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Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has completed the restructuring announced in November 2009 and identified further potential for improving efficiency. From April 1, 2010, the Group will be split into the Heidelberg Equipment, Heidelberg Services, and Heidelberg Financial Services divisions. "We are starting the new financial year with a leaner and more efficient organization. This will enable us to also provide our customers all over the world with a faster and more focused service," said CEO Bernhard Schreier. 
The company is also responding to the changing structures in the global print media industry by expanding the Heidelberg Services division in the future, which is relatively independent from economic cycles. The objective is to provide services that will help Heidelberg customers enjoy greater business success on a sustainable basis.

"The new structure has paved the way for Heidelberg to be even more powerful in the strategic core businesses of equipment and services," continued Schreier.

New corporate structure geared towards strategic core businesses and expected market volumes
The aims of the Heidelberg Equipment division are to build on the company's market-leading position in the commercial printing segment, and to achieve growth in packaging printing and the associated postpress operations. The new Heidelberg Services division also strengthens the company's claim to be the preferred service partner for print shops in the print media industry.

The company's restructuring has involved optimizing processes and streamlining the entire organization. This will result in the planned shedding of up to 450 jobs worldwide in administrative and sales.

The slight upward trend in the print media industry has continued over recent months, but no major upturn is as yet apparent. Heidelberg plans to adjust the production workforce so as to gear capacities to the continuing economic uncertainty in 2010. This will result in the loss of up to 400 jobs - primarily at the Wiesloch/Walldorf site.

From financial year 2011/2012, the lowering of structural and personnel costs will result in annual savings of approximately EUR 80 million. The plan is to achieve EUR 60 million of these savings already in financial year 2010/2011. Some EUR 30 million of the costs resulting from these job cuts will be additionally booked in financial year 2009/2010, with a further EUR 20 million to be booked in the next financial year.

"The order situation in the print media industry has stabilized over recent months. The higher demand is still coming mainly from emerging markets such as China and Brazil. There is no prospect of a significant increase in the industry's investment volume in 2010. We are adapting our company's capacities and structure accordingly. As a result, the level of sales at which we achieve an operational break-even result has been lowered once again, to less than EUR 2.5 billion. The objective of this measure is to achieve a break-even operating result for the next financial year assuming stable economic development and furthermore an economic value added (EVA) in all areas of business in the medium term," said Schreier. The company will provide at the earliest an outlook for the new financial year at the Annual Press Conference.

The company intends to negotiate the additional personnel adjustments with employee representatives and the union straight away.

Business at Heidelberg in the fourth quarter of the current financial year 2009/10 is in line with the company's expectations. As already forecasted, sales will be up slightly on the third quarter, which will also improve the operating result. Heidelberg will thus achieve its most recent forecast for 2009/2010 as a whole.

Heidelberg Services
In addition to its proven Heidelberg Systemservice and Original Heidelberg spare parts, the "Heidelberg Services" division offers customers worldwide Saphira consumables, Prinect software solutions - including plate imaging equipment - services, consultancy, and training at all levels, thereby helping print shops to enjoy long-term success. Key focal points include improving machine availability, boosting productivity, enhancing process efficiency, and providing consultancy services geared towards environmentally friendly printing. Customers around the globe have access to the Heidelberg service team, with around 4,500 employees in some 170 countries.

Heidelberg Equipment
The Heidelberg Equipment division offers products and technologies along the entire process and value added chain for print media companies in the commercial and packaging printing sectors. This division develops, produces, and markets precision presses - in the sheetfed offset format classes 35 x 50 cm (13.78 x 19.69 in) to 120 x 162 cm (47.24 x 63.78 in) - and postpress equipment. Innovation projects such as Linoprint - for customized decoration and labeling of folding cartons, labels, and blister packs based on inkjet technology - and printed organic layers round off the portfolio.

Heidelberg Financial Services
In an environment dominated by customers from small and medium-sized businesses, financial services are a great help when it comes to making economically astute investments in Heidelberg products. The associated opportunities and risks require unique know-how and transparency that has little to do with more traditional areas of business. All sales financing activities will still be combined in a dedicated segment. In addition to direct financing through one of the Group's own financing companies, this primarily involves putting customers at small and medium-sized companies in touch with Heidelberg financing partners.

For additional details, please visit the Internet Press Lounge at www.heidelberg.com.

Other dates:
Publication of the preliminary figures for financial year 2009/2010 is scheduled for May 11, 2010.

For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Public Relations
Thomas Fichtl
Phone: +49 6221 92 5900
Fax: +49 6221 92 5069
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Important note:
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions and estimations by the Management Board of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft. Even though the Management Board is of the opinion that those assumptions and estimations are realistic, the actual future development and results may deviate substantially from these forward-looking statements due to various factors, such as changes in the macro-economic situation, in the exchange rates, in the interest rates and in the print media industry. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft gives no warranty and does not assume liability for any damages in case the future development and the projected results do not correspond with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Published in Financial News

printbuyer1The Print Media Academy (PMA) of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) will run the English-language  "Print Buyer University" for the third time from June 15th to 18th 2010.The four-day program in Heidelberg is tailor-made for marketing, purchasing and production professionals in advertising agencies, publishing companies and manufacturers who want to take offset print projects to a new level.

