TORONTO—Heidelberg Canada has announced cuts to its Canadian operations. Reductions will span across the company and include closing the demonstration facility in Toronto, and scaling back the general administration, project management and marketing functions. The sales and service functions absorbed cuts to a lesser degree, said president Richard Armstrong. Cuts to the Canadian office will be offset by taking advantage of some of the resources offered within the America region. Armstrong did not reveal the exact number of the cuts beyond saying they were "substantial," but he did say that the staff complement will now be just under 200.

Armstrong also said that while the decision was based on the difficult economy to some extent, it also reflects the need to react to an industry that is going through fundamental restructuring. "Equipment is becoming more productive," he said. "The number of printed sheets is not growing and there will be fewer machines sold in future. We need to prepare ourselves for that."

One area where Heidelberg plans to increase its focus and investment is in its consumables business, the Saphira line of inks and more recently press rollers. Another is packaging, and Armstrong said he expects to see some continued success with the VLF press models and finishing equipment.