NewsBRIEF. Heidelberg is a reliable partner to the document and plastic card industry

Transcription

1 Heidelberg Graphic Systems Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 (0) August 2017 NewsBRIEF Heidelberg is a reliable partner to the document and plastic card industry Heidelberg showcased two applications at the Security Day: ID cards and bank cards. CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer welcomed over 120 attendees from all over the world to the first Security Day hosted by Heidelberg. Visitors to the Security Day showed particular interest in the six-color Speedmaster XL 75 perfecting press with UV technology equipped with printing units for letterset, rainbow printing, waterless offset, flexo printing, and the inkjet system. Presentations on Heidelberg s digital printing solutions rounded off the Security Day. Entirely new applications in security printing are being opened up through personalization and customization. First Security Day shows the possibilities of security printing Strong protection against counterfeiting for documents through a variety of applications in the Speedmaster XL 75 with UV technology Cost-effective production of short runs of plastic cards with the Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor 2 Suprasetter CtP platesetter and Diana Eye offline inspection system round off high-quality and zero defect production in prepress and press Over 120 attendees from all over the world came to the Security Day hosted by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) for the first time in Wiesloch in mid-july. Using identification document printing (ID printing) and meaningful examples from the plastic card industry, the company showed that it has been the reliable partner for these applications for many years. The guests included a number of representatives from well-known security printing companies and state printing offices as well as government organizations and their supplier industries, with whom Heidelberg has collaborated for many 1

2 years. The visitors got an overview of the latest technologies and solutions for their individual needs and availed of the opportunity to speak to and get advice from the Heidelberg experts. Live demonstrations on two differently equipped Speedmaster XL 75 presses one Anicolor press printing simulated bank cards and a second machine impressing visitors with its range of application modules for ID printing generated interesting impressions. The importance of the prepress and postpress processes for high-quality and zero defect production was illustrated by the Suprasetter A75 CtP platesetter, which is perfect for applications on ID cards, for example, as well as being fully integrated and offering a high resolution of 5080 dpi, and the Diana Eye offline inspection system. The visitors attended presentations about the Primefire 106, the new industrial inkjet digital print solution in B1 format from Heidelberg, as well as the varied applications of the successful Versafire series, which are opening up entirely new applications in security printing through personalization and customization. ID printing puts protection against counterfeiting first The demand for tamper-proof documents like passports, driver licenses, official badges, and tax stamps is growing worldwide, confirms Joachim Hüber. The precision and versatility of the Speedmaster XL 75 and its ability to handle the complex production methods and strict specifications of customers make it the press of choice for most providers. Visitors to the Security Day experienced a six-color Speedmaster XL 75 perfecting press with UV technology equipped with printing units for letterset, rainbow printing, waterless offset, flexo printing, and the inkjet system. It can be used for printing invisible colors and unusual effects, among other things. UV fluorescing inks, which are only visible under black light, are applied in the letterset. The more sophisticated printing image virtually rules out defects like smudging and scumming during the run. Rainbow printing produces multi-colored effect sequences through the simultaneous application of two or more inks in the printing unit s ink fountain. To provide protection against copying, the inks are merged in a controlled process across the entire run for sheets that are absolutely identical. A thermal inkjet system is used for the following applications among others: for serialization and personalization, for tracking products, or for quality assurance using an inline inspection system in order to eject defective sheets using a number. All of these special applications make the Speedmaster XL 75 ideal for high-security printing, but also make it interesting for providers of more unusual printed products. Heidelberg also supplies these customized presses for security printing in the small format with the Speedmaster SX 52 and in the 70 x 100 format with the Speedmaster XL 106. For example, a Speedmaster XL 106 with doublecoating technology is used in banknote printing for coating both sides of banknotes. Plastic and bank cards, where costs and looks count While cash use is falling worldwide, plastic card use is on the up. The industry analysts from the Nilson Report expect that the number of prepaid, debit, and credit cards alone will increase to 22 billion by When producing cards like these, every cent, an attractive appearance for marketing purposes, and, to a lesser extent, the security aspects count, explains Joachim Hüber, Product Manager Security Printing