The German press manufacturer plans to grow its 5% share of the €8bn (£6.3bn) global graphic arts consumables market through acquisition and exclusive partnerships.
Harald Weimer, board member responsible for sales and Heidelberg Services, said: "It is six years since we bought Hi-Tech Coatings in the UK but it may not be so long before we acquire again.
"There is a list of targets and these are determined by the product range, geographical location and also the knowledge and expertise of the people."
Weimer added that it was Heidelberg's intention to "become the leading global supplier for consumables in the sheetfed industry" and said that the group would be developing its consumables e-commerce site in 2015 to include an information resource and loyalty bonus scheme.
Heidelberg UK already offers a loyalty scheme via its online shop, which generates around 25% of UK orders.
Meanwhile, Heidelberg also plans to roll out its Performance Plus service agreements in Europe following their success in North America. The manufacturer said that, unlike traditional preventative maintenance service agreements, Performance Plus was a consultancy and implementation service that focused on boosting output.
"We have moved from maintenance to performance in our support mindset," said Weimar. "Our latest remote monitoring...increases machine availability by 3%-5% and our Performance Plus service will allow companies to enhance output, improve quality and save money.
"It combines consultancy and service and recognises that even printers with the best technology can make overall equipment efficiency improvements by analysing work patterns and implementing changes to improve processes, logistics and operator training."
Heidelberg UK service director Ian Wilcock said that the service would cost around £7,500 and would be available for all new press sales, for which the client will get the initial calibration of the press, plus six months worth of performance analysis and operator training.
"The aim is to maximise the ability of the press operators to make the press run as effectively as possible," said Wilcock. "The primary focus is on the makeready and ensuring things like the autoplate feature are being used fully - we're giving people the skills and confidence to use these features that speed the makeready and to run the press at full speed on any jobs it can."
