HEIDELBERG and Ricoh are marking 15 years of partnership in digital printing, centred on the Versafire digital printing systems and hybrid print production technologies.
The collaboration began in 2011 with the launch of the first Versafire systems, marking HEIDELBERG’s entry into the digital printing market. Since then, the companies have continued to integrate digital and offset printing technologies into a shared production workflow through HEIDELBERG’s Prinect ecosystem and digital frontend (DFE).
According to the companies, the third generation of the Versafire portfolio is now established in the commercial print market worldwide. More than 3,500 systems have been installed globally, producing over two billion pages annually.
The Versafire systems are designed to support a range of commercial printing applications, including flyers, brochures and personalised print products. The integration of Ricoh’s digital print technology with HEIDELBERG’s workflow platform is intended to help print providers combine offset and digital production processes within a single environment.
Jürgen Otto, Chief Executive Officer at HEIDELBERG, said: “Our long-standing partnership with Ricoh is a success story for HEIDELBERG in digital print and a good example of successful technological cooperation to open up new market segments.”
Dr David Schmedding, Chief Technology and Sales Officer at HEIDELBERG, added: “Over the past 15 years, we have worked with Ricoh to consistently industrialize digital printing and fully integrate it into our digital ecosystem.”
Koji Miyao, President of Ricoh Graphic Communications, said the partnership has supported the wider adoption of digital production printing among print service providers.
The companies stated that the partnership will continue to focus on workflow integration, automation and software development for hybrid print production environments. The cooperation will also support future developments in digital production technologies and integrated print manufacturing systems worldwide.