Industry Summary Articles

PTC today announced Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg), a major provider to the global printing industry, has selected and is using ThingWorx® technology to remotely monitor and service more than 25,000 printing devices and software modules, resulting in significant improvements in service delivery and customer satisfaction.

Heidelberg produces customer-specific, highly-automated, and versatile high-tech machines in Germany, while high-quality preconfigured models are manufactured in China. Heidelberg also has a substantial service volume with approximately 40 percent of its sales derived from services, consumables, and service parts. Heidelberg has approximately 12,500 employees across the globe and serves customers in 170 countries.

Heidelberg knows that even a small defective part or a simple software error is enough to bring a printing press to a halt and with it the mass production of newspapers, books, posters, or packaging. Recognizing the high importance of product up-time for its customers’ mission-critical businesses, as well as for its own competitive differentiation, Heidelberg undertook an exhaustive due-diligence process, investigating a wide variety of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

The ThingWorx platform was selected for its connectivity, security, and completeness. Today, Heidelberg Remote Service, based on ThingWorx technology, is used in 50 countries with as many as 3,000 remote sessions per month. Heidelberg is able to resolve over 70 percent of all issues remotely, keeping costs low and customer satisfaction high.

“We have successfully connected over 10,000 machines and 15,000 systems with the new solution and as the global leader in our market, we can give our customers excellent support,” said Uwe Galm, vice president, system service and head of operations, Heidelberg. “With the ThingWorx platform, ongoing consultation as needed, and regular function and security updates through PTC Cloud Services, we are well positioned for the future.”

“The ThingWorx technology enables forward-looking companies like Heidelberg to iteratively innovate business processes – and to do so significantly faster than conventional methods and tools, thus accelerating time to value,” said Rob Gremley, group president, technology platform group, PTC. “Heidelberg’s progressive strategy and vision to transform its remote service business and processes will help promote future success. We look forward to working with Heidelberg to help drive business value in the emerging IoT market."

To view the original press release, please click here.

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