Saphira Experiences - Happy Bundles?

one of the possible issues i see here with the "bundling" business model is that at times there is a regional need for one product over another product. For example lets look at fountain solutions.... Its long been known that regional variations in water quality may have some fountain solutions performing better than others. If you go with the Saphira product exclusively then you just might be settling when it comes to what would work best in your particular geographic location. The same holds true for many other variables in the process that require a product that might not fit into the bundled package. I believe that the conveniance and buying power of these bundled packages may seem on the surface very appealing but im thinkin that D inkman is on to something here.
 
turbotom1052 Thank You!

turbotom1052 Thank You!

turbotom1052, thank you very much for your reply. I think that you have hit the nail right on the head with the hammer. Anything in further replies to the contrary will probably be someone, like a salesman, who disputes what you said for one reason, >> $ <<.

Let us all please try to keep printing an art as it has always been and receive the best benefits from it as it is a mature industry. We need to definitely use our expertises and combine them to keep the small, medium printer afloat. The Print Planet is mature, not dead, let us all work to keep it that way. Thank you again turbotom1052 for your wisdomed insight. D
 
does unisource or any paper distributor make the paper they sell? for a while abdick didnt even make presses. if I were Heidelberg I would do the exact same thing. I am not so sure about the partnering with unisource though.
 
Saphira Consumables

Saphira Consumables

D Ink Man,

All Saphira Consumables have been carefully selected and certified in conjunction with the world's leading consumables manufacturers to bring our printers a complete solution, providing optimum performance on their Heidelberg system. Saphira Consumables provide remarkable consistency and performance for our customers' most demanding jobs.

The relationship between equipment and consumables has a DIRECT impact on all aspects of quality, performance, reliability, consistency, and not least, on the economics of the printing process and the final printed product. Heidelberg gives our printers a unique advantage in being able to draw on our expertise in recommending the most suitable consumables for their Heidelberg equipment.

Optimum performance and minimization of waste can be achieved as a result of carefully tested and selected consumables. Conversely, the use of sub-standard consumables can result in a significant risk of increasing make ready times, machine down time and waste.

We’re so confident in our Saphira consumables that we are offering the “Saphira challenge” - Try it yourself. For any US printer, call 1-888-437-7388 and mention Print Planet and receive 25% off your first order*.

Check out our YouTube channel to see what our customers are saying about our Saphira consumables – YouTube - Heidelguy's Channel


Regards,

Kurt Wiggins
Product Manager
Press & Post Press Consumables
Heidelberg USA

*25% off of list price only. Offer does not apply to customers currently under contract or pricing agreement. All offers are valid for US resident businesses only. Heidelberg USA will gladly refer non-US customers to Heidelberg distributors in other countries.
 
Response to: Kurt Wiggins

Response to: Kurt Wiggins

Excellent sales pitch. The weak and naive will actually fall for it. I'm not buying it.

The reason is that the SERVICE is absolutely not there. And you manufacture none of it. Bundled mayhem, three piece suits, football tickets and low ball pricing with prebates, rebates, etc. Just sign on the dotted line sir!

Heidelberg is good, but certainly not that good at the individual consumable expertises. You sir, are what is called a 'Middleman'. Simply put, no good in this Print Planet business. You are killing the industry, what is left of a mature one. Heidelberg should start building machines for the Moon and Mars, and get out of the way of consumables.

If you want to be in the consumable business, buy a consumable company and spend at least 25 years becoming proficient at it. Stop with the lip service and your few actors who are appearing on You Tube. C'mon Man!

Respectfully, D
 
If I may...there are many good reasons to buy Heidelberg consumables....

While some of the products are not manufactured by Heidelberg - they are in fact manufactured specifically for Heidelberg...there is much r&d behind the products. Not sure why that is even an issue??

The technical support behind the products far exceed any competitor in the market - why? because the Pitman rep for example has to rely on the manufacturer for support - the tech rep from Heidelberg knows the product and how it best performs in combination with the other products. Plus the Heidelberg tech's have been trained on Heidelberg presses...I can assure you that no one else can offer this type of
expertise.

The name of the game is thru put!!! Shorter make ready's - less paper waste - exact color match from press to prepress ...remember color management starts at the press and the info is then fed back to pre press - no one and I mean no one can fingerprint a Heidelberg press like Heidelberg...and we are proud of it!!!
 
D Ink Man said:
Excellent sales pitch. The weak and naive will actually fall for it. I'm not buying it.

The reason is that the SERVICE is absolutely not there. And you manufacture none of it. Bundled mayhem, three piece suits, football tickets and low ball pricing with prebates, rebates, etc. Just sign on the dotted line sir!

