Heidelberg UK head of software solutions Paul Chamberlain hosted the one-day event.
He used his welcome to highlight Heidelberg research on some of the challenges facing customers, detailing how the event’s aim was to address the top three responses in the survey: retention of skills, automation and competitor pressure.
“Heidelberg bought you Push to Stop, we also bought you Smart Print Shop, and at Drupa the theme was Unfold Your Potential and all of these three concepts have a common theme: Prinect,” said Chamberlain.
“The Prinect integrated workflow this links all the departments in to create a starting point for autonomous production.”
The subsequent sessions demonstrated digital, through Digital Print Manager, and hybrid workflows with live dems on the latest Versafire LP, highlighting some of its updated features such as extended banner format, new user interface, additional air knives and broader substrate choice.
There were also live demonstrations of the Compucut automated cutting programme creation on a Polar 92 Plus, showing how it walks the operator through even the most complex cut patterns to boost productivity, and the Stahlfolder TH66.
While Heidelberg UK pre-press apprentice Connor Brinkman delivered an accomplished demonstration of the five-colour Versafire LV.
Brinkman, who relocated from South Africa to the UK to pursue his career ambitions, said he had not known anything about the printing industry before taking up the two-year apprenticeship 16 months ago.
“I now realise that print is not produced on millions of A4 printers in an Amazon warehouse!” he quipped.
“I'm definitely enjoying the technology and the huge variety of printing applications. Coming to Heidelberg has been brilliant, and being involved with all the latest technology. I'm a proper print geek now.”
The technology highlight of the day, which had an Oktoberfest theme, was a live-streamed demonstration of the Drupa-launched Jetfire 50 B3 inkjet press from Heidelberg’s Wiesloch-Walldorf factory in Germany.
Based on the Canon varioPrint iX3200 but featuring Heidelberg livery and integrated into the Heidelberg service and consumables setup, and its Prinect workflow, the press was shown at Drupa earlier this year.
“Sales of the Jetfire 50 have already commenced and the first shipments are planned in early 2025. And of course Heidelberg will take care of all the service and supply of the Saphira ink and Prinect Digital Print Manager will form part of the complete package,” said Chamberlain.
In the 30-minute livestream the press was put through its paces, followed by a customer Q&A session. One of the key takeaways was how the high level of automation on the press and Prinect meant new operators could be up and running after as little as two-days training.
The demonstrations were followed by deep dive customer sessions across the two Versafire engines running in Heidelberg UK’s Stockley Park, Uxbridge headquarters. In-depth sessions were also available on the Polar 92 Plus and Stahlfolder TH66 along with walkthroughs of the DigiFold Pro XL and AeroDieCut die-cutter from partner Morgana.
Partner Antalis was also on-hand with its DigiBox range of papers for digital printing.
