Due to the comprehensive integration and service approach, Samson Druck GmbH (Samson Druck) from Austria wants to take the path to the future together with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). The investment is driven by Heidelberg’s service promise and the company’s new integrated hybrid solution, which combines industrial digital printing with peak performance in the offset sector with the Jetfire 50. Samson Druck aims to achieve maximum flexibility and cost-effectiveness in print production in the future thanks to standardized workflow control with Prinect.
“By integrating offset and inkjet into a standardized workflow control system, Samson Druck gains maximum flexibility and efficiency,” says David Schmedding, chief technology and sales officer at Heidelberg. “Intelligent, self-learning software will control processes automatically, speed up production sequences, and reduce the number of manual interventions (touch points) to a minimum. All information for autonomous production in Push to Stop mode is available at the Prinect Press Center control station of the Speedmaster XL 106.”
Speedmaster XL 106 with 21k of peak performance generation
Towards the end of the year, the family business based in Margarethen im Lungau (Austria) will commission a new 21k Speedmaster XL 106-10-P. The ten-color sheetfed offset system with perfecting device is Austria’s first press of the new Peak Performance generation, as presented by Heidelberg at Drupa 2024, and will replace a recently sold 4/4 color press and an outgoing 5/5 color press from another brand. For quality assurance purposes, the press is equipped with Inspection Control 4 after the fifth and after the tenth printing unit. Defective sheets are detected by high-performance cameras and marked in the delivery pile by the automatic insertion of a strip.
Today, Samson Druck is managed by Markus Ramsbacher and Lisa Frost, the third generation of the family. Owner Gerhard Aichhorn continues to support his daughter and nephew with advice and assistance from almost 40 years of experience as managing director of Samson Druck. In the 45 years of its existence, the company has made an outstanding name for itself as a provider of high-quality print products in Austria and neighboring countries.
The production operation is fully integrated. The portfolio ranges from books, magazines, catalogs, and brochures to mailings ready for dispatch. Sustainable production processes are a matter close to the hearts of the management trio and around 110 employees. The company recently achieved Cradle to Cradle certification at the silver level, thus creating a unique selling point. “Sustainability is a guiding principle of our company and deeply rooted in the DNA of Samson Druck,” Lisa Frost says.
The decision for the new B3 sheetfed inkjet system Jetfire 50
Alongside the new Speedmaster XL 106, Samson Druck has opted for a Jetfire 50 from Heidelberg. Delivery of the B3 sheetfed inkjet press is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025. Thanks to this step into the industrial high-speed inkjet process, Samson Druck wants to be able to offer the market the entire range of print runs in premium quality, from individualized small jobs to large orders.
Samson Druck will control the hybrid production workflow via the Prinect Production Manager. In the future, the AI-supported Prinect Touch Free module will fully automate production, including the calculation of all possible layouts and the iterative decision on the entire order backlog as to which process (offset or digital) is the most efficient and cost-effective production method.
The goal: Increased process quality
“The overall system for a hybrid workflow was a key factor in our decision to enter into a strategic partnership with Heidelberg,” says Gerhard Aichhorn. Essentially, the aim is to make the processes from order receipt to dispatch of the end product even more efficient than before. In this context, Markus Ramsbacher speaks of “increased process quality“. Heidelberg will support Samson Druck in achieving this goal. In addition to highly efficient, integrated production technology in offset and inkjet processes, Heidelberg can supply the customer with the appropriate consumables, including inks for the Jetfire 50.
In addition, with Heidelberg Austria, Samson Druck has a strong service organization with excellent support at all stages of production. The services are well-known; Samson Druck’s postpress operations are carried out almost exclusively on folding machines from the Stahlfolder series.
Samson Druck’s decision to move forward together with Heidelberg is a sign of strong trust. The company had never before worked with sheetfed offset or digital printing technology from this manufacturer. Now the family business is replacing eighteen printing units in quick succession with ten latest-generation Speedmaster units from Heidelberg. Roland Spatt, managing director of Heidelberg Austria, is happy to take on the challenge. “We are confident that we will master the tasks set and achieve the productivity and quality targets that Samson Druck has set itself with the new production technology,” he emphasizes.