Heidelberg is good, but certainly not that good at the individual consumable expertises. You sir, are what is called a 'Middleman'. Simply put, no good in this Print Planet business. You are killing the industry, what is left of a mature one. Heidelberg should start building machines for the Moon and Mars, and get out of the way of consumables.

If you want to be in the consumable business, buy a consumable company and spend at least 25 years becoming proficient at it. Stop with the lip service and your few actors who are appearing on You Tube. C'mon Man!

Respectfully, D
Click to expand...


I can honestly say the whole "Bundled mayhem, three piece suits, football tickets and low ball pricing with prebates, rebates, etc." is not Heidelberg's route at all, not even close.

I can rattle of a list of vendors who do that same thing, primarily ink companies, to get the business. I know of a printing company in particular who use a certain ink company just for hockey and football tickets, FACT! The ink is below average at best, but the perk is worth the aggravation to them.

Heidelberg's intent is to eliminate the hassle of product badgering, and to help focus the needs at hand, with the best product. They do not claim to manufacture these products, just the rigorous testing of these products to save the customer the aggravation of testing and making very costly errors.

I am no longer employed by Heidelberg, so I do not have a motive other than clearing the air, and correcting mis-truths.

Good day!

Tim Boettcher
 
At the end of the day, tread carefully with this, it might make sense for some. For most you'll just be paying an inflated cost for consumables. Heidelberg is looking for a new profit stream, not that there is anything wrong with that because that's what business is about. Look at the bigger printers, they are not buying all of their coating or pressroom consumables from one source, why ? They recognize that different manufacturers have areas in which they excel, they also recognize they can often strike a better deal negotiating one on one with the respective supplier. Again, Saphira can make sense for some just move slowly.
 
Move slowly is the appropriate advice. And it's just not Heidelberg, it's the all the Bundling Boy Middlemen. Heidelberg was just an easy example to use, as they have chosen to packake these consumables under the magical name of 'Saphira'. Someone from Heidelberg, please explain, just exactly what is a 'Saphira'? To guess, it sounds like some kind of an illusion from a middle eastern country or language. Just not sure. Thanks. D
 
Saphira

Saphira

As the ‘unofficial’ history of product naming goes….. The idea was to use gem stones and we started with Sapphire. However, gem stones could not be protected (Trade marked/ copy righted).

So, a little marketing dust and you get - Saphira. Which leads to our red strip on the product labels.

At Drupa 2008, Saphira was adopted worldwide as the official name of all Heidelberg Consumables

Kurt Wiggins
Product Manager
Press & Post Press Consumables

Heidelberg USA, Inc.
1000 Gutenberg Drive
Kennesaw, GA 30144
 
To: The Heidelberg Guy and 'untruths'

To: The Heidelberg Guy and 'untruths'

Quote:
Originally Posted by D Ink Man
Excellent sales pitch. The weak and naive will actually fall for it. I'm not buying it.

The reason is that the SERVICE is absolutely not there. And you manufacture none of it. Bundled mayhem, three piece suits, football tickets and low ball pricing with prebates, rebates, etc. Just sign on the dotted line sir!

Heidelberg is good, but certainly not that good at the individual consumable expertises. You sir, are what is called a 'Middleman'. Simply put, no good in this Print Planet business. You are killing the industry, what is left of a mature one. Heidelberg should start building machines for the Moon and Mars, and get out of the way of consumables.

If you want to be in the consumable business, buy a consumable company and spend at least 25 years becoming proficient at it. Stop with the lip service and your few actors who are appearing on You Tube. C'mon Man!

Respectfully, D

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Boettcher
I can honestly say the whole "Bundled mayhem, three piece suits, football tickets and low ball pricing with prebates, rebates, etc." is not Heidelberg's route at all, not even close.

I can rattle of a list of vendors who do that same thing, primarily ink companies, to get the business. I know of a printing company in particular who use a certain ink company just for hockey and football tickets, FACT! The ink is below average at best, but the perk is worth the aggravation to them.

Heidelberg's intent is to eliminate the hassle of product badgering, and to help focus the needs at hand, with the best product. They do not claim to manufacture these products, just the rigorous testing of these products to save the customer the aggravation of testing and making very costly errors.

I am no longer employed by Heidelberg, so I do not have a motive other than clearing the air, and correcting mis-truths.

Good day!

