Heidelberg has now signed up more than 50 users to its subscription model and is targeting triple figures by the end of its fiscal year of its pay-per-use model, with customers coming from the commercial and packaging sectors.
The contract business is a central pillar of the company’s ongoing digital transformation. It said that in the future, contracts like these will account for around a third of its overall net sales. Heidelberg Chief Digital Officer Ulrich Hermann said: “Our plan is to have 100 contracts by the end of the fiscal year. It’s an ambitious plan but we are now halfway and the pipeline shows that this is possible.” Heidelberg said all users of the model have to one extent or another recorded a clear improvement in their overall equipment effectiveness thanks to significant performance increases in terms of makeready times, printing speed, paper waste and the overall productivity of their processes.
The manufacturer’s current geographical focus for the subscription market is in Europe, the US and China, and it said it has seen particular success so far in the Eastern Europe sales region, with contracts signed in Poland, Slovakia and Turkey, as well as Austria.
…Heidelberg continues to introduce additional versions of the model to the market
One new version allows users with a subscription contract to acquire the Prinect software functions that they actually need for a monthly, usage-based fee, without having to purchase individual licenses. This approach also applies to machine maintenance and consumables supplies for both pre-existing and new machines purchased in the conventional way.
For customers that take out the top-level subscription package, Heidelberg supplies all of the necessary equipment, software, and consumables – such as printing plates, inks, coatings, washup solutions and blankets, as well as a range of services geared to availability. Customers then pay for the sheets that they print.
The manufacturer can also take care of all aspects of logistics operations for consumables as part of a subscription package, if the customer wishes. “By extending our subscription offerings, we are going to ensure virtually all print shops can benefit from the advantages of a pay-per-use approach in one way or another,” said Hermann. “Regardless of which package a customer opts for, they always pay for the actual benefits they enjoy. Through this approach, we aim to significantly improve performance for our customers.”
