Gallus’ hybrid playbook is building blocks for a future-proof pressroom

Thomas Schweizer opens with a quiet flex. Heidelberg, the parent company of Gallus, is celebrating 175 years in 2025, a number that resonates in an industry often shaken by consolidation and short cycles. “We are not just an equipment company. We are a printing company. We live the industry,” he says.

But legacy, he insists, is not enough. “It is not about what we have done. It is about what we are becoming.” For Gallus, that future lies in modular, hybrid systems that respond to a shifting market, one that demands faster changeovers, reduced waste, and smart production at scale.

Schweizer acknowledges that the Indian market is complex, cost-sensitive and increasingly digital-first in mindset. But he urges converters not to chase technology for the sake of it. “The goal is not to automate everything. The goal is to automate what matters.”

He stresses the importance of building block thinking, a term he uses repeatedly. “Every printer is different. So why offer a one-size-fits-all press?” Instead, Gallus builds presses that are configurable, scalable and future-ready, allowing printers to buy only what they need and grow as they learn.

For him, success in India comes not from selling boxes, but from embedding these building blocks inside the converter’s evolving workflow. “We do not want to be just another machine on your floor,” he says. “We want to be the framework for your growth.”

Building blocks for better outcomes
Gallus’s secret sauce, as Schweizer puts it, is its building block concept. This modularity is more than mechanical flexibility. It is a philosophy that embraces unpredictability in client demands and future proofs converter operations. He says, “We combine whatever we want,” meaning flexo, inkjet, screen or embellishment units can be configured and reconfigured over time.

At Gallus, modularity is not just a mechanical configuration. It is a business strategy. Each press is designed with plug-and-play segments that can accommodate flexo, digital, screen or embellishment, depending on the user’s evolving needs. Schweizer describes a converter in Europe who begins with a hybrid press tailored for cosmetic labels, then adds two embellishment modules and a cold foil station after securing a new client. “That is the advantage. You do not invest for tomorrow on day one. You invest as tomorrow arrives,” he says.

In India, where converters often operate within narrow financial bandwidths, such a flexible approach makes the business case stronger. It removes the need for upfront overinvestment. Instead of locking into a single high-capacity configuration, converters can scale in phases, aligning investment with job flow and client commitments.

This staggered pathway also strengthens operational resilience. If a specific unit fails or is under maintenance, converters can isolate and swap modules without halting the entire line. In high-throughput environments where downtime can breach service-level agreements, this capability becomes a strategic advantage.

The Gallus One press exemplifies this mindset. With a mix of digital and conventional stations, it is purpose-built for short runs between 300 to 1,000 metres. Schweizer highlights its 1200 DPI inkjet quality, which competes directly with offset in premium cosmetic or boutique liquor labels.

He notes that retrofitting is a cornerstone of Gallus’s approach. Converters can add screen units, cold foil or embellishment modules as their job mix evolves. It removes the fear of obsolescence and keeps capital expenditure in check.

Gallus Labelmaster offers widths from 340 to 570 mm, which is ideal for flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, and wrap-around applications. It is built for converters who want to diversify into FMCG packaging without needing an entirely new press line.

The Gallus RCS platform, one of Gallus’s high-spec lines, is designed for complex label applications. By integrating flexo, offset and hot foil with eleven servo drives, it ensures pinpoint registration for multi-pass jobs. 
Schweizer says this versatility is key for converters seeking to enter high-margin niches like wine and spirits.

Hybrid printing emerges as a pragmatic solution in India’s cost-sensitive landscape. Schweizer explains that gradients can be rendered digitally while white ink is handled by flexo, slashing digital ink usage. With flexo plates priced between INR 1,000 to 2,000, the blended approach delivers economy without compromising quality.

Schweizer is also bullish on substrate flexibility. From 12-micron films to 300 GSM stocks, Gallus presses handle the spectrum. This enables converters to take on a broader range of work and pivot quickly as client specs evolve.

All told, modularity is not a luxury but a necessity in a market as dynamic and fragmented as India. Schweizer frames it as a way to mitigate risk while enabling growth.

