Heidelberg opens Print Media Center Americas

This week, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen celebrated the grand opening of its new Print Media Center Americas – Home of Print in Marietta, Georgia. The new facility marks a significant milestone in Heidelberg’s transformation journey and commitment to customer success and long-term growth in North America. Purpose-built for efficiency and innovation and featuring a showroom and training center, the new Home of Print serves as a center for demonstrations and training on Heidelberg’s latest technologies and end-to-end products for the print and packaging market and a meeting place for industry engagement and knowledge sharing.
 
'Print Media Center Americas – Home of Print represents much more than a new building. It reflects a new Heidelberg and a new way of thinking centered around collaboration,' said Clarence Penge, president of Heidelberg USA. 'By bringing our people, expertise and industry-leading technology together under one roof, we’re transforming how we support our customers, building a stronger foundation to help them succeed today and into the future.'
 
More than 200 customers, industry partners, members of the trade media and Heidelberg employees gathered for the grand opening, a two-day event that celebrated the company’s transformation throughout its long history while showcasing its vision for the future of print. A panel of some industry leaders in print – Jim Singer, president and CEO, Brodnax Printing Company; Mark Glendenning, owner/CEO, Inland Label & Marketing Services; Mark Mills, president, Spectrum Packaging Corporation; and Adam LeFebvre, president, Specialty Print Group – shared how Heidelberg has helped them transform their people, processes and technology to position their businesses for long-term success and leadership in their respective markets.
 
'We moved into packaging about ten years ago, and installing our first Heidelberg press, a Speedmaster XL 106, two years ago really took our business to the next level,' said Mills. 'Since it was our first Heidelberg press, we leaned on their team and the full range of performance services to help us get the most out of the machine. With their support, we’ve been blown away by the print quality and the sheer power of the press.'
 
During the event, the new showroom hosted hands-on demonstrations of Heidelberg’s latest equipment, including the Jetfire 50 and Speedmaster XL 106, alongside educational sessions highlighting Heidelberg’s full portfolio. Facility tours also offered a behind-the-scenes look at the site’s purpose-built facility, including its service and operations area, which is designed to strengthen connections among Heidelberg’s internal support teams and enable employees to work hand in hand to better serve customers.
 
Attendees also toured Heidelberg’s new, spacious training center, equipped with a range of press modules, a fully operational Speedmaster XL 106 press and finishing equipment, aimed at strengthening operator training and expanding educational opportunities for customers. Reinforcing Heidelberg’s commitment to workforce development, it serves as a hub for the company’s apprenticeship program while supporting application development and professional training that will help build the next generation of print professionals.
 
Beginning this fall, Heidelberg will offer a variety of instructor-led operator training and maintenance classes designed to help printers maximize productivity, expand capabilities and successfully navigate the future of the industry.
 
Penge said: 'The Home of Print gives customers and the industry at-large access to hands-on equipment training, workflow and automation education, and application development expertise, providing opportunities to collaborate directly with Heidelberg specialists and industry partners to accelerate business growth and operational excellence.'
 
During the event, Heidelberg announced the first Jetfire 50 customer order in North America with CJ Graphics in Canada.

'Heidelberg continues to prove why they are the leader in the printing industry,' said Jay Mandarino, president of CJ Graphics, based in Mississauga, Ontario. 'The print quality of the Jetfire 50 was very impressive. And when combined with the power of Prinect, which seamlessly connects and automates production throughout our plant, along with Heidelberg’s commitment to service excellence, the Jetfire provides a reliable, comprehensive production solution that no other manufacturer can match.'
 
Several orders spanning Heidelberg’s extensive product portfolio were also secured during the event, including the first Jetfire 50 sold in the US, purchased by Lake County Press of Waukegan, Illinois.
 
'The new Jetfire orders demonstrate the growing demand for digital printing solutions across North America,' said Penge. 'Printers are seeking greater agility to support shorter runs and personalized applications with faster turnarounds. Together with Heidelberg’s offset technology and Prinect workflow, the Jetfire 50 creates a connected hybrid production ecosystem that helps customers maximize productivity and position their businesses for future growth.'