Heidelberg unveils Speedmaster CX 104 at EXPO2020 in Dubai

• Packaging printers in the Middle East expanding capacities
• More commercial printers in region turning to packaging printing as second source of income
• Some 1,700 printing units of the Speedmaster CX 104 universal press already sold worldwide

Exhibiting under the slogan “Welcome to the Future”, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) and the UV specialist IST Metz unveiled the new Speedmaster CX 104 to around 100 customers in the Baden-Württemberg pavilion at EXPO2020 in Dubai. The event focused firmly on trends and creative applications in packaging printing and signaled the official market launch of the new universal press in the Middle East region.

Packaging printers in the Middle East expanding capacities

The packaging sector in the Middle East recently recorded an annual growth rate in de-mand of around 10 percent, driven by far-reaching changes in consumer behavior attribut-ed to the pandemic and a steep rise in e-commerce sales. A shift in patterns of consump-tion toward packaged products and a striking uptick in e-commerce demand for packaged food, drink, health, and hygiene products were among the biggest causes of increased and multi-faceted demand for packaging. “Thanks to its versatility when it comes to substrates and excellent flexibility – supporting everything up to and including navigated or even autonomous production with Push to Stop – the new Speedmaster CX 104 appeals to medi-um and large-sized packaging companies in particular. Indeed, many medium-sized com-panies in Middle East are in the process of expanding their capacities right now,” explains Dr. David Schmedding, Global Head of Sales & Marketing at Heidelberg. “Moreover, when it comes to the high-performance segment and speeds of up to 16,500 sheets per hour, the Speedmaster CX 104 doesn’t just impress packaging and label printing professionals, but commercial companies, too.” After all, given the continued strong growth in the packaging sector, more and more commercial print shops in the region are also turning to packaging printing as a second source of income.

The versatility of the Speedmaster CX 104 can be taken even further when combining it with drying and UV curing systems from IST Metz. This enables print shops to execute packaging and high-quality commercial printing on virtually any substrate, such as paper, metallized card, plastics, and transparent films: “Heidelberg is working with IST Metz to help its customers become more productive and profitable and therefore more competitive for the long term,” continues Schmedding.

With the new Speedmaster CX 104, Heidelberg has given its customers the right product at the right time. For example, since the system’s global market launch in the middle of last year, the company has sold around 1,700 printing units in all market segments.