Heidelberg has cashed in its stake in digital inkjet, selling off the Linoprint L to Markem-Imaje in a surprising departure from the German offset giant's recent move toward an integrated digital portfolio. Gallus Australia will continue to handle distribution, sales and service for the Linoprint L. CSAT, the Heidelberg subsidiary responsible for development of the drop-on-demand inkjet system was sold to the French manufacturing business on January 1, 2014.
It was over ten years ago that the traditional offset manufacturer stopped development of its first major digital offering, the NexPress, developed in joint venture with Kodak. Since then it has more often than not focused on its core business, leaving digital solutions on the periphery. Recent years have seen a more proactive stance, however, with Heidelberg ultimately integrating its complete digital print offering under the Linoprint banner at drupa 2012.
Moving forward Heidelberg will hold onto its Linoprint C series, developed for short-run work running a Ricoh digital print engine. It was also announced late last year that Heidelberg had entered into an OEM partnership with Fujifilm, with plans to launch its own inkjet press to market.
Heidelberg acquired CSAT on July 29, 2011 for an undisclosed price in a bid to expand its digital portfolio and customer base for the packaging and label sectors. Gallus Australia handles local distribution as the responsible partner for sales and service for the Linoprint L, making its first install around May 2013, going into Appliance Testing Supplies in Victoria.
James Rodden, managing director, Gallus Australia, confirms to Print21 that the future of the Linoprint L is secure. Gallus will retain distribution rights and work together with Markem-Imaje to develop and enhance the offline and near-line digital inkjet solution.
“I’m looking forward to working closely with Markem-Imaje. They will be good partners in the digital label business, with an expanded portfolio that will strengthen our presence locally and open doors,” he said.
Rodden reinforces his commitment to supporting the Linoprint L in sales and service in Australia and New Zealand, bolstered by Markem-Imaje’s expertise in digital printing and 25 years of success in the marking and coding sector. Using drop-on-demand inkjet, with a native resolution of 600 dpi and print speeds of up to 48 metres per minute in four-colour mode, the Linoprint L generously complements Gallus's current flexographic, offset and screen-printing range.
Gallus will also continue to work closely with Heidelberg on further developing its range of digital services for industrial label printing in workflow management, prepress and colour management.