Market Launch of Heidelberg Primefire 106 Digital Printing System Running on Schedule

Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS), based in New York, is the first pilot user of a Primefire 106, the first industrial digital printing system in B1 format, from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG powered by Fujifilm Inkjet Technology. The first pilot phase started back in January.
 
MPS specializes in packaging solutions for beauty and personal care, consumer and pharmaceutical brands and employs more than 9,000 people in 14 countries. The company is planning a major expansion of its digital packaging printing arm in order to offer customers significant added value at the point of sale.
 
“Our customers include many well-known brand companies from industries like consumer and cosmetics. Fast, creative changes to the brand and product appearance are crucial here today to sales success. That’s why we offer these customers high-quality, flexible, and variable or personalized packaging solutions that will enable them to tap into additional business potential and set themselves apart from their competition. For this we need a reliable, industrial digital printing press like the Heidelberg Primefire 106 that can be integrated into our existing workflow”, said Steffen Schnizer, managing director and global head of beauty and personal care sales at MPS.
 
Based on Fujifilm Inkjet Technology from co-development partner Fujifilm and the Heidelberg Peak Performance platform, the newly designed system is providing dependable offset-like quality production with the benefits of digital printing.
 
Heidelberg presented Primefire 106 as a world premiere for industrial digital production in 70 x 100 format at drupa 2016 in Düsseldorf.
 
“The start of the pilot phase according to schedule is a further milestone in the implementation of our digital strategy in cooperation with our partner Fujifilm. In MPS we’ve found the perfect company for the first Primefire 106 pilot. It brings us a big step closer in qualifying Primefire 106 for true production and starting to establish industrial digital printing in the market,” said Montserrat Peidro-Insa, head of digital sales and digital sheetfed GM at Heidelberg.
 
Primefire 106 enables packaging printers in particular to take a step in developing new areas of business, for example with the production of variable and personalized packaging or by adding traceability and security elements on each box. Printing on demand with Primefire 106 can streamline supply chain processes and reduce inventory costs. In addition, the 7-color inkjet system enabled by Fujifilm Inkjet Technology and Heidelberg Multicolor technology covers up to 95% of the Pantone color space. Water-based inkjet printing meets strict environmental and recycling requirements and also permits food-safe production.
 
Heidelberg has announced that the market introduction phase of the pilot will begin early 2017.
 
“Digital applications in packaging printing are changing the market. Packaging will have to become more adaptable to each market segment, more relevant and more creative to attract more interest among consumers. This is exactly where we expect the Primefire 106 will bring value to our operations and the industry,” said Montserrat Peidro-Insa.