Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

• Digitized procurement of consumables and paper at the latest prices
• For the first time, print shops can access the portfolios of participating suppliers directly from their MIS
• Zaikio Procurement free of charge to print shops
• Heidelberg reaches a further milestone on its way to becoming a platform provider

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is offering all print shops free access to the Zaikio Procurement industry platform with immediate effect – a further milestone on its way to becoming the printing industry’s leading platform provider. Zaikio networks print shops’ IT systems with those of their suppliers, which enables print service providers to establish an automatic link with these suppliers. Following a successful test phase with selected print shops and suppliers, all print service providers who wish to do so can now register on the Zaikio platform free of charge. They will then have direct, automatic access from their management information system (MIS) to the portfolios of the suppliers already linked to Zaikio and can place orders at the latest prices with just a few clicks. Following approval by procurement staff, the orders are transferred directly into the relevant supplier’s ERP system, which reciprocates by providing the print shop’s ordering system with information about availability and delivery options. This process lays the foundation for fully automatic orders based on various factors – from the current paper or ink consumption to stock levels. It also optimizes the digital procurement processes of print shops and suppliers alike.

“With Zaikio, Heidelberg is gradually establishing an industry platform that is open to all companies, digitizes and automates numerous value-adding processes between participants, and makes these operations transparent,” explains Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer. “By making overall processes and collaboration in the printing industry far simpler, Zaikio is boosting the competitiveness of everyone involved,” he adds.

Zaikio networks big-name MIS providers with established suppliers

Prior to the launch of the Zaikio Procurement platform, Zaikio already had some well-known MIS providers on board. Alongside Heidelberg with its Prinect Business Manager, the other participating MIS providers are Printplus, Printvis, Datamedia, Utraxx, Keyline, and EPMS – and Zaikio is currently in talks with many others. In the future, this means print shops will be able to access the ranges of suppliers such as Sappi or Metapaper and place orders directly from their MIS, once it has been networked with Zaikio.

Zaikio Procurement costs print shops absolutely nothing. Zaikio’s business model is based on its relationship with the supplier – the print shop has no monetary involvement whatsoever. Activating Zaikio Procurement in a print shop’s MIS is quick and easy, too.

“There are solutions on the market that already promise orders can be placed directly from an MIS. On closer inspection, however, it often turns out that all these solutions are doing is sending e-mails to the suppliers,” says Matthias Prinz, Managing Director and Head of User Experience at Zaikio GmbH. “With Zaikio, print service providers can now access the portfolios of a growing number of suppliers direct from their MIS in an automated process, which means they benefit from maximum transparency and needs-based supplies. It goes without saying that this also works to the advantage of MIS providers and suppliers, who can massively improve their level of service,” he explains.

Zaikio Procurement is just the first step

Zaikio’s vision is to network all relevant printing industry systems to enable quick and easy data communication. Using Zaikio Procurement to digitize the procurement process between print shops and their suppliers was just the first step. In the foreseeable future, Zaikio will be using Web2Print solutions, workflow tools, and the further involvement of partners to fully digitize and link other key processes between printing industry players.

About Zaikio

Around a year after the takeover of cloud software business Crispy Mountain by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the company launched Zaikio – a new open and independent cloud-based collaboration platform for the printing industry – in the summer of 2020. Zaikio unites all industry players on a single platform. The free Zaikio Account enables each and every user to log into all connected software systems with a single login. The aim is straightforward, standardized data exchange between software, hardware, and the partners involved on the basis of end-to-end automated process chains. So far, over 1,300 people have registered on the platform and set up their own personal Zaikio Account.

·       Maintenance Manager supports fully automatic planning, creation, and management of maintenance orders based on machine data

·       Seamless and readily accessible documentation of maintenance history

·       Cloud application forms part of Heidelberg contract model

·       Developed in collaboration with DOCUFY GmbH

The rapid progress of digitization is transforming the print media industry. Print shops are facing the challenge of dealing with all kinds of different jobs ever faster and, above all, more flexibly, while still producing top-quality results. Machine stoppages and/or damage due to inadequate maintenance or the absence of a maintenance strategy can quickly jeopardize the competitiveness of print shops. For a number of years now, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has therefore been digitizing service operations by equipping machine systems with ever smarter preventive functions such as eCall and Predictive Monitoring. The aim in all cases is to maximize machine uptime.

Maintenance Manager for fully automatic planning, creation, and management of maintenance orders

The company is now taking the next step in digitizing its service portfolio and transferring smart, preventive maintenance to the cloud with the new Maintenance Manager. Most machine maintenance has to date been based on hard copies of lists and a maintenance schedule specified by Heidelberg that customers adhere to with varying degrees of precision.

In the new web application, maintenance operations that are due can be planned and managed using machine data in an automated process, in line with maintenance intervals and machine usage. Heidelberg service engineers receive orders via an app on their mobile devices and deal with these on customer premises. The app helps by providing detailed descriptions of specific steps in the form of texts, graphics, and videos. The customer’s maintenance staff also have access to the Maintenance Manager app, which enables customers themselves to handle maintenance tasks for which they are responsible. Prioritization based on urgency is combined in an intelligent way with the time required and the IoT data generated by the press to show staff exactly what needs to be done when.

Seamless and readily accessible documentation of maintenance history

On completion of the work, all the relevant information is saved in the Maintenance Manager. This ensures access to the complete maintenance history and seamless documentation – in the case of audits, for example, and as proof for particularly exacting customers from the packaging or pharmaceuticals industry. The digital maintenance process makes planning service operations and machine downtimes far easier. It also significantly improves machine availability. On a Speedmaster XL 106, for instance, unscheduled downtimes can be reduced by up to 20 percent.

Customers can obtain Maintenance Manager as part of a volume/usage-based Print Site Contract.

The Maintenance Manager was developed in collaboration with the Heidelberg-owned software company DOCUFY, whose contribution focused primarily on its technical documentation expertise.

“The new Maintenance Manager was developed in close cooperation with customers’ users and now enables fully digital maintenance management,” says Klaus Kohl, Head of Product Management Service, Parts & Consulting at Heidelberg. “With this digitization drive, our customers are benefiting from far higher machine availability, reduced downtimes, and seamless documentation,” he adds.