HEIDELBERG Acquires manroland’s Sales & Service Biz
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) has announced its plans to integrate the lifecycle business and global sales and service subsidiaries of manroland sheetfed Group. The transaction is designed to create a larger entity within the printing and packaging industry. During the initial phase, operations will focus on maintaining the service and spare parts offerings for existing manroland systems.
Following the integration, a service and lifecycle portfolio is expected to become available, supported by specialists for customer service. The acquisition aims to establish a full-service provider model for the combined customer base.
“With this transaction, we are ensuring that the acquired manroland business can continue to operate reliably. The combination of manroland sheetfed’s service and spare parts business and its sales subsidiaries with HEIDELBERG strengthens our global role as a systems integrator and enables us to seamlessly ensure the supply of manroland users worldwide. Together with our strong service and logistics network, we offer our customers a global range of service and spare parts,” says HEIDELBERG CEO Jürgen Otto.
“The agreement with HEIDELBERG ensures continuity in service and spare parts supply while integrating the business into a global organisation that has the necessary scale and infrastructure to support manroland users over the long term,” says Anthony Langley, Chairman and CEO of Langley Holdings plc.
Acquisition Bolsters HEIDELBERG’s International Structure
As part of the transaction, HEIDELBERG will acquire manroland sheetfed’s service and spare parts business through market organisations in approximately 35 countries with around 600 employees. Additionally, HEIDELBERG will also acquire the technology and intellectual property (IP) related to service and spare parts, as well as selected assets—including for the Roland 900 / Cartonmaster in the large format sheetfed offset segment. The company is currently evaluating options for the production and further development of these systems.
The integration further bolsters HEIDELBERG’s international sales and service network, which will continue to serve over 3,000 manroland users worldwide, while expanding direct customer access.
Opportunities for Systematic Business Expansion
By combining the customer bases, HEIDELBERG gains direct access to print shops with manroland sheetfed presses and assists them in continuing to operate their systems. Under this arrangement, HEIDELBERG is immediately taking over service and spare parts supply operations globally, fully integrating these customers into its worldwide service network. Local contact points for existing manroland customers are expected to remain largely unchanged.
The integration into the HEIDELBERG infrastructure provides manroland users with access to advanced technology, standardised service processes, and technical support in over 170 countries. For customers considering a technology change, HEIDELBERG also offers options to upgrade to its latest Speedmaster systems. The company has established a framework to facilitate these technical improvements and efficiency gains, which is complemented by an expanded range of lifecycle services—including consumables—tailored to the installed base.
The integrated end-to-end offering combines HEIDELBERG’s Prinect workflow software, post-press solutions, and data-driven services to enhance customer productivity, while simultaneously unlocking additional, sustainable revenue potential for HEIDELBERG.
Dr. David Schmedding, HEIDELBERG Chief Technology and Sales Officer, says, “This integration is the next logical step in implementing our strategy in our core business. With the acquisition of the global service and spare parts business for manroland presses, we are offering print shops a seamless transition in the operation of their systems. Customers benefit from a significantly more comprehensive range of services, a reliable supply of spare parts, and innovative solutions from a single source. This creates sustainable added value for our customers worldwide.”
