SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Feb. 6, 2025 - Prinect User Days 2025 Highlight Print Shops' Drive for Automation and Hybrid Production
Print shops are facing increasing cost and competitive pressures, driving a strong need for comprehensive process automation. This was a central theme at the Prinect User Days 2025, a two-day event hosted by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) at their headquarters in Wiesloch-Walldorf, Germany. The event, attended by over 300 Prinect users primarily from Europe, served as a forum for users to exchange information on utilizing and advancing Prinect workflow technology.
Cost Pressure and Competition Fuel Automation
HEIDELBERG initially introduced the Prinect Production Manager at Drupa 2016, transitioning from a traditional license model to a subscription-based approach. The 2,500th user of this system is Kingraf, a Brazilian packaging printer with over 300 employees. "Our packaging processes require continuous innovation. Prinect is an indispensable tool for meeting our customers’ expectations," stated Claudia Markowicz, Managing Director at Kingraf, highlighting the crucial role of workflow technology in their operations.
Galledia Print AG, located in Flawil, Switzerland, exemplifies the progress made in process automation. The company has achieved comprehensive automation in periodical production, from job initiation and page allocation within imposition templates to digital job release through the Prinect Portal. Galledia Print AG currently manages approximately 50 magazine productions via Prinect. "Prinect is the heart of our production and, in HEIDELBERG, we have a partner who brings the required expertise in the automation of production processes. It is a mutually beneficial development on an equal footing and, in the future, it will also extend to downstream process steps in the workflow through to the imaging of printing plates and beyond,” said Matteo Baschera, Technical Consultant at Galledia.
Accelerating Trend: Shorter Print Runs
The increasing cost and competitive pressures are compelling print shops to optimize and automate their processes. Dominik Haacke of Mediaprint Solutions emphasized this urgency in his keynote speech, stating, "Print smart – or prepare to die". Mediaprint Solutions has transformed its production into a "Smart Factory" within three years. The company processes print orders (B2B and B2B2C) fully automatically via the "Order Connect" interface, covering everything from order receipt in a web store to final product delivery.
This shift to automated processes is further intensified by the accelerating trend of shorter print runs. To leverage efficiency and cost potential, printed materials are increasingly produced in a hybrid production environment. Sheetfed offset remains the most economical choice for longer runs, while digital printing systems (using toner or inkjet technology) are utilized for short runs and jobs with individualized content.
Meinders & Elstermann: Pilot Users of "Data Capture" App
HEIDELBERG customer Meinders & Elstermann GmbH & Co KG operates in a hybrid production environment, utilizing both offset and digital printing across its headquarters in Belm and four other locations. The company is also set to be the first in Germany to use the Jetfire 50 industrial digital printing system. Their processes are fully integrated using the Prinect Business Manager (MIS) and Prinect Production Manager. Data flows bidirectionally, with the MIS providing job data to production and receiving operational data from individual cost centers. "We switched our production workflow to the Prinect system from HEIDELBERG in 2018. Thanks to the integration and automation, we were able to reduce the number of staff in prepress from twelve to seven,” said Marco Rassfeld, Head of Prepress/ and CtP, and responsible for Prinect workflow administration and support at Meinders & Elstermann.
Meinders & Elstermann also served as a pilot user for the new Data Capture app, introduced last year. This app, part of the HEIDELBERG customer portal, captures and reports operating data from postpress systems, replacing the previous Data Terminal. Following a field test launch in March 2024, Meinders & Elstermann connected their entire machine park—including folding machines, high-speed cutters, saddle stitchers, and a perfect binder—to Data Capture by the end of October. The app is browser-based and operating system-independent. "The app is self-explanatory and easy to use, so the training required was minimal,” Rassfeld noted.
Prinect Touch Free: Fully Automated Production Control
Traditional print job management and production control methods are becoming increasingly inadequate for handling the sheer volume of jobs, assigning them to the appropriate output systems, and routing them profitably. As Jürgen Grimm, Head of Prinect at HEIDELBERG, stated in his opening speech: "Print shops need to set the right priorities and focus on those jobs that promise growth. Prinect Touch Free and our approach to hybrid print production are becoming a game changer for economical and efficient production.”
HEIDELBERG presented Prinect Touch Free at Drupa 2024, coinciding with the launch of the Jetfire 50. This AI-supported cloud software streamlines high job volumes, both short and long runs, into a logical sequence. It optimizes resource utilization, leading to efficient and cost-effective production. Prinect Touch Free calculates all possible layouts, plans the production sequence, and autonomously determines how a print product should be produced, from order receipt to the final product. This decision-making process considers both the printing process and postpress, encompassing sheetfed offset on a Speedmaster press, the Jetfire 50, a Versafire, or even digital printing systems from third-party manufacturers.
Rassfeld sees Prinect Touch Free as a significant step forward. "Prinect Touch Free will help us improve productivity significantly, make optimum use of our production technology, and increase volumes substantially, especially in digital printing with its many short runs.”
About HEIDELBERG
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) is a leading technology company with a 175-year history of innovation, quality, and reliability in mechanical engineering. HEIDELBERG focuses on growth in packaging and digital printing, software solutions, and lifecycle services, aiming to maximize customer productivity and efficiency. The company is also expanding into new areas like high-precision plant engineering with integrated control, automation technology, robotics, and green technologies. With a presence in approximately 170 countries, around 9,500 employees, production facilities in Europe, China, and the USA, and a large global sales and service network, HEIDELBERG is well-positioned for future growth. www.heidelberg.com