Eyeing a €3bn ($4.77bn) sales target by 2020, up from the current €2.5bn, Heidelberg conitnues to look further away from its heavy metal base to the digital world for its future revenue.
The world’s number one offset press manufacturer says it has managed a successful turnaround since the dark days post GFC, where it needed bailing bailed out by state and federal governments following the collapse in press sales, with a return to sustained profitability.
Rainer Hundsdörfer, chief executive at Heidelberg, presented the company’s digital strategy at its annual general meerting, outlining future direction for Heidelberg with a strategic focus on technology leadership, digital transformation, and operational excellence.
The company has set its sights on a further significant improvement in profitability. Heidelberg says its digital strategy received endorsement when Investors converted 95 percent of a €60m ($95m) mature convertible bond into company shares at the end of June, taking down debt and interest costs.
Former chief executive Gerold Linzbach initiated Heidleberg’s turnaround strategy with a focus on digital, partnerships and new market opportunities. Sill the market leader in offset presses, the company never the less manufacturs far fewer presses than in the pre-GFC era. Among his initiatives, Linzbach began a partnership with Fujifilm inkjet, which has resulted in what looks like the world’s first B1 sheetfed inkjet press, the Primefire 106, currently in beta testing.
