Eric Braun ¡ Offset Printing Operator ¡ ...
At the HEIDELBERG SHIFT event in Wiesloch, it is easy to focus on strategy, AI, software, and the people presenting on stage. But without the operators, there is no production â at least not yet.
We met Eric, one of the HEIDELBERG operators working with a highly configured packaging press equipped with cold foil, double coating, and additional printing units for special applications. It is exactly the kind of machine that demonstrates why the discussion about fully autonomous production is more nuanced than simply removing people from the process.
For standardized work, such as four-color web-to-print production, automation can already take over more and more. But when applications become complex, when special effects, coatings, cold foil, UV, and demanding packaging jobs enter the equation, experience still matters. Eric explains that skilled operators are essential when something unexpected happens and when production requires more than simply following a predefined sequence.
We also talk about how packaging applications are changing. Instead of traditional double-coater configurations, HEIDELBERG increasingly sees customers using a coating unit followed by a printing unit to create highly detailed special effects. Full UV production opens possibilities for premium applications such as cosmetics, luxury packaging, and high-end beverage boxes, where finishing quality is a critical part of the product itself.
Eric has worked with HEIDELBERG since beginning his apprenticeship in 2004 and is now part of both production demonstrations and development work. For him, the combination is important. Inside the Home of Print, he works with the latest technology and even solutions that have not yet reached the market, while field experience brings him into contact with machines running under real production conditions â sometimes at extremely high utilization.
That combination of R&D and practical experience is also what makes customer demonstrations so demanding. Open houses may feel like a show, but when a customer arrives with their own jobs and is considering an investment worth millions of euros, every detail matters. The pressure increases, the customer looks at everything, and the operator has to prove that the technology works in reality.
And perhaps that is the most interesting part of Ericâs story. Technology continues to advance, automation becomes more capable, and AI will take over more tasks â but knowledge, experience, confidence, and even a little humor still matter when the machine has to deliver.