at Heidelberg. The Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor 2, which demonstrated cost-effective printing of high-quality plastic cards with finishing effects using eight inking units and double coating at the Security Day, meets all of these requirements. The Speedmaster XL 75 Anicolor 2 offers fast inking thanks to the zoneless short inking unit and also reduces paper waste by 90 percent and makeready times by 50 percent. The Anicolor Booster makes it possible to produce a thicker ink layer, for example for a gold- and silver-colored background on plastic cards. Both the prepress stage and the press are integrated via the Prinect print shop workflow, while Heidelberg s innovative Push to Stop concept delivers high productivity and therefore highly cost-effective production. Prinect Multicolor provides coverage for around 95% of the Pantone color space in seven-color printing so that spot colors as widely used in logos by credit card manufacturers can be printed without the need for additional color changes. The Cristala TASTE (Tilt Angle Sensitive Texture Element) design elements permit extremely interesting optical effects. These are based on the design concept of Cristala and the established drip-off effect. Attractive textures that change depending on the viewing angle can be achieved by using specially formulated Saphira coatings. This can be used to visually accentuate company logos, for example, and also produces a visually sculptural effect. Visualization of extremely fine lines and dots and complex checking of security elements High-quality security elements with extremely fine lines and dots are specifically needed for ID security printing. The prepress stage with the Suprasetter CtP platesetter plays an important role here. For example, the visitors to the Security Day saw the Suprasetter A75, which reproduced even guilloches and micro texts with precision and reliability with an optional resolution of 5080 dpi. The highlight here is that the Suprasetter permits on-the-fly changes between print jobs with 2540 dpi and 5080 dpi so that customers can produce a mix of standard and security jobs. It is also important to check the security elements before the jobs are shipped out. The Diana Eye offline inspection system checks even highly reflective substrates or high-quality finishings such as embossing, hot and cold foiling, holograms, and bar codes. The Diana Eye range, available in 42 cm and 55 cm widths, combines unique LED lighting technology and a cutting-edge camera system with high-performance image analysis software. The system is the result of the partnership with MK Masterwork, and is sold by Heidelberg. The Diana Eye can check features of the printed surface using up to four cameras, as well as verify the backside of the carton using a further, optional camera. Each individual folding carton blank is checked and compared against a reference image. Appropriate tolerances can be set and deviating results are automatically removed. This protects the brand quality and minimizes paper waste. 2

3 Heidelberg starts the new financial year 2017/18 with an increase in sales and earnings Sales slightly higher than previous year at 495 million Operating result (EBITDA) up from 1 million to 14 million Net result after taxes improved by more than 20 million to 16 million Several measures initiated to achieve medium-term targets Outlook: Sights still set on the year-end targets for 2017/18 Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has started the new 2017/18 financial year (April 1 to June 30, 2017) with an increase in sales and earnings. That means it is on course to achieve its annual targets. After initiating a raft of measures, Heidelberg has already sharpened its strategic focus in the first quarter on the key areas of technology leadership, digital transformation, and operational excellence. The company is underscoring its ambitions to consolidate a new corporate culture and return to growth with the motto Heidelberg goes digital. We are making good progress in transforming Heidelberg into a digital company, said Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberg. We have already had our initial successes in the first quarter, thanks to our new digital presses and two constructive acquisitions. We want to become even faster and more efficient in the future and are continuing to reconfigure company structures to that end. Positive results from the implementation already in the first quarter During the first quarter of the current financial year, Heidelberg showcased itself as an industry pioneer for digitization at the key China Print trade fair. Customers showed a great deal of interest in this forward-looking topic, which translated into positive developments in incoming orders in this important market. Heidelberg has encountered strong customer demand for the Primefire, the first industrial digital packaging printing press, and order books are full for the next two years. By taking over software supplier DOCUFY, the company is reinforcing the new digital platforms business area and expanding its Industry 4.0 portfolio. In the growth segment of consumables, business with coatings and pressroom chemicals has been further expanded in the EMEA region following the acquisition of this area from Fujifilm. Additional measures relating to operational excellence include efficiency improvements on all levels, such as higher efficiency in logistics achieved by the optimization of the tariff model in this sector and by