Bertelsmann Printing Group steps up strong partnership with Heidelberg

The Bertelsmann Printing Group (BPG) has concluded two further Subscription Smart contracts with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg). A remarketed Speedmaster XL 162-8-P will start operating at the Gütersloh site of Mohn Media in January 2022, followed by a new Speedmaster XL 106-10-P+L in February. Under the Subscription Smart agreements, Heidelberg will offer Mohn Media advice and support to achieve specified productivity targets as part of a five-year performance partnership. The contract scope includes services and inventory management for selected consumables and service parts (vendor-managed inventory).

With the recently concluded agreement, BPG and Heidelberg are stepping up a partnership that dates back to late 2019. This is when the initial subscription contracts were signed – for Mohn Media in Gütersloh and another member of the Bertelsmann Printing Group, Vogel Druck in Höchberg. In February 2020, this resulted in the start of production with a Speedmaster XL 106-10-P+L in Gütersloh and a Speedmaster XL 106-9-P+L at Vogel Druck.

Mohn Media’s decision to continue its partnership with Heidelberg was already being considered back in spring 2021. As demonstrated by a review in March, the very high expectations defined in the initial subscription agreements have been met. Overall equipment effectiveness on the Speedmaster XL 106 in Gütersloh increased from 37 to 56 percent between February 2020 and January 2021. By the end of 2020, this ten-color press had printed a total of 55 million OK sheets.