Automation simplifies pressroom
Automation is more than just a buzzword for Gallus. Schweizer leans into this with the conviction that simplicity drives scale. He says, “It feels like working with a smartphone,” referring to the user interface of Gallus’s Prinect software. 
By reducing cognitive load, it allows less experienced operators to manage sophisticated hybrid presses with confidence.

Prinect synchronises digital and flexo modules into a single operating environment. Schweizer points out that this unification ensures colour consistency across technologies and speeds up makeready. In a market where run lengths are shrinking and client expectations are escalating, time saved equals profit gained.

Vision systems embedded in the press ensure tight registration even for multilayer or pharmaceutical labels. Schweizer highlights this as a way to reduce rework and material waste. He estimates up to 20% of waste can be avoided with automation-driven precision.

Gallus’s Digital Front End (DFE) contributes to colour accuracy, a must-have for brand compliance. Schweizer states that LED values are calibrated for perfection, which is vital for converters working with multinational brands.

Automation also enables just-in-time production, which is now expected rather than optional. The ability to start and stop 300-metre runs without production lag aligns with India’s growing preference for zero-inventory supply chains.

Gallus MatteJet, a unique technology co-developed with GEW, allows switching from gloss to matte finish with a single button press. This eliminates the need for separate varnishing stations and simplifies premium label production.

The cumulative effect of these automation tools is a leaner, faster operation. Schweizer believes this could be a deciding factor in whether Indian converters thrive or merely survive in the next five years.

Total cost of ownership redefined
No conversation about press investment is complete without discussing cost. Schweizer cuts straight to the chase. Hybrid Gallus presses, he claims, offer 20 to 25 percent lower total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to conventional digital setups. The savings stem from reduced purge cycles, fewer plate changes, and predictable ink consumption.

The inkjet units are designed for efficiency. Since flexo handles opaque white, the most ink-heavy colour, inkjet is spared the load. This reduces not only material cost but also wear and tear on heads, extending maintenance intervals.

Schweizer calls out the Gallus ECS 340, which has a compact web path. This alone reduces setup waste by 20 percent. With run speeds of up to 150 metres per minute, the press combines velocity with thrift.

He emphasises the importance of flexibility in substrate handling. Whether it is printing on transparent films or silver foils, the press architecture supports it. Flexo lays down white before inkjet applies the top colours, preserving visual integrity while optimising cost.

The Gallus Labelfire system is pitched as a high-end solution that outperforms even offset for certain applications. It handles gradients and solids with ease, making it a solid choice for cosmetics or health products where visual precision is paramount.
Software plays a silent but powerful role in cost control. Prinect streamlines job setup, reducing the number of steps operators must perform. This cuts down labour hours and improves throughput.

By addressing both direct and indirect costs, Gallus builds a strong case for financial sustainability in print. Schweizer insists this is what today’s converter needs—high performance without high overheads.

Bridging the talent gap
Schweizer addresses the talent bottleneck. While technology advances, the pool of skilled operators, colour specialists and service engineers is thinning.

Gallus responds by redesigning user interfaces and investing in remote learning. New UI developments on Gallus One and Gallus Labelmaster are intuitive, icon-based and lower the learning curve.

Gallus partners with training institutes, and Heidelberg’s apprentice model in Europe may find parallels in India through industry associations and OEM-led academies.

Today’s workforce expects systems that communicate clearly. Gallus presses now integrate with mobile alerts, touchscreen tutorials and gamified uptime challenges. “Younger operators want systems that talk to them, not just machines that bark errors.”

Simplifying operations and training is about scalability, not just efficiency. “If your machine is too complex for new staff, your growth is capped.”

Future-ready means partnership, not product
Schweizer reframes Gallus as a partner in transformation. “Resilience in print will not come from any one technology, but from how that technology is deployed, upgraded and supported,” he says.

He urges converters to think in ecosystems, including automation, training, sustainability metrics and agile modularity. “We are not in the business of selling presses. We are in the business of enabling printers.”

Printers do not need to adopt every trend overnight. But they must build platforms that allow them to respond to change, to customise when needed and to grow without breaking the system. “If your press cannot keep up with your client, then you have already fallen behind.”