Igniting infinite imagination in the industry, opening up, exploring, and seeing the future - Interview with Dr. David Schmedding, member of the Heidelberg Board of Directors and President of Global Technology and Sales
The 11th Beijing International Printing Technology Exhibition will be held grandly from May 15th to 19th, 2025, and the global printing industry's attention will once again be focused on this grand event. Heidelberg, as a leading enterprise in the global printing industry, has become a shining star at the exhibition with its outstanding technology and innovative solutions.
Article | Zhu Zhixuan
Image | Heidelberg
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At the exhibition site, a reporter from "Printing Manager" had the opportunity to interview Dr. David Schmedding, a member of the Heidelberg board of directors and global technology and sales president. He elaborated on Heidelberg's strategic layout and development direction in both the world and China, leading us to explore and see the future together.
Dr. David Schmedding, member of the Heidelberg Board of Directors and President of Global Technology and Sales
Deeply cultivating the Chinese market and seizing growth opportunities
I am very excited to be here at CHINA PRINT 2025. The Chinese market holds a pivotal position for Heidelberg, as it is our largest single market globally. The potential and opportunities of the Chinese market are remarkable, and it is a continuously thriving market with strong growth momentum in the coming years. We are confident in the future development of the Chinese market and will continue to increase our investment efforts. "Dr. David Schmedding said so.
速霸CX 104-8+LYY-1+L胶印机
According to him, Heidelberg has developed a clear and explicit growth strategy in the past year. On the one hand, the company focuses on the packaging field and has launched a series of innovative products and solutions suitable for packaging printing. Packaging is closely related to people's daily lives, and the potential of China's packaging printing market is unlimited. The Subaru CX 104-8+LYY-1+L offset printing press exhibited this time is tailor-made for packaging printing, which can meet customers' diverse needs for customized polishing. Multiple special processes can be achieved in one paper feed, effectively improving production efficiency, reducing production losses and costs, and significantly enhancing the market competitiveness of printing enterprises. "
On the other hand, we are committed to integrating offset printing and digital printing equipment into the same workflow, adopting a hybrid printing mode, and providing customers with more comprehensive and efficient solutions. This will be one of Heidelberg's key development directions in the future
Heidelberg Workflow and Software Systems
At the same time, Heidelberg attaches great importance to improving customer satisfaction and market penetration, and has achieved significant results in the Chinese market, "added Dr. David Schmedding. Nowadays, Heidelberg has been deeply cultivating the Chinese market for decades, setting up branches in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other places, and building its first overseas factory - the Shanghai Qingpu production base. For a long time, Heidelberg has always listened to the voices of Chinese customers, guided by customer needs, and provided customized solutions for customers at different stages of development and with different needs. At this exhibition, I was fortunate to receive positive feedback from numerous Chinese customers. The recognition of the market inspires us to work harder to give back to customers in the future, join hands with more Chinese printing companies, and create brilliance together
Embrace the wave of digital intelligence and unleash infinite possibilities
Entering the Heidelberg booth, it feels like being immersed in a futuristic ocean of technology. The theme slogan "Open, Explore, and See the Future" shines brightly on the surrounding screens, demonstrating Heidelberg's infinite longing and firm belief in exploring the future of the printing industry.
The current wave of digitization is sweeping in, and we must not stop innovating. With the continuous iteration and development of digital printing technology, digital printing, especially inkjet printing, has shown great potential for development. At this exhibition, Heidelberg brought innovative digital printing equipment, aiming to bring more choices and surprises to the market
For example, Heidelberg's Jetfire 50 digital inkjet printing system, which was exhibited for the first time in Asia, is equipped with a versatile four-color model that is flexible and reliable. It can easily handle both 60gsm lightweight double adhesive paper and 350gsm thick coated paper; The astonishing production capacity of 9000 SRA3 sheets per hour fully demonstrates its strong production strength; The wide printing color gamut completely covers the traditional printing color gamut, which can meet the increasing demand for short form printing and personalized digital printing products.
Jetfire 50 Digital Inkjet Printing System
The layout of digital printing is crucial for Heidelberg's success in the commercial printing field. It has been proven that incorporating digital printing equipment into our product portfolio is a wise move. Today, Heidelberg has both offset printing products and digital printing products, and can seamlessly integrate both with our workflow software to provide customers with comprehensive and complete solutions and services
In addition to entering the field of digital printing, Dr. David Schmedding said, "Heidelberg has always been at the forefront of the industry, committed to promoting the development of the printing industry through digital transformation. Our digital factory management platform and other digital solutions have helped many customers optimize their production processes and improve efficiency
Heidelberg Digital Factory Management Platform
Digital transformation is not only a technological innovation, but also a profound change in thinking and business models. In the future, Heidelberg will continue to increase its investment in the digital field and promote the digital transformation process of the printing industry. At the same time, we will work together with our partners to create a more open and collaborative printing ecosystem and unleash the infinite potential of the industry
Insight into development trends, leading the future of the industry
In 2025, Heidelberg will celebrate its 175th anniversary. Standing at this important milestone, Heidelberg has a clear understanding and plan for the present and future.
With the increasing demand of global consumers for high-quality printed materials, the printing industry will usher in new development opportunities. Heidelberg will continue to adhere to the concept of 'customer first, innovation led', continuously introduce more advanced and efficient printing solutions, meet customer needs and promote the development of the industry
Dr. David Schmedding believes that the global packaging printing market has enormous potential for future development in the printing industry, and is expected to continue growing at a rate of approximately 3% in the coming years. At the same time, the commercial printing market in China will also see greater growth potential. We look forward with great anticipation to the outstanding performance of the Chinese market in 2025
At this exhibition, Heidelberg also brought high-quality products such as Versafire LV digital printing press and Subaru XL75 eight color plus gloss offset printing press, attracting many on-site exhibitors to stop and watch. Nowadays, our product portfolio has fully covered multiple business areas such as packaging printing, commercial printing, label printing, etc. In the future, Heidelberg will closely embrace market trends, work hand in hand with printing companies, and achieve win-win development, "said Dr. David Schmedding with emotion.
On the stage of CHINA PRINT 2025, Heidelberg once again showcases its extraordinary style as an industry leader to the world with its outstanding technological strength and innovative spirit. Whether it is the continuous deepening of the offset printing field or the brave exploration of the digital field, Heidelberg is forging ahead with its unlimited potential and firm beliefs. In the future, Heidelberg will continue to work with global customers to embark on new explorations and witness the glorious future of the printing industry together.