acquiring the logistics center. The digitization strategy at Heidelberg has also been rewarded on the capital markets. For example, at the end of the period under review, a convertible bond was converted to equity almost in its entirety, which will see interest costs drop by approximately 5 million a year. Medium-term targets in focus Given the strong demand for the digital product portfolio in packaging and label printing and the expansion and increased networking in a digital business model (Equipment, Consumables, Service), Heidelberg sees itself as being on course to achieve the company targets for 2022 that were announced in June (company sales ~ 3 billion / EBITDA of million / net result > 100 million). The additional revenues from new applications via digital platforms are being grown by the ongoing expansion of an ecommerce platform. Through the announced efficiency enhancements and improvements to the cost structure, operational excellence measures are set to drive up profitability by approximately 50 million. Heidelberg NewsBRIEF August 2017 Heidelberg starts the new financial year 2017/18 with an increase in sales and earnings As indicated, net sales and the net result in the first quarter of the year under review have improved over the same quarter of the previous year. For example, sales rose compared to the previous year, reaching 495 million (same quarter of previous year: 486 million). This was attributable primarily to Western Europe and China. As anticipated, at 629 million, incoming orders were below those of the same quarter of the previous year ( 804 million), which saw a particularly high level of incoming orders from the drupa trade show. The order backlog increased by over 20 percent from 497 million at the end of the financial year to 603 million as at June 30, Profitability, as expressed in EBITDA and EBIT, increased in the quarter under review compared to the previous year s values. At 14 million, EBITDA was far better than in the same quarter of the previous year ( 1 million), while EBIT amounted to 3 million (previous year: 16 million). Due to lower financing costs, the financial result improved to 13 million (same quarter of previous year: 16 million). Including income taxes, the net result after taxes of 16 million was a significant improvement over the previous year s figure ( 37 million). As a result of company and real estate acquisitions and payments for portfolio optimization, free cash flow in the first three months was negative, at 13 million (previous year: 6 million). Compared to the financial year-end, shareholder s equity increased to 382 million on the balance sheet date (previous year: 167 million). This increase is largely due to the almost complete conversion of the convertible bond into Heidelberg shares and a slight increase in the actuarial interest rate for pensions in Germany. The equity ratio as at June 30, 2017 was approximately 17 percent. Financial liabilities dropped significantly, largely due to the almost complete conversion of the convertible bond, and net financial debt shrank to 234 million (previous year: 263 million). The almost complete conversion of a bond into shareholder s equity is further evidence that our digitization strategy is being acknowledged on the capital markets. The repayment of the convertible bond has brought us closer to our goal of achieving a sustainable improvement in net interest income. We want to reduce interest costs, which currently stand at 34 million, to 20 million annually in the future, says Dirk Kaliebe, CFO at Heidelberg, commenting on developments. Outlook: Sights still set on the year-end targets for 2017/18 In financial year 2017/18, Heidelberg is focusing on initiating and implementing its key strategic measures the strengthening of technology leadership, digital transformation, and operational excellence under the umbrella of Heidelberg goes digital. Although these activities will not have a noticeable impact on operations in financial year 2017/18, they will play an important role in helping to achieve the company s medium-term targets. As announced at the Annual Press Conference on June 8, 2017, sales in financial year 2017/18 are set to reach the same level as the previous year. This is due to the anticipated development in order levels, the acquisitions that have already been completed, and a measure that will have an inverse effect on sales the avoidance of low-margin or high-risk activities. In financial year 2017/18, the company aims to achieve an EBITDA margin in the region of 7 to 7.5 percent through efficiency improvement measures. Compared to the previous year and factoring in a further improvement in the financial result, net profit after taxes is set to show a moderate increase. 3

