Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

What they do

HEIDELBERG builds printing presses and the software that runs print shops. Its core business is sheetfed offset printing, used for commercial print, labels and, increasingly, folding cartons and other packaging. It also sells digital and inkjet presses, postpress equipment and the Prinect workflow suite that connects prepress, printing and finishing.

The company marked 175 years in 2025. Its registered office is in Heidelberg, while its main factory, research and administration are at the Wiesloch-Walldorf site about 15 kilometres to the south. Its shares trade on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Why it matters

Printing has changed sharply as publishing moved online, but packaging has grown with e-commerce and branded consumer goods. HEIDELBERG has shifted its focus towards packaging and label printing, as well as towards automation that lets fewer operators run more jobs.

The company has also used its manufacturing base to diversify. Wiesloch-Walldorf produces wallboxes for charging electric vehicles under the Amperfied brand, an example of a traditional machine builder applying its electronics and production know-how to new markets.

Products to know

• Speedmaster: the long-running series of sheetfed offset presses.
• Versafire: digital printing systems for short runs and personalisation.
• Prinect: workflow software linking the stages of print production.
• Boardmaster: a flexo press for packaging, launched in 2023.
• Amperfied: wallboxes for electric vehicle charging.

The German angle

HEIDELBERG embodies the Rhine-Neckar region's industrial tradition. Germany has long been strong in printing machinery, from Gutenberg onwards, and the company carries that heritage into an age of digital workflows.

The Wiesloch-Walldorf site, close to the software group SAP, is where the firm develops and assembles its presses and trains technicians and apprentices. Like many German machine builders, it relies on a service network that keeps machines running for decades, which helps explain why its presses remain common in print shops worldwide.