International packaging manufacturer Multi Packaging Solutions (MPS), based in New York, is the first pilot user of the Heidelberg Primefire 106, the first industrial digital printing system in B1 format from Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) and powered by Fujifilm Inkjet Technology. The first pilot phase started back in January in cooperation with the company’s German manufacturing facility in Obersulm.

MPS specializes in packaging solutions for beauty and personal care, consumer and pharmaceutical brands and employs over 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,” says Steffen Schnizer, managing director and global head of beauty and personal care sales at MPS in Obersulm. “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.”

The image quality, reliability and rapid development of the technology and the company’s long years of positive experience of working with Heidelberg in the area of offset printing were key factors in MPS’ investment decision. “Our business model is based on zero tolerance of error, quality, availability and on-time delivery,” explains Götz Schümann, managing director of MPS in Obersulm. “We have many years of experience with Heidelberg as a reliable partner in the area of offset technology. Their quality and service pledge are outstanding. As such, we’re confident that Heidelberg digital technologies are also the right choice for us, and we look forward to being involved in the market launch of the Primefire 106 as an early adopter.”

Based on Fujifilm Inkjet Technology with co-development partner Fujifilm and the proven 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 going according to schedule is a further milestone in the implementation of our digital strategy in cooperation with our partner Fujifilm,” says Montserrat Peidro-Insa, head of digital sales and digital sheet-fed general manager at Heidelberg. “In MPS we’ve found the perfect company for the first Primefire 106 pilot. Our long-standing partnership, its digital business model in packaging printing, its worldwide presence, and its industrial manufacturing approach build the right environment for Primefire 106 to be tested under real-life conditions. It brings us a big step closer in qualifying Primefire 106 for true production and starting to establish industrial digital printing in the market.”

Primefire 106 enables packaging printers 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, resulting in time and cost reduction when producing jobs including special colors. Water-based inkjet printing meets strict environmental and recycling requirements and therefore also permits food-safe production.

Heidelberg has announced that the market introduction phase of the pilot will begin early 2017. The market launch of the brand new system is therefore right on schedule, as announced at drupa 2016.