Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG - IPEX Innovations from Heidelberg Boost Efficiency and Competitiveness

• New products and services put print shops in an excellent position for when the economy picks up again
• Focus on solutions for new business options
• Heidelberg views IPEX as a trend barometer for the printing industry in 2010
• Initial signs of macroeconomic recovery in parts of the world

At this year's IPEX trade show in the U.K. city of Birmingham from May 18 to 25, 2010, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will be showcasing the latest developments in its product and service portfolio. The company's stand in Hall 8 will focus on current market trends such as lean, environmentally friendly production for print shops. "Our aim is to ensure that our customers are well positioned to face future challenges, and we will work with them to develop and successfully implement new business options in a changing environment," stated Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier.

Heidelberg still offers the best price-performance ratio in the industry thanks to numerous prepress, press, and postpress innovations combined with the integration of all process steps. The successful entry of Heidelberg into the large-format sector in 2008 underlines the fact that innovations and, above all, greater customer benefits are the driving forces behind investments in the industry. "For Heidelberg, IPEX is a trend barometer and also an opportunity for the printing industry in 2010," said Schreier.

Despite initial positive signs in some parts of the world, it is still too soon to anticipate a significant turnaround in the economy in the near future. "Companies who invest in new technologies and new areas of business now, though, will be well positioned for the future," stated Schreier. Heidelberg would be using the trade show to continue redefining parts of the market with further innovations, he said. "Our customers expect us to boost their competitiveness with the latest technologies and a comprehensive service portfolio. We will definitely meet their expectations at IPEX," he stressed.

Heidelberg provides local support for its customers with a wide range of services that pave the way for sustainable business success. "We will also optimize and expand our range of products and services," stated Schreier. The digital printing was a market segment with excellent prospects that customers would increasingly add to their portfolios and for which Heidelberg was looking for a suitable partner, he explained. "We have the ideal service and logistics network for this, which gives us a clear competitive edge," Heidelberg's CEO stated. He added that the two technologies were predicted to successfully continue side by side on the future market.

Schreier also underlined that it was vital not to ignore the structural changes in the industry, but to adapt to them. He added that the global print volume of just under EUR 400 billion was an encouraging sign for the development of the market and that, when the economy picked up again, commercial printing would recover too and lead to new investments in this offset market segment. Packaging printing has enjoyed greater stability during the crisis and offers growth potential for Heidelberg. "We have systematically geared our range of products and solutions to the requirements of our customers in both market segments and ensured that they represent the state of the art. This makes us confident that both our customers and our companies are extremely well positioned for the recovery to come," concluded Schreier.

With a global market share of over 40 percent in the sheetfed offset press market, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is the world's leading solution provider for the print media industry. All over the world, the name Heidelberg is synonymous with state-of-the art technology, top quality, and closeness to the customer. The core business of this technology group covers the whole value-added and process chain in the sheetfed offset sector. Heidelberg develops and produces precision printing presses, platesetters, postpress equipment, and software for integrating all the print shop processes. Environmental protection has an enduring importance in this regard. Solutions for the development, production, and utilization of presses help to conserve resources, reduce emissions, and cut wastage. The Heidelberg portfolio also provides general and consulting services ranging from spare parts and consumables to the sale of remarketed equipment, and training at the Print Media Academy. In financial year 2008/2009, Heidelberg recorded sales of 2.999 billion Euro. As at March 31, 2009, the Heidelberg Group had a workforce of 18,926 worldwide, including 707 trainees.