Heidelberg

Binding and finishing news from Printing Impressions’ December 2010 edition, featuring items on Spiel Associates, Boneck Printing and The Binding Industries Association 2011 Product of Excellence Awards.

Commercial printing industry supplier company and personnel news from Printing Impressions’ December 2010 edition, highlighting Heidelberg’s open house for the North American launch of the 40˝ Speedmaster CX 102 press.

Printing Impressions sat down recently with Jim Dunn, president of Heidelberg USA, and Allan Dragone, CEO of Unisource Worldwide, to discuss the alliance wherein Unisource will serve as the U.S. distributor of Heidelberg’s Saphira-branded consumables and what it will mean for printers.

More than 20 external companies—primarily from the energy industry and mechanical engineering sector—have already commissioned Heidelberg with projects of various sizes. Heidelberg mainly produces castings. Its largest single order is from a company in the power electronics industry to whom Heidelberg supplies a variety of electronics boards.

Customers, prospects and trade media from across the country converged on Heidelberg’s Printing and Packaging Technology Center to witness the North American debut of Heidelberg’s latest addition to its 40” sheetfed family. The CX 102 received the full Hollywood treatment, complete with red carpet, theatrical lighting, roving photographers, and a dramatic first glimpse of the new press—a six-color, coater-equipped model—in action.

KENNESAW, GA—Combining some of the innovations developed for its Peak Performance Class Speedmaster XL 105 press with the long-standing success of the Speedmaster CD 102 platform, Heidelberg USA hosted some 100 commercial, label and package printers at its headquarters here earlier this week for the North American launch of the Speedmaster CX 102 press, which debuted at IPEX earlier this year.

Incoming orders were up 33 percent (25 percent after adjustment for exchange rate effects) to EUR 1.436 billion, compared to the same six months of the previous financial year. Medium- and large-format sheetfed offset presses enjoyed particularly strong growth.

In attendance at the day-long event were 165 high school and college students and faculty representing 12 graphic arts high school and secondary institutions. “Heidelberg USA hit a grand slam with this inspiring and motivational event,” said Clemson University GC Internship Coordinator Nancy Leininger.

Printing operations that have recently installed Heidelberg prepress, press and postpress products include L. Brown and Sons Printing, Miami-Dade County’s print facility, Prestige Printing, William Charles Printing and Allied Printing. L. Brown and Sons Printing in Barre, VT, recently took delivery of a fully automated, continuous-feed Stahlfolder TH 82 with Level 3 automation.

The organization recently completed a series of installations—including press, postpress and software components from Heidelberg—to bring sheetfed offset litho printing in-house at Bridge Publications in Los Angeles. The goal was to increase efficiencies and reduce the costs associated with outsourcing production of its marketing collateral and related materials.