As a result of its strategic partnership agreement with the Chinese manufacturer, Masterwork Machinery (MK), Heidelberg has ambitious plans to extend its range of postpress equipment for the folding carton market. Partnerships are the key, according to management board member, Harald Weimer, referring to how even a manufacturer the size of Heidelberg needs to form strategic alliances with specialist manufacturers to ensure
success. From the supply side, he believes that no one company can have the expertise to meet all the expectations of a global market in which customers look increasingly for a single-source provider.
Heidelberg’s partnership with MK forms the platform on which it can build its business globally, but it is keen to point out that while its new MK Promatrix and MK Easymatrix diecutters will become its volume sellers in the carton market, the existing 100 or so users
of the Dymatrix and Varimatrix ranges will continue to receive full support.
MK Promatrix 106 CS diecutter
Despite most of the MK machines being CE compliant, Heidelberg is running its own thorough checks on the design and builds quality of each range to ensure customers that reliability will be up to the customary standard before they are distributed. Field trials are complete on the MK Promatrix line, and the MK Easymatrix is anticipated to hit the market laterin 2015.
The MK Easymatrix will appeal to the developing markets, and be an entry-level machine for carton converters, as well as a crossover option for commercial printers in the established regions. The MK Promatrix, which has a speed of 8,000 sheets an hour, is predicted to sell well in the developed and industrialized countries.
The MK Promatrix 106CSoffers fast makeready on carton board from90 to 2,000 gsm, and corrugated up to 4mmthick. Features on the 760 x 1,060 mm diecutter include a non-stop feeder, belt table with suction belts and central roller and brush adjustment, a register system up to the stripping station, quick lock chase and cutting plate, fine adjustment in the cutting station as well as quick lock frames with fine adjustment in the stripping station. Motorized cutting pressure adjustment and non-stop delivery with rolling carpet make an operation comfortable, and allow the machine minder additional time for production monitoring and quality control.
According to Weimer, “We see this partnership with MK as an entirely positive move for Heidelberg as a manufacturing supplier and for the global carton converting market. Their technology is first class, and our sales and support network is second to none. I see it as a ‘win-win-win’ situation – Heidelberg benefits from having new technology to sell, MK benefits from having foreign markets to develop, and the converters benefit by having an exciting range of competitive machines to improve their businesses.”
