Getting smart with Heidelberg

Print Solutions at drupa

Extensive digitisation in the print industry is providing new opportunities in relation to efficient job processing and communication with customers and suppliers. Cooperation between Heidelberg and its customers will also change significantly in the digital age. With this in mind, the company is presenting the three innovations Heidelberg Cloud, Heidelberg Assistant, and Heidelberg eShop at drupa, based on the theme ‘Smart Collaboration’.

The Heidelberg Cloud is an information and service platform specially adapted for print. It integrates the Heidelberg Remote Service network, which links more than 10,000 machines and an additional 15,000 software products with Heidelberg Service, with all the information that a customer needs: it is comprehensively supported by Heidelberg Service, for example with augmented reality videos showing how to carry out maintenance tasks or real time fault reporting with eCall. The Heidelberg Cloud is also the backbone for services based on the analysis and prediction of big data.

The Heidelberg Assistant concept study demonstrates what the future information and service portal based on the Heidelberg Cloud for customers will look like. Users can access it via PC, smartphone, or tablet. The tool is divided into four sections: Print Shop, Shopping, Support, and Administration.

With the Heidelberg Assistant, customers get personal access to all information and services related to their company. As the customised ‘window’ to the Heidelberg world, they enjoy access to communication and solutions as well as to availability and productivity data for their print shops. For example, they have access to all their service contracts with Heidelberg. They can see at a glance which machines and software tools they are using in their business and how productive these systems currently are.

The features of Heidelberg Assistant use existing data as their basis in order to ensure the customer the best possible support for order transactions, service queries, and general information. For example, an order transaction that is created via the Heidelberg Assistant can determine whether the parts and consumables ordered are actually appropriate for the customer’s equipment or whether an error has been made.

It also permits direct access to the new Heidelberg eShop, which is the basis for e-commerce solutions. The company has now launched this new online shop in 27 countries. On this platform, customers can order consumables — and, in the future, selected service parts — around the clock, and the goods will be delivered on the next working day in most cases. Customers can also benefit from special prices, online promotions, and bonus schemes. Payments can be made on receipt of an invoice or by credit card. In the future, the shipping status will be trackable in real time. A range of safety information and technical data sheets is also available for customers to download. Videos provide instructions and lots of tips on various products.

‘The digitisation of our industry is gradually encompassing all areas and processes within the print shop and beyond. As Heidelberg transforms big data into smart data, we can benefit from the advantages offered by this trend: with the Heidelberg Assistant, we make communicating with us as easy as possible for our customers and also give them a tool they can use to get an overview of the performance of their company at any time – it really is simply smart,’ said Harald Weimer, head of Sales and Service at Heidelberg.

Harald Weimer is presenting the Smart Collaboration Area and the Heidelberg Assistant at drupa.