A towering icon of the offset printing world takes its final bow, the Heidelberg Printmaster GTO 52 will be officially discontinued from March 2014 after more than 40 years in production.
- "End of an era", Richard Timson, managing director at Heidelberg ANZ
The announcement marks the end of an era for the german offset manufacturing giant, and for the printing industry at large, with production of the popular press stretching back to its grand unveiling at drupa 1972. The decision was reached in light of productivity demands, with work being transferred increasingly from the classic GTO onto the Speedmaster SM 52 and SX 52 platforms.
Richard Timson, managing director, Heidelberg Australia and New Zealand, said, “It’s the end of an era. The GTO really was like the T-model Ford of the printing industry. It was the most popular machine in the history of Heidelberg. It got nearly every printing company in Australia and New Zealand printing offset.”
Legacy aside Timson notes that the move is unlikely to have a significant impact on the Australian market, commenting that only one GTO had been sold in the region in the last five years.
“It’s been a generational transition. When the Speedmaster came into the picture, the number of people investing in the GTO started to fall off. It’s the whole automation package, automatic plate loading, faster running speeds and more generationally modern features,” he said.
According to Timson there are around 1000 Printmaster GTO operating around the country, which Heidelberg will continue to support after production of the press is discontinued.
The highly productive Speedmaster SM 52 has long given printers running the older model a springboard for growth, offering short set-up times and production output of up to 15,000 sheets per hour. Since drupa 2012, the SX 52 has been available in configurations that can be tailored to customer requirements. The press can be ordered with the Anicolor short inking unit, offering even shorter make ready times and low paper waste for short print runs.
Heidelberg claims over 30,000 Speedmasters have been sold worldwide, with Timson reckoning over 1000 installations of the SM 52 in the Australian market.