Heidelberg  appointments  drupa 
The run-up to one of the most labour-intensive product shows in the world has started, as Heidelberg begins its construction preparations for drupa. Heidelberg will be exhibiting a range of innovative solutions for the print media industry at its 7,800 sg m booth. But in the meantime, the enormous freight vehicles coming and going mean there will never be a dull moment in and around Düsseldorf over the next few weeks.

Heidelberg will be presenting 50 machines with lengths of up to 30m on an area which is almost the same size as a soccer field. Till then, technical manager of Heidelberg’s trade show presence Franz Haaf will have his work cut out: "First of all, we have to make sure the appropriate infrastructure is in place", says Haaf.

"This includes laying electrical, network and telephone cables along with cooling water pipes, water supply points and compressed air supply lines. And only when this preparatory work has been completed will we be installing and integrating the Heidelberg machines in Düsseldorf.

"This will begin in mid-March and will require assistance from over 100 qualified technicians from a total of ten different sites".

In addition to assembling the machines, the booth also has to be constructed. Almost 2,500 spotlights, 350 computers and 18km of electrical cable are ready and waiting to be put in place. Everything should be built by the beginning of April, which is when Heidelberg wants to begin configuring and testing its machines on site. Up to then, however, Haaf and his team expect to have their hands full.

Haaf and his technicians have to set up 50 machines in halls 1 and 2. "Some machines can only be assembled using heavy lift cranes which, given the limited space, should prove to be quite a challenge for us", explains Haaf.

The M 600 web offset press alone highlights the enormity of this challenge. The press, which can print up to 70,000 copies per hour in top quality, was recently dismantled at Heidelberg’s Montataire plant in France. It will be the largest press that Heidelberg will present to the 400,000 or so visitors expected at its booth in May. Haaf requires an area of 600m2 just to uncrate this press.

"We need so much space so that we can lay out all the large, heavy individual parts in an orderly fashion before we begin assembling it. For example, the four double printing units each weigh 12t and the printing towers stand up to 2.5m tall". So it comes as no surprise that Haaf is allowing 20 days to erect the 110-ton M 600 press.

And assembling the Speedmaster SM 102-10 sheetfed offset press with Cutstar will keep Haaf’s team busy for at least two weeks. The press measures almost 22mlong in the drupa specification and, including peripherals, more than five meters wide. A total of six freight trucks will be required just to transport the Speedmaster, which was dismantled at the Wiesloch plant in recent weeks.

Heidelberg’s international sites have been heavily involved in preparations for drupa 2004 - dismantling machines, preparing them for dispatch and organizing delivery are all tasks that have to be carried out so that exhibits can be presented at drupa.

The PCF3 folder, standing at a height of 6m, is even being shipped from overseas, along with various other machines. Several dozen freight carriers will transport these printing presses by sea and road to the trade show halls on the banks of the Rhine. So there will certainly be a lot of activity in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area over the coming weeks.

Logistics of Heidelberg’s drupa booth construction

General info:
- over 300 deliveries each weighing at least 3.5t
- more than 120 40t freight vehicles will be used
- 15 heavy lift cranes, each weighing between 35 and 100t

Installations and booth construction:
- 7,800 sq m exhibition space with over 50 exhibits
- 325t of material for the booth: wood, steel, attachments, paint
- 8MW of power required for the trade show booth assuming all the machines are running at the same time (equivalent to the electrical consumption of 2,000 households in a year)
- total power requirement of 750KW for cooling exhibits
- 18km of electric cable
- 70km of data lines/power cables
- 300m of piping to carry cooling water for the exhibits
- 300m of compressed air lines for the exhibits
- 3.5km of high-pressure hoses for air humidifiers
- 40m of gas pipes for the M 600

Lighting:
- 2,490 spotlights
- total weight of 60t (300 spotlight nodes on the ceiling)

Sound:
- 120 speakers

Visual:
- 70 plasma screens
- 30 cameras