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HEIDELBERG used its recent SHIFT 2025 conference to exchange ideas on how digitisation and automation can help to combat industry pressures and rising costs
German print press manufacturer, HEIDELBERG, used its recent two-day SHIFT 2025 conference to exchange ideas on the process of digitisation and hybrid print production.
The event in September featured both external speakers and interactive practical workshops, with more than 200 guests from all over Europe and overseas attending the summit.
HEIDELBERG highlighted digitisation as a key way to combat rising costs and increased competition within the print industry in recent years.
In a statement following the event, HEIDELBERG says: “Enormous cost and competitive pressure, as well as the increasing difficulty of recruiting suitable personnel on the market, are driving the printing industry.
“An additional challenge is the fact that printing companies now have to generate a significant portion of their revenue, which they previously achieved with high-volume orders, through a large number of small orders. With conventional working methods, it is difficult to manage such an order structure economically.”
The print press manufacturer posits that the solution is “the consistent digitisation and automation of as many processes as possible, as well as the increased use of robotics to reduce manual intervention to an absolute minimum.”
One of the speakers at SHIFT 2025 was Rob Cross, co-managing director of UK commercial print business, Micropress Printers.
At the event, Cross described how the company has accelerated its processes and alleviated the shortage of personnel thanks to automation, robotics, and AI.
Micropress produces prints on a HEIDELBERG Speedmaster XL 106 with a Plate to Unit automated robotics system for loading new printing plates. Its processes are controlled via the Prinect print shop workflow.
At the folding machines, robots including a HEIDELBERG StackStar P, place the packages on pallets. Autonomous mobile robots (AMR) move the pallets between the individual machines.
Speaking of the intent behind SHIFT 2025, David Schmedding, chief technology and sales officer at HEIDELBERG, says: "With SHIFT, HEIDELBERG has created a unique platform where participants can network, discuss the topic of digital transformation and gain inspiration for solutions.
"We want to support our customers as partners with all our process expertise and experience in process digitalisation."
