Heidelberg Sells First Jetfire Digital Printing Systems

Swiss company Gremper AG is the world’s first user of a Jetfire 50 from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The new industrial inkjet system is set to start operating at Gremper from the end of March 2025. It will be used particularly for high-quality print runs, often involving personalized products.

The company is also commissioning a latest-generation Speedmaster XL 106-8-P+L, leading to an overall capacity expansion in a hybrid production environment.

“We were close to finalizing negotiations about a digital printing system with a competitor. At drupa 2024, however, Heidelberg unveiled the Jetfire 50, which is integrated into the Prinect workflow. That changed everything. It was exactly what we’d been waiting for,” said Karl Gremper, chairman of the Board of Directors.

Other factors that led to the purchase decision were the use of sustainable water-based inks and the fact that Heidelberg also takes care of service operations for its Jetfire systems.

“Tests show that the print quality of the Jetfire matches the level achieved in offset printing, a segment in which Heidelberg is our long-standing partner. It was the comprehensive portfolio for both technologies that ultimately won us over,” noted Cilgia Gremper, CEO and delegate of the Board of Directors.

Gremper AG is a player in the high-end segment and enjoys an excellent level of trust among customers in the Swiss arts and cultural scene. By investing in a hybrid production environment that combines offset and digital printing systems, including the new Jetfire and two Versafire systems from Heidelberg, the company is expanding its market position.

The first user of a Jetfire 50 in Germany will be Meinders & Elstermann GmbH & Co. KG in Osnabrück. The press will be taken into operation in April. The company is intending to use its new Jetfire to produce high-quality short runs and personalized mailings – a product segment that is enjoying strong growth and is ideal for standardized, automated production.

For CEO Jens Rauschen, too, the decisive factor that led to the purchase was Prinect workflow integration – especially the forthcoming Prinect Touch Free software.

“Fully automatic control of production processes in offset and digital printing is the key to profitable print production. With Prinect, Heidelberg supports the kind of hybrid production workflow we need if we are to remain competitive in a challenging market environment,” Rauschen said.

Also this spring, Schmid-Fehr AG will become the second Swiss company to take a Jetfire 50 into operation, alongside its two existing large toner systems. Many short runs that are currently produced using sheetfed offset printing will, in the future, be switched to the Heidelberg inkjet system.

“The fact that the Jetfire 50 is fully integrated into Prinect is the key advantage of the comprehensive system offered by Heidelberg,” said Matthias Schmid, the company’s owner and CEO. “We are taking another big step toward the end-to-end digitalization and automation of our processes.”

“Market demand for our new digital printing portfolio remains very high and, as announced at drupa 2024, we will be installing the first Jetfire 50 presses for customers this spring. Our hybrid approach of integrating offset and digital printing systems into a single workflow gives our customers a competitive advantage,” said Dr. David Schmedding, chief technology and sales officer at Heidelberg. “It also emphasizes that Heidelberg is well on the way to achieving the targets that have been set regarding the growth strategy for the company’s core business.”