Factory X, a consortium initiated by the Fraunhofer Institute, SAP, and Siemens, is reimagining the next chapter of industrial manufacturing in the era of artificial intelligence. As a global leader in enterprise applications and AI, SAP has been connecting technology and business for more than 50 years, helping organizations manage and transform their mission-critical processes. This presentation demonstrates how data ecosystems are becoming a key building block of digital transformation and laying the foundation for the successful adoption of AI in industry. The value of data spaces lies in the contextualization of data, turning individual data points into actionable insights that serve as the basis for industrial AI applications.

In this presentation, Jürgen Grimm, Head of Prinect will present HEIDELBERG’s solutions for hybrid workflows in digital and offset printing. Starting with the market-leading Prinect Production solutions for commercial and packaging printing and the Prinect Business MIS solution, he explains the current status and upcoming developments of Prinect Touch Free before moving on to the HEIDELBERG Portal. Based on collected real-world production data, he uses practical examples to explain AI applications that would be fundamentally possible through this data ecosystem. This enables the audience to better understand the role that AI will play in the digitized print shop.

As a traditional family-run business with a history spanning over 120 years, this presentation provides insights into the transformation from a classic printing company to a holistic provider of communication solutions. The focus is on the continuous development of the company and the ambition to build a strong and future-proof organization for coming generations. By combining craftsmanship, innovation, and sustainable entrepreneurship, Van der Most addresses the evolving needs of its customers through integrated communication solutions across the entire value chain, from concept development to production with offset and digital printing to logistics, IT services, and campaign support.

Meinders & Elstermann, a long-established company with a broad portfolio spanning offset and digital printing as well as comprehensive finishing services, is the first company worldwide to use the new fully automated Prinect Touch Free workflow in its day-to-day digital print production. This presentation will provide insights into the implementation and practical use of Prinect Touch Free for simplified and cost-efficient production management across multiple digital printing systems. With increasing numbers of short-run jobs, the company has leveraged automation to reduce complexity while optimizing productivity. Drawing on real-world experience, Meinders & Elstermann will demonstrate how production paths can be automated and job management simplified through production decisions based on real-time calculations using actual job data. The session will highlight how intelligent workflow automation helps companies handle growing production demands more efficiently and effectively.

Labor shortages, increasing process complexity, and rising cost pressures are accelerating automation across the printing industry. Humanoid robots are opening up new possibilities, yet significant challenges remain between technological potential and productive day-to-day implementation. Drawing on real-world use cases such as carton folding, pallet loading and unloading, and the operation of die-cutting and cutting machines, Andreas Reichert demonstrates which solutions are already a reality today, where current limitations lie, and how artificial intelligence, advanced sensing technologies, and robotics are reshaping the future of production. A practical insight into human-robot collaboration in the printing industry.

As a leading European system supplier and manufacturer specializing in tailor-made packaging materials, Faller Packaging, a family-owned company, brings more than 140 years of expertise and over three decades of healthcare specialization to the evolving topic of automation. In this presentation, attendees will gain insights into one of the packaging industry’s key challenges: implementing automation that truly addresses operational needs. The session explores how successful automation requires a deep understanding of production processes, organizational change, and the selection of the right technology partners.

hy, the partner-led, independent consulting firm for strategy, growth, and innovation based in Berlin, is being directly challenged by Artificial Intelligence. Services that have long been part of the firm’s core business can now increasingly be performed by AI. This presentation demonstrates how hy is responding: with proprietary tools that enhance judgment and transparency in AI-driven processes, with AI agent colleagues, and with teams that work in an AI-native way, developing the most suitable solution path for every challenge.

The presentation shows how MDM-DRUK as a modern Polish packaging printing company, connects Prinect Business Manager, Prinect Package Designer and Prinect Production Manager with custom-developed tools, including their own Intranet solutions, to create an integrated digital workflow for packaging production. It focuses on how data can flow between different systems and process stages, from packaging design and product definition, through order management and production, to analysis. The presentation demonstrates how custom integrations, automated wizards and data exchange can bridge the gaps between standard software solutions, reduce manual work and create a more connected and automated production environment.

Explore how Schmid-Fehr, as a family-owned small- and medium sized print business, is addressing today’s industry challenges while shaping its future direction. The session focuses on automation in production and administration, aiming to enable operations comparable to highly automated online printers. It shares practical insights, key challenges, and lessons learned in driving this transformation.

Artificial intelligence and automation are transforming the printing industry faster than ever before. This presentation takes a look ahead to the printing industry in 2036 and demonstrates why print is not disappearing, but reinventing itself. It explores the risks, opportunities, and practical courses of action for companies that want to actively shape their future and unlock new growth potential. Rather than becoming less relevant, print will become more specialized, more digital, and more deeply integrated into modern value chains.

