Offset Printing
Bertelsmann Printing Group chooses Heidelberg Subscription for two sites
Wednesday 04. December 2019 - Bertelsmann Printing Group (BPG) based in Gütersloh has concluded a subscription contract with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Vertrieb Deutschland GmbH (HDD) for its two sites, Mohn Media in Gütersloh and Vogel Druck in Höchberg near Würzburg.
“Our goal is to continuously increase productivity over the next five years, and in this way boost overall equipment efficiency,” explains Dr. Niklas Darijtschuk, Chief Operation Officer at BPG. “The subscription contact with the performance partnership is therefore key for us. It gives us the confidence of knowing that for the next five years Heidelberg is responsible for performance and availability.”
The deal is the culmination of comprehensive consultation sessions and intensive discussions. Together, the data, figures, and job structures for sheetfed printing provided by the sites were systematically and professionally analyzed and evaluated. This enabled both sides to gain a shared understanding of the future increase in performance with a defined product portfolio. “We look forward to, and are proud of, the partnership with the Bertelsmann Printing Group. We see it as an important milestone in the acceptance of our subscription model,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hermann, Member of the Management Board responsible for Lifecycle Solutions and Chief Digital Officer at Heidelberg. “More and more printing companies are recognizing that the profitability of their installed resources is no longer just a question of “horsepower and displacement”, but rather of “proven lap times”. When choosing the subscription model, the main factors to the fore in BPGs mind, in addition to the long-term high performance of the Heidelberg press, were process control, automation, data management, benchmark-based management, and autonomous production sequences. The subscription model provides what all the parties involved are looking for, namely the consistent targeting of increased overall equipment efficiency (OEE) over the lifecycle. This ensures the long-term profitability of the printing company and thus a return on investment in the equipment.”
Consistency and reliably saleable printed sheets are what counts
The agreement includes Heidelberg delivering the expected print volume to BPG over the next five years with the corresponding increase in the OEE at both sites. To this end, the on-site service team will receive intensive training, 24/7 support will be guaranteed, and a consignment warehouse will be set up. The subscription model also includes “Vendor Managed Inventory”, where Heidelberg takes over inventory management of selected consumables and wearing parts on behalf of BPG.
A highly automated Speedmaster XL 106 will replace two competitor presses at each site. Next spring, a Speedmaster XL 106 ten-color perfecting press with coating unit will be installed at Mohn Media, while Vogel Druck will install an identical nine-color press. The aim of the innovative Push to Stop operating concept, the Prinect Production Manager , and the Heidelberg Assistant digital platform is to achieve a smooth process workflow and to make sure that the necessary data is always available where it is needed. Comprehensive services such as Predictive Monitoring and “Performance+-Consulting” ensure high stability.
“Our value proposition requires us to consistently deliver high press speeds, short service times, and short makeready times over a long period,” explains Dr. David Schmedding, Head of Subscription at Heidelberg. “This is one of Heidelbergs core competencies. Short machine downtimes and high process stability are the biggest influencing factors in increasing the profitability of a printing company.” Productivity analyses confirm that Heidelberg offset printing systems produce on average up to 20 percent more saleable printed sheets over their lifecycle than presses from the second-ranked competitor.