers planning certainty and gives print shops the freedom they need to devote more effort to cultivating their market and innovating their offering.”
At drupa 2020, Heidelberg will present its full portfolio of innovations intended to inspire packaging, commercial and label printers to develop their potential, whether in major companies or smaller print shops. In Düsseldorf, the digital transformation of the print and media industry will be on display with integrated solutions all the way up to the Heidelberg ecosystem.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