Christopher Berti kicks off the second day by explaining the breadth of the HEIDELBERG Digital Print Ecosystem, which includes inkjet and toner presses, Inline and Nearline Finishing, the increasingly important software for end-to-end solutions from pdf to finished product, services, inks and consumables, as well as consulting services to help configure optimal production solutions, whether digital or offset.

At the Prinect Touch Free presentation during SHIFT 2026, you’ll experience a world premiere. Following the product announcement at drupa, a live demonstration in front of an audience will be held for the first time, showing how a large number of jobs are produced fully automatically. The jobs are assigned and printed based on the most cost-effective production method for each machine, whether it’s inkjet with the Jetfire 50 or Jetfire 75, the toner based Versafire, or the Speedmaster with offset printing.

Overview of HEIDELBERG Solutions:

• Breakout Session 1 about Jetfire 75 in the digital print ecosystem: The presentation focuses on the new applications made possible by the B2 format on Jetfire 75, on operating the Jetfire 75 with the Prinect Production Manager, and on comparing production costs versus sheet costs, presented by Mark Ihlenfeldt. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in German, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in English.

• Breakout Session 2 about intelligent digital print production, from job submission to the finished oroduct on Jetfire 50 with Inline Finishing: See how modern digital printing production integrates job automation, production control, and post-press processing into a seamless workflow. Using Prinect Smart Automation, the Jetfire 50 with inline finishing, and the latest Versafire innovations, Janine Schneider will show you the journey from a digital job to a quality-assured final product. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in English, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in German.

• Breakout Session 3 about Prinect Touch Free with applications and practical use cases: With Prinect Touch Free, you’re taking a decisive step toward autonomous print production in the commercial printing sector. Take this opportunity to learn about the current status and next steps, or discuss the latest innovations with Ulrike Seethaler. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in German, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in English.

• Breakout Session 4 about quote assisting with AI-powered quotation generation from customer inquiries: Increase the quote success rate by automatically extracting order data from emails and generating quotes by Volker Kaiser together with René Schieber. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in English, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in German.

• Breakout Session 5 about HEIDELBERG end-to-end solutions for packaging printing: When discussing integration and automation, the focus is often on prepress and the printing press. Both of these process steps are crucial, but they represent only a part of the overall packaging production process. In this breakout session, we’ll first briefly demonstrate how HEIDELBERG integrates prepress and print production. We’ll then turn our attention to the range of solutions for postpress. Learn from Simon Top how integrated HEIDELBERG solutions optimize production, from automated data preparation and data transfer through printing to postpress, for a seamless end-to-end workflow in packaging production. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in German, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in English.

• Breakout Session 6 about workflow integration for Gallus One
  Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in English, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in German.

• Breakout Session 7 about efficient and flexible post-press processing of digital print products with Inline and Nearline solutions: In this session on postpress machines, Fabio Di Stefano and Alexander Driss will show you the inline and nearline finishing options for HEIDELBERG postpress solutions offered for integrated digital printing production. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in German, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in English.

• Breakout Session 8 about the transition from data to action, how Artificial Intelligence, industry expertise, and digital services drive performance: Modern print production requires more than pure data visibility. It requires the ability to act faster, make better decisions and access the right expertise at the right moment. Join us to discover how the HEIDELBERG Portal brings together production data, AI-powered insights and digital service solutions into one connected ecosystem. From AI-supported performance optimization and intelligent maintenance planning to remote service, service management and expert consulting: learn how HEIDELBERG helps transform data into measurable production improvements – because production data is only valuable when it drives action. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in English, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in German.

In addition, our partners will present the following topics:

• Breakout Session by ctrl-s: Print-on-Demand and Book-of-One become cost-effective when even single-copy orders, in very large volumes, can be processed quickly, reliably, and with minimal staff through digital production. Prinect and Symphony provide an end-to-end solution that intelligently consolidates orders into batches and efficiently coordinates material usage and production processes. symphony complements the Prinect environment for mass-customization products, complex warehousing and logistics processes, and the rule-based handling of exceptions. In this session, Martin Klein together with Matthias Heinz will demonstrate how no-code workflows transform existing Prinect investments into a powerful foundation for scalable on-demand business models. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in German, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in English.

• Breakout Session by Lunes Robotics: In this session, Andreas Reichert together with Enes Ciritci will demonstrate how a humanoid robot independently folds a cardboard box, inserts printed materials, and closes the box again. Experience for yourself the role that the robot’s control software plays. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in English, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in German.

• Breakout Session by hy consulting group: Twenty-five minutes on probation, then you be the judge. We take a single work step from everyday business and run it through live with agentic tools. You will see what speeds up, and you will see where it stalls: the data, the process clarity, and the judgment that has to stay with a human. Anne Schlösser shows how hy works this way internally and what follows from it for an industrial company getting started. Watch or join in. No technical background needed. A laptop is an advantage. Rounds 1 and 3 will be conducted in German, while Rounds 2 and 4 will be conducted in English.