One year ago, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) entered a new era of digital customer communication by launching the Heidelberg Assistant digital platform in the pilot markets of Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and Canada. The digitization solution is now operating successfully at more than 400 print shops in these countries, with over 700 users – a number that is increasing rapidly. The rollout in Japan, Poland, and Austria has also started.
“Digitization is becoming increasingly important at a great many print shops, and our customers appreciate the digital service portfolio we offer them 24/7 with the Heidelberg Assistant,” says Professor Ulrich Hermann, Member of the Management Board and Chief Digital Officer at Heidelberg. “Designed as an open digital platform, it is used by customers of all sizes and from all segments with their own personal Heidelberg ID,” he adds.
The user feedback is equally positive. Jürgen Herr, Head of Printing at August Faller GmbH & Co. KG in Waldkirch, has the following to say: “The Heidelberg Assistant represents a major step into the digital world, enabling far better analyses of press performance than simple service reports. The option of logging into the Heidelberg Assistant to arrange service callouts will also without doubt improve our customer satisfaction.”
Jeff Taylor, Senior Vice President Manufacturing at Hemlock Printers Ltd. in Vancouver, sums it up: “This is exactly the data and information we need to manage production efficiently.”
Heidelberg Assistant wins 2019 Digital Edge 50 Award in United States
To coincide with the first anniversary of its market launch, the Heidelberg Assistant has won a 2019 Digital Edge 50 Award from the U.S.-based International Data Group (IDG), a world-leading supplier of technology media and data/marketing services. This award is a prestigious accolade that goes to 50 organizations each year for digital innovations that improve business success, modernize operations, and enhance the customer experience.
“Winning a 2019 Digital Edge 50 Award underlines that we have our finger on the pulse with the Heidelberg Assistant and have assumed a leading industry role in digitizing customer communication,” says Hermann.
Digital customer collaboration during entire lifecycle
The Heidelberg Assistant digitization solution is a key technology in the digital transformation process at Heidelberg. It paves the way for creating and ensuring the smooth operation of the company’s new digital business models. Customers using the Heidelberg Assistant benefit from a transparent process workflow together with smart and efficient print shop operation. Each and every user has personal access to the customer portal and obtains an overview of the print shop’s service and maintenance status, including data-driven failure prediction.
Users also benefit from access to the sector’s largest knowledge database. In addition, they can access big data performance analyses, which creates further potential for boosting productivity. Heidelberg is using the assistant for further market scaling of its existing big data applications, such as Predictive Monitoring and Performance Consulting.