4 LabelExpo: POLAR exhibits highly-automated LabelSystem At LabelExpo Europe, POLAR will showcase its highly-automated LabelSystem DC-11plus. With a capacity of up to 1,440 label packs per hour, this die-cutting system sets the benchmark in wet-glue label production. It is the first presentation of POLAR with its cooperation partner Gallus (5C31). POLAR LabelSystem DC-11plus is designed for the highlyautomated inline production of banded die-cut labels. In 60 minutes, up to 1,440 packs can be manufactured with minimum staff. The operator is supported by a menudriven setup which considerably reduces the required time. A job changeover is possible within just 15 minutes thanks to the OptiChange feature. Even cutting waste can be minimized. OnePunchRegister needs only one single package to correctly adjust the cutting die to the printed image. This LabelSystem also reflects POLAR s famous accuracy in cutting. Ultimate die-cutting precision is ensured by locking the material in position. All settings on the LabelSystem can be made without any tools. POLAR LabelSystem DC-11plus Production process The production run of POLAR s LabelSystem DC-11plus is as follows: First of all, the printed sheets to be processed are positioned in the automatic jogger, with perfectly aligned edges. The jogger has an integrated counting scale which ensures uniform cutting reams. After that, POLAR high-speed cutter N 115 PRO HD trims the ream on all four sides, before it cuts the material into strips. Automatic cutting machine POLAR Autocut 25plus takes these strips and cuts two of them, each, into single label stacks. An automatic label feeding system separates the two label stacks transporting them individually into the system die-cutter. After that the punching stamp pushes the stack through the cutting die (puncture principle) where the stack is given its intended shape. After die-cutting, the label packs are automatically carried onto the BDplus single-head bander and banded together. The ultrasonic welding unit in the BD machine does not require preheating. It is therefore always ready for use, is gentle on the material and does not cause any unpleasant odors. LabelSystem DC-11plus is not only suited for all common label papers, but also for other materials, such as plastic cards. POLAR LabelSystem DC-11plus - Banded wetglue labels POLAR LabelSystem DC-11plus Precutting into strips Open to new things. Info Days in the Print Media Center in New technologies and innovative solutions for the Smart Print Shop: Heidelberg will be presenting a full-service, fully integrated print shop in action in two showrooms for commercial and packaging printing. Be there with us to experience smart print production of tomorrow. Our solutions for your success: presentations, product demos and talks by experts on modern concepts, smart technologies and the key topics for packaging and commercial printers: September 2017 Coating Days 28 September 2017 Info Day Label Production Please register for events. Contact form 4

5 Abbott Communications Group Produces Highest Quality with End-to- End Heidelberg Solutions Kennesaw, Ga. Abbott Communications Group (ACG) is a family-owned business in Orlando, Florida, that is passionate about their state-of-the-art Heidelberg technology and partnership. An all Heidelberg shop, ACG has three Speedmasters (XL 105, CD 102, and SM 52), a Suprasetter CtP, two Versafire CPs, two POLAR cutters, and a Stahlfolder TH 82, all supported by the use of Saphira Consumables and SystemService. Their full Heidelberg suite has been a major contributor to their success since A Complete Heidelberg Shop No Worries Throughout production, ACG is able to depend upon their machines to increase their productivity rates and produce the highest quality possible. Beginning with the prepress department, ACG s Suprasetter produces twenty-one 40 plates in one hour. This has doubled their production rate on plates compared to their previous, less efficient technology. The sheetfed department is even more impressive with their Speedmaster XL 105 producing at top speeds and equipped with Prinect Inpress Control, which has drastically improved their quality and decreased waste and production time. time for a 16 page signature was about minutes, but with the automated TH 82 folder, set-up time was reduced to about 5 minutes. A Trusted Partnership Heidelberg NewsBRIEF August 2017 While machines and equipment are crucial for the printing industry, a trusted partnership trumps it all. At the end of the day, ACG loves Heidelberg for the service they receive. Using FlexibleService, ACG has inspections every 6 months where a Heidelberg technician will come into their shop to check for any potential issues. This allows them to troubleshoot any problems that could cause a major breakdown. Previously, we had to stay shut down for long periods of time due to breakdowns, which caused us to lose a lot of money, said Stokes. Since I know that Heidelberg is there to stop problems before they even start, it really makes me feel confident in the company that s why I love Heidelberg. FlexibleService is a service package that is tailored to a company s specific needs. SystemService experts and clients develop a program together to best fit the company s goals and budget. If a pressman doesn t have Inpress Control, they are wasting an incredible amount of money and time, said Bob Stokes, General Manager of Abbott Communications Group. While most 40 presses take about 40 minutes or longer to hang plates, set color or registration, we only take 5 minutes with Inpress Control. We also have incredibly low waste sheets when doing a makeready. The industry leading spectrophometric color control system, Prinect Inpress Control automatically measures and controls color at any speed. Integrated in the press, it measures process colors, spot colors, and registration via the print control strip. Any corrections are directly forwarded to the Prinect Press Center for adjustment automatically without operator intervention. After years of worrying about critical color job matching, I don t have to worry anymore, said Stokes. The color consistency coming off these presses is unbelievable. I can trust and rely on Heidelberg, said Stokes. I feel confident that the product will do what it s