The collaboration between Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) y Ricoh It's already 15 years old. With the introduction of the first systems of digital printing With Versafire in 2011, HEIDELBERG took a strategic and decisive step in the rapidly growing digital printing market.
Since then, the third generation of Versafire products has successfully established itself in the global commercial market. More than 3.500 units sold and over two billion pages printed annually underscore the high market acceptance of the Versafire range and the industrial performance of the technology.
Success and strategic objectives
The start of the collaboration between HEIDELBERG and Ricoh in digital printing marked a significant milestone for both companies: from the outset, the goal was not to view offset and digital printing in isolation, but to fully integrate both technologies into a shared production environment. To achieve this, HEIDELBERG has integrated the Versafire systems into the workflow of Prince Through their in-house developed digital frontend (DFE), they are specifically positioned as a complement to offset printing, enabling maximum flexibility, cost-effective short runs, and highly customized printed products. Printers use the Versafire range to print a wide variety of products, including brochures, magazines, and custom applications.
Jürgen OttoHEIDELBERG's Chief Executive Officer states: “Our long-standing collaboration with Ricoh is a success story for HEIDELBERG in digital printing and a prime example of successful technological cooperation in opening up new market segments. Today, the Versafire systems, perfectly tailored to the needs of the printing industry, exemplify our claim as a full-service provider and end-to-end systems integrator in hybrid print production.”
El Dr. David SchmeddingChief Technology and Sales Officer adds: “For the past 15 years, we have worked with Ricoh to continuously industrialize digital printing and fully integrate it into our digital ecosystem. For our customers, this integration means maximum flexibility, maximum process reliability, and a clear future outlook for hybrid print production.”
Koji MiyaoPresident of Ricoh Graphic Communications, states: “We are delighted that this long-standing partnership has helped support the agile adoption of digital production for so many print service providers. We look forward to many more years of cooperation.”
Eef of Ridder, Deputy General Manager, Global Sales Division, Ricoh Graphic Communications, adds: “This is one of the few partnerships between offset and digital suppliers that has thrived, and we remain committed to helping customers make the right technology decisions and prosper together for many years to come.”
The collaboration focuses on the added value of printing companies: maximum flexibility in executions and applications from "first copy" to medium volumes, a wide variety of substrates, individualization and customization on an industrial scale, and seamless integration into Prinect, the HEIDELBERG digital ecosystem, with end-to-end color management, automated workflows, and a uniform operating logic.
Versafire systems installed in HEIDELBERG printing plants provide optimal support for hybrid production, where offset and digital printing are efficiently combined, resulting in a decisive competitive advantage.
With HEIDELBERG's Prinect Digital Frontend (DFE), every step from job creation to final product is standardized and automated. The result: a workflow solution for hybrid print production using both digital and offset printing. This seamless integration makes HEIDELBERG unique in the market and enables customers to achieve efficient, repeatable, and cost-effective production across all technologies.
The cooperation between HEIDELBERG and Ricoh is based on a long-term commitment and will be strategically expanded.
Caption: Dr. Frank Schaum, Dr. David Schmedding, Koji Miyao & Eef de Ridder.