High quality of brochures, packaging or other print products is a key to successful marketing communication. The challenge is to usher a job through the procurement and production process while guaranteeing a high level of quality, regardless of where and when a job is printed. This requires outstanding expertise! The feedback from former Print Media Universities is that the know-how that participants receive in the workshops helps them to understand the value of print and to work together with their printers on a high level.

Whether the participants manage print projects for their own company or a client, they will benefit enormously from this program of information-packed seminars and workshops with emphasis on practical experience. The program will provide expert knowledge which is indispensable for professionals to oversee offset print projects and to achieve top quality, and which ideally supplements the expertise they already have in areas such as design, marketing or purchasing.

Participants also will be provided with guidance in applying international standards in drawing up job specifications and selecting providers. They will be able to judge print quality and to make "press pass" decisions with confidence.

The participants will gain an understanding of print in all its complexity straight from the best possible source: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, the world's largest manufacturer of printing equipment. They will benefit from the knowledge of print experts, who have extensive experience with sheetfed offset equipment and efficient production processes. The groups will be kept small to ensure effective learning. Heidelberg's technical facilities will be available for practical exercises involving actual pressruns. At the end of the program, participants will be certified as "Print Media Advisors" to document their ability to manage complex offset print projects.

The Print Buyer University will take place from June 15 to 18, 2010 in Heidelberg, Germany. Registrations are to be sent to the Print Media Academy by May 7, 2010. Detailed information and references are available at www.print-media-academy.com .

Global network and knowledge forum for the print media industry
The Print Media Academy was founded back in 2000 in Heidelberg and offers technical and management staff in the print media industry a comprehensive range of training courses tailored to the specific needs of the industry. High-profile speakers and trainers from the print media industry and business world impart information on the use of Heidelberg products, technological innovations, and successful management. The Print Media Academy portfolio includes one-off seminars, international management programs, advanced training, specialist congresses, and a range of publications.

The network is growing all the time and today comprises 19 PMA sites in 16 countries around the world. The Print Media Academy is represented in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, China, India, Egypt, Afghanistan, Malaysia, and Australia. In Europe, there are PMA sites in Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Belgium, and now in the Netherlands. All the sites communicate regularly and share information on the latest trends in the print media industry. This makes it possible to develop the training program in close cooperation with one another and to tailor it to the specific regional requirements. In 2008, more than 21,000 participants took part in almost 2,500 training courses staged by the PMA network.

Contact & Enrolment
Print Media Academy Heidelberg
Silvia Becker
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 92 50 11
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 92 49 29
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Information for journalists
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Dirk Henrich
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 92  5910
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 92 5069
E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in European News

For the first time, spending on digital/online advertising and marketing will overtake print in 2010, according to new projections from Outsell, Inc. In an industry crossover event, companies will spend $119.6 billion on online and digital strategies, from search engine keywords to webinars, while committing $111.5 billion to print methods such as newspaper and magazine ads. Overall, U.S. spending on advertising and marketing will increase in 2010, but by just 1.2 percent to $368 billion.

Outsell’s “Marketing and Ad Spending Study 2010: Total US and B2B Advertising,” forecasts spending, share, and growth for five media types—online, events, print, TV/radio, and PR/other—and methods used within each, from social networking to mobile/wireless marketing.

“Advertisers are directing dollars toward the channels which generate the most qualified leads and most effective branding. As they emerge from the recession, they need more accountability, and they’re spreading their spending over a widening set of options,” said Chuck Richard, Vice President and Lead Analyst, Outsell.

Among findings:

• Print magazine advertising will be up 1.9 percent to $9.4 billion despite the popularity of online channels.
• Methods generating the highest B2B ROI are topped by advertisers’ own websites, followed by conferences, exhibitions and trade shows; direct mail; search engine keywords; and e-marketing/e-newsletters.
• B2B advertisers see cross-media marketing as most effective; 78% combine three or more major marketing methods.
• 51 percent of B2B marketers rate Facebook as extremely or somewhat effective, followed by LinkedIn (45 percent), Twitter (35 percent) and MySpace (25 percent).

Outsell surveyed more than 1,000 US advertisers in December 2009.

For the report, with publisher recommendations: http://www.outsellinc.com/store/products/912?refid=pr912.

Journalists: Contact Dawn Ringel, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Published in European News

kemiraKemira Group will publish its fourth quarter results on Tuesday, February 9 around 8.30 am Finnish time (6.30 am UK time).

Kemira will arrange a press conference for analysts and the media starting at 10.30am at Kemira House, Porkkalankatu 3, Helsinki. In the conference, Kemira's President and CEO Harri Kerminen will present the results. The press conference will be held in Finnish. Presentation material will be available on Kemira's website at www.kemira.com under Investors both in Finnish and in English at 10.30am.

A conference call in English will begin at 1 pm Finnish time. Inorder to participate in the call, please dial +44 (0)20 7162 0025, code856502 ten minutes before the conference begins. Presentation material will be available on Kemira's website. A recording of the conference call will be available on Kemira's website later the same day.

For further information please contact

Kemira Oyj

Päivi Antola, Senior Manager, IR and Financial Communications

Tel. +358 10 862 1140

The offical release here....>

Published in Financial News