Based in Heidelberg, Germany, with development and production sites in seven countries and around 250 sales offices across the globe, the company supports around 200,000 customers worldwide. All Heidelberg presses destined for the world market are manufactured at the Wiesloch-Walldorf site in line with strict quality standards. Standardized presses in all standard format classes and folding machines for the Chinese market are produced by Heidelberg in Qingpu near Shanghai. Sample a brief history of the most prominent name in the field of offset printing:
1850
Andreas Hamm establishes a bell foundry and machine factory in Frankenthal
1896
Company headquarters are moved to Heidelberg
1905
Company’s name is changed to “Schnellpressenfabrik AG Heidelberg”
1914
“Heidelberger Tiegel” is introduced at BUGRA in Leipzig
1962
Heidelberg makes the leap from letterpress to offset printing
1967
Company name is changed to “Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft”
1974
The four-color machine Speedmaster 72 V in the 52×72 centimeter format is introduced
1975
World premiere of the two-color Speedmaster 102 ZP in the 72×102 centimeter format
1988
Company acquires the Harris Graphics Corporation (USA and France)
1995
The Quickmaster DI and the small-format Speedmaster SM 52 are introduced at drupa in Düsseldorf
1996
Company acquires Stork Contiweb (the Netherlands), Sheridan Systems (USA and UK) und Linotype-Hell (Germany)
1997
Initial public offering of Heidelberg shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
1998
Takeover of regional offices in Europe (France), Latin America (Mexiko), Asia, Africa and Scandinavia, opening of Heidelberg office in Brazil; Heidelberg stocks are listed in MDAX, Dow Jones STOXX und Dow Jones EURO STOXX
2000
150-year anniversary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG; inauguration of Print Media Academy in Heidelberg; record orders worth 1.5 billion Euro at drupa
2002
Heidelberg ships the 100,000th GTO 52 printing unit; company’s position in the finishing market is strengthened
2003
Heidelberg product portfolio of finishing machines is extended by partial acquisition of Jagenberg Group; development of digital print falls short of expectations – Heidelberg decides to realign its strategic focus to sheetfed offset printing
2004
100 Years of Offset Printing; transfer of the Digital Division to Eastman Kodak Co. and the Web Offset Division to Goss International; free float increases from 22 to 57 percent; Heidelberg very pleased with drupa, the total order amounts to roughly one billion Euro; change: Dr. Klaus Spiegel resigns from the Management Board, Dr. Jürgen Rautert becomes a new Board Member
2005
The Management Board and staff representatives come to an understanding on a pact to secure the future; Heidelberg is the first German equipment supplier to the Print Media Industry to establish an assembly plant in China; Commerzbank AG sells its 10 percent shareholding, Heidelberg’s free float increases to 67; Management Board approves share buyback in an amount equivalent of up to five percent of share capital; Heidelberg announces the expansion of the existing product portfolio into a larger-format category, Introduction will be at drupa 2008.
2006
Heidelberg establishes a Contractual Trust Arrangement for pension obligations; The 1,000th unit of a Speedmaster XL 105 was manufactured at the Wiesloch plant; Heidelberg invests in Wiesloch site: building of a new assembly hall for the production of the large format machines; Disposal of Linotype GmbH; Change in Management Board: following Dr. Herbert Meyer, who left the company at the age of 60, Dirk Kaliebe becomes new CFO; Introduction of the new site in China; Management Board again approves a share buyback in an amount equivalent of up to five percent of share capital.
2007
Due to the 50th anniversary of the plant in Wiesloch it was renamed into plant “Wiesloch-Walldorf”; Delivery of the 1,000,000th Impression Cylinder from Amstetten.
