Two decades ago, HEIDELBERG made a bold statement when it broke ground for its own production site in China. This was the beginning of a success story that has developed into a cornerstone of the entire company.
The 2024/25 financial year set a record, with around 1,500 printing units assembled, an export quota of 40%, and deliveries to 70 countries. To date, a total of over 16,000 printing and coating units and almost 3,300 printing presses have been delivered from the Shanghai plant. The site makes a significant contribution to the market position of the company in China and gives a real competitive advantage.
The HEIDELBERG Shanghai site now covers an area of around 100,000 sqm, 70,000 sqm of which is production space spread across three assembly shops.
What began in 2005 with the assembly of simple folding machines for print finishing has now become one of the most important production sites in the global Heidelberg network as a result of the dynamic growth of the Chinese printing industry. The Shanghai site covers an area of around 100,000 sqm, including 70,000 sqm of production space spread across three assembly shops. Today, the site employs around 600 people, who mainly produce printing units for the medium and large formats of the Speedmaster CX 92, SX 102, and CX 104 models.
With the opening of the Print Media Center at the Shanghai site in 2015, it has also developed into a center of excellence and a point of contact for customers from the Asia-Pacific region. Here, they can watch the machines in action, receive training, and see the site’s capabilities for themselves.
“Our Shanghai plant is particularly representative of the growth strategy of Heidelberg for its core business and underscores our strong market position in China. It shows how local production, technological excellence, and international cooperation lead to global success. We will continue on this path – with innovation, a strong customer focus, and local responsibility for implementation,” said Jürgen Otto, CEO.
Michael Nilges, head of the Shanghai site, added, “The success story of the Shanghai site is closely linked to the commitment of its employees. The culture is performance-oriented and pragmatic, with a family-like cohesion. The cooperation between German and Chinese teams is living proof of our company’s intercultural strength.”
The Chinese printing market is a growth driver of global relevance for HEIDELBERG and also the largest single market for printing presses worldwide. Initially, machines in standard configurations were manufactured at the Shanghai site, primarily for the Chinese market. However, rising demand and the plant’s growing experience resulted in the site also playing an increasingly important role for more complex models and international markets.
In China itself, packaging printing is developing particularly dynamically. Packaging and labels account for almost 50% of the Chinese printing industry, and the market for folding cartons is growing particularly by around 3% annually. Some 75% of Heidelberg customers in China come from the packaging segment, and the company has a market share of around 50% in the Chinese market for modern sheetfed offset systems. Speedmaster XL technology manufactured in Germany is helping to meet this demand.
