Heidelberg’s cloud-based Customer Portal, featuring over 15 specialised apps, is reshaping print production through automation, real-time analytics, and AI-driven workflows, propelling the industry towards autonomous, sustainable operations.
The printing industry is witnessing a transformative shift driven by systems integration and process automation, increasingly becoming key competitive factors. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has positioned itself ...
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at the forefront of this evolution with its cloud-based Customer Portal, launched three years ago and now actively used by over 7,000 individuals across more than 3,000 printing companies worldwide. This platform serves as a digital control centre, designed to streamline end-to-end production in print shops through digitalisation and automation.
With more than 15 specialized apps available, the portal offers robust functionality that enhances maintenance, materials management, and production operations. Notable apps such as the Maintenance Manager, Inventory Management, and Print Shop Analytics contribute to boosting efficiency and operational transparency. These features help print shops reduce downtime, lower storage costs, and systematically improve overall equipment effectiveness while supporting sustainability goals. A significant upcoming enhancement will enable users to purchase consumables and spare parts with just two clicks, simplifying procurement and underscoring Heidelberg’s pioneering approach to consolidating digital services within a single cloud platform.
David Schmedding, Heidelberg’s Chief Technology & Sales Officer, described the Customer Portal as a milestone in digitalising customer relationships and an essential strategic tool for optimising workflows in print shops. He highlighted the Prinect Workflow as the backbone of the system, enabling seamless process optimisation. These claims find support from practical examples; Mark Mills, president of Spectrum Packaging Corporation in Orlando, praised the combined impact of Heidelberg’s Speedmaster XL 106-7+L press with the Prinect Workflow and Customer Portal analytics, which tripled press speeds, cut makeready times, and enhanced colour consistency.
The portal continues to evolve with new functionalities such as the Data Capture app, recently introduced to capture and analyse production data in real time. This app facilitates direct job data transfer to print shop workstations, supports job and status tracking, and enables detailed reporting and costing. Marco Rassfeld, head of Prepress & CtP at Meinders & Elstermann GmbH & Co. KG, one of the pilot users, attested to the app’s ease of use and its positive impact on utilising production capacity more efficiently.
Heidelberg’s broader digital strategy aligns with its long-term vision of fully autonomous, intelligent print production. The company has invested heavily, hundreds of millions of euros, in digitalisation, data technology, AI, robotics, and automation over more than 20 years. These investments aim to build a scalable infrastructure that print shops worldwide can deploy to manage their production flexibly, reliably, and with minimal human intervention.
Complementing the Customer Portal, tools like Print Shop Analytics leverage artificial intelligence to provide real-time machine performance evaluation, benchmarking, and predictive recommendations. The integration of AI-powered Performance Advisor Technology (PAT) exemplifies this approach, offering contract printers easy-to-apply insights to optimise workflows and reduce errors.
Automation extends beyond production to job creation and management, with Heidelberg’s Prinect Smart Automation enabling fully integrated web-to-print solutions. This capability automates the flow from web orders through management information systems and production, significantly increasing efficiency and reducing the need for manual input.
The clear impact of these technologies is evident in customer operations. For example, Meinders & Elstermann GmbH & Co. KG has reduced prepress staffing from twelve to seven by harnessing automation integrated through the Prinect system, illustrating real cost and labour savings alongside productivity gains.
Looking ahead, Heidelberg envisions creating the AI-controlled print shop of tomorrow, centred on autonomous shifts and operation cost efficiency. The company’s leadership in mechanical engineering and industry innovation underpins this ambition, positioning it as a pioneer in the evolving landscape of print production.
Together, these advancements reflect a paradigm shift in printing, where sophisticated digital platforms like Heidelberg’s Customer Portal serve as pivotal enablers of automation, operational insight, and sustainable growth for print shops around the globe.
Source: Noah Wire Services