supposed to do, that our machines will perform at a high quality and speed level, and that Heidelberg will take care of me. About Abbott Printing Since 1977, Abbott Communications Group (ACG) has provided Central Florida businesses with high-quality printing, mailing and print management solutions. Owned by Art and Steve Abbott, customers count on ACG to produce impactful materials that are produced precisely to their specifications and delivered on time. Abbott Communications is Central Florida s reliable one-call source from paper selection, file preparation and mailing regulations to printing techniques, collateral management, shipping and fulfillment. ACG s digital department has also improved since switching to Heidelberg equipment. With two Versafire CPs, ACG is pleased with their color reproduction, increase in speed and the reliability of the equipment. Finishing off in the postpress department, ACG trusts two POLAR cutters with Stack Lift and jogger and a Stahlfolder TH 82 to complete production. The TH 82 folder massively reduces makeready times because of automated set-up and the ability to store and recall settings for repeat jobs. Previously, ACG s makeready Abbott Communications Group Pressroom 5

6 Superior is first site to attain Heidelberg colour certification with LE-UV Heidelberg has undertaken its first ISO colour certification on an LE-UV press. The Speedmaster XL L LE-UV press at Superior in Melksham has passed the ISO specification with ease. Stewart Powell, production director, says: I think it was easier to achieve ISO with this press because there was no dry back to consider; sheets come off completely dry from the press and so they could be tested immediately. Two Heidelberg specialists attended to benchmark the press and to oversee the evaluation. We wanted to have colour accreditation for our own peace of mind but also because some clients require ISO as a prerequisite to placing work. As a company, we like to run to standards and to optimise our processes; we also hold ISO 9001 quality, ISO environmental and FSC Chain of Custody certification. The Heidelberg ISO certification scheme has been running for seven years and has proved popular with customers and has helped raise the bar in terms of the industry s understanding of colour issues because its programme is about education as well as machine optimisation. Sheets are first examined on site by a Heidelberg Print Colour Management (PCM) specialist and then sent to a colour laboratory in Germany for appraisal. They are rigorously checked with analysis of factors such as homogenous ink, solid colour values, dot gain, fit, register and dot reproduction quality. Customers subsequently submit sheets at six monthly intervals for checking and verification and Heidelberg also supports the customer with an annual on-site visit. Paul Chamberlain, who heads up the PCM team, says: It was good to work with the Superior team and on what was the first Drupa specification Speedmaster XL 106 delivered in the UK. It features the Prinect Press Center XL2, including wallscreen XL, as well as Inpress Control 2, Autoplate Pro and Pressroom Manager. But, of course, it was the fact that it was our first LE-UV press that made it interesting and we are pleased that the process was very straightforward. Speedmaster XL L LE UV. A giant in terms of productivity but tiny with regard to the consumption of resources. Orgal Impressores, Portugal The perfect combination There were a lot of good reasons for choosing the Speedmaster XL 106, but the most important was the unbeatable productivity coupled with the low energy requirement, emissions and paper waste, explains Orlando Costa, founder and owner of Orgal Impressores. With its numerous solutions for more environmentallyfriendly production, we save thousands of kilowatt-hours of energy and tons of CO2 every year. The LE UV technology makes it possible to take advantage of the benefits of UV printing, coupled with a low energy requirement. The sheets no longer need a drying phase and we can start postpress immediately, continues Orlando Costa. Orgal Impressores was founded by Orlando Costa and his wife Maria Helena in In those days, it was a small printing company with 2 Heidelberg Tiegel presses, one Heidelberg Cylinder press in the format of 56 x 82 and one typesetting machine Intertype as their main equipment. In 1989 his son, Rui Costa, joined the management team and he now heads the company. The family has continually invested in updating and expanding the entire print shop. With their full-service operation, 48 employees produce all types of printed products, such as catalogs and magazines, business documents, brochures, posters and prints of variable data, in addition to sophisticated illustrated books on photography and art. Orlando Costa describes the development of his company as follows: Sustainability is essential to our corporate philosophy. It determines how we manage our company and how we identify and use growth opportunities. We view printing as an art, a creative process which culminates in a unique product. We aim to continue to be a reliable partner for our customers in the future as well, and offer them state-of-the-art technology combined with excellent service. As is also the case at Heidelberg, it is this perfection that ensures we stand out from the competition. Superior is a 20m turnover business with 170 staff. It specialises in the retail POS and packaging sectors. Production director of Superior, Stewart Powell, reviews output 6