Tim Boettcher

Posted by D Ink Man New 9/24
I would like to correct this statement ONLY, about the Bundled mayhem, three piece suits and football tickets as being part of a bad business approach that is practiced by th consumable peddllers. I WAS WRONG. I was wrong in the fact that this is actually a very good practice as far as a vendor giving a customer perks. This is actually a good business pracrice, only after a relationship has been built through years of loyality, product success and good will. As far as the Bundling Mayhem, I was probably inaccurate there as far as being mayhem. I am sure the computer system and ordering process is relatively thorough, with just normal glitches. Three piece suits or what clothes you are wearing are really not important when you are a vendor and facing your customer. So yes Mr. Tim Boettcher you did catch me in some "mis-truths". However; the Middlemen, low ball pricing, prebate and rebate tatics I mentioned whether true or not in the case of Heidelberg, are BAD for the industry. So please don't skew the whole point of this post and the replies because you saw one inaccuracy in view. Air cleared and it's hoped you comprehend this now Tim. Respects, D Ink Man
 
Last edited:
To Gordo, Cold and Everyone - Gemstones & Bunding

To Gordo, Cold and Everyone - Gemstones & Bunding

So Heidelberg has adopted the Saphira named based on the color of the gemstone, Sapphire. This is according to Kurt Wiggins: "Kurt Wiggins Saphira

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the ‘unofficial’ history of product naming goes….. The idea was to use gem stones and we started with Sapphire. However, gem stones could not be protected (Trade marked/ copy righted).

So, a little marketing dust and you get - Saphira. Which leads to our red strip on the product labels.

At Drupa 2008, Saphira was adopted worldwide as the official name of all Heidelberg Consumables

Kurt Wiggins
Product Manager
Press & Post Press Consumables

Heidelberg USA, Inc.
1000 Gutenberg Drive
Kennesaw, GA 30144 " So we must all assume that they nothing

So we must assume that Heidey knows nothing about the color of Gemstones, but chose to make them (The ?Red? Sapphire their major Trademarke copyright protected brand name. With this thorough research and thought (ha aha) put into the face of of their branded wares, one would have to question the legitamcy of these highly researched consumable results. Don't you think, just seems like logic to me. Wow! D
 
Heidelberg and Saphira Products

Heidelberg and Saphira Products

Hi,
I hope this thread is still active as it is quite old now.
I am new to this forum and so this is my first post!
I have been reading with interest the comments concerning Heidelberg products and the "bigger picture" and have a couple of points to make on the subject.
I run a brand new SM 74 installed and set-up by Heidelberg. We also use the Saphira brand for plates, inks, founts, washes, foils...basically everything. This was something that was, i have to say, pushed on us by Heidelberg. Fair enough, its part of the set-up.
Now I don't have a problem with organisations re-labelling other peoples products and selling them as their own. I do have an issue though that some of these companies may be monopolizing this part of the industry to their benefit and reducing choice through scaremongering techniques. I have had this with our Heidelberg rep. "I know this guy who used such and such on the press and his arms fell off and the press melted......". You get my point.
Kurt Wiggins states that the Saphira products are carefully selected and rigorously tested to make them compatible with Heidelberg presses. I do not doubt this, but I am sure that the conditions I run my press in are probably the most difficult you'll come across and not what would be considered normal testing conditions. I am also sure that the dollar cost to Heidelberg to use the products played a major role in the selection process.
I know for a fact that the Heidelberg Demonstrators and trainers are probably the best you'll find anyway in the world. The guy that demonstrated the press to me was top-notch as are the service guys when the press has broken down. This is the Heidelberg I know and this is what I see as their strength. I also know that they will have to set a press up to run on whatever chemistry Heidelberg is selling at the time, be it Varn founts , Superior Ink inks, C and A Coatings... etc. Its their job to.
The simple fact, at least for me, is that Heidelberg have gone away from doing what they do best, making great printing presses. The company as a whole is in a hole and so is trying to generate revenue through other means, ie consumables. The Nexpress didn't turn out as it should and, though it was an initial success, the DI simply filled a niche that didn't fully develop.
I find the Saphira products ok but they are nothing special and I have been looking at different options to improve performance. Also, the service absolutely sucks. I have seen my rep once since July 2010. Its almost arrogant.
As for printing as an art. I'm sorry to say that I no longer have time to pat myself on the back for a job well done, its on to the next one as quick as possible because the guy down the road will do it quicker and cheaper and the clients loyalties aren't what they used to be. Sad really.
 
Heidelberg hired and pay specialist for every type of consumables they sell,

For myself I have 25 years of experience in ink business and I work for heidelberg as... you probably guessed by now, ink specialist.

most of my supplier's employee I deal with have less experience than I do...

same thing with plate/pre-press specialist, blanket specialist or any other type of specialty heidelberg is selling.

your posts seems more like a vendetta or a very unhappy competitor.
 
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