Warneke Paper Box Co., an independent U.S. family-owned folding carton and rigid box converter founded in 1907, is the first serial installation in the world of Heidelberg’s Primefire 106 inkjet press. An official ribbon cutting took place Oct. 1 during an open house at the company’s Denver, Colorado facility for Warneke and Heidelberg staff and customers and members of the press. The occasion marked Heidelberg’s launch of the new press and included informational sessions covering service, consumables and packaging applications. About 65 people attended.
Stacy Warneke, President, and Steve Huppert, Vice President and COO of Warneke Paper Box first saw the machine at Drupa 2016 and were so impressed with the technology and the printing quality that they negotiated onsite with Heidelberg to be one of the first installations in the world.
The seven-color industrial inkjet B1 size digital press is based on the platform of the Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 and is the first digital press in the 40-inch format, according to Daniel Maurer, Vice President Product Management Digital Print, Heidelberg USA Inc. During a walkthrough with members of the press, Maurer pointed out the machine’s 80% available print uptime and its ability to match offset print quality, printing 1,200 x 1,200 dpi with initial production speeds of 2,500 sheets per hour.
During the ribbon cutting Felix Mueller, President of Heidelberg America, thanked Stacy Warneke and Steve Huppert for hosting the event and congratulated Warneke personnel and Heidelberg’s service technicians for doing a terrific job installing the machine. “We are two strong partners coming together. Heidelberg is very well known for designing state-of-the-art machines and Warneke is the best partner,” he said, adding that he sees a bright future for both companies.
The Primefire was installed in July. Warneke is currently running test runs before committing to full production jobs. A detailed feature article will appear in the November/December issue of Folding Carton Industry magazine.
Heidelberg representatives join Stacy Warneke and Steve Huppert in a toast, celebrating the launch of the Primefire.
