HEIDELBERG’s Growth & Transformation

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) has made full use of the financial year 2025/2026 to significantly accelerate its transformation into a more broadly based technology company, despite a challenging environment. 

Based on its strong industry and systems expertise, HEIDELBERG has adopted an approach centered on dual-use technologies to systematically tap into additional markets in the areas of defense, security, energy, charging infrastructure, and industrial system solutions. 

One key aspect of this strategy is combining all relevant activities under the umbrella of HD Advanced Technologies GmbH. In this way, HEIDELBERG is making itself more future-proof and laying the foundations for long-term attractive and profitable growth.

“In recent months, we have significantly accelerated the strategic development of HEIDELBERG and further raised our profile as a technology-oriented high-tech business,” says Jürgen Otto, CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. “We are one of the world’s top companies when it comes to complex, high-precision mechanical engineering. With HD Advanced Technologies and our focus on dual-use technologies, we are leveraging this expertise and capacity to create additional, attractive areas of business alongside our core business in printing and packaging. Thanks to our broad technology base, we are successfully establishing partnerships in attractive growth areas, including service and software. Our goal is clear – to position HEIDELBERG as a high-performance, high-tech company with sustainable growth in profitability.”

2025/2026 Financials

HEIDELBERG has held its own in a difficult environment, keeping its operational performance stable and even significantly improving its net result after taxes.

Sales in the reporting period were slightly up on the previous year’s figure of € 2,280 million at € 2,293 million. Sales adjusted for exchange rate movements amounted to around € 2,362 million. 

Sales increased in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and Americas regions. The positive trend for incoming orders in the final quarters of previous years continued. 

The figure of € 619 million for the fourth quarter was the highest during the reporting year and higher than in the previous year. Over the year, however, the current geopolitical tensions had an adverse effect on incoming orders, which totaled € 2,246 million (previous year: € 2,433 million). In the year under review, incoming orders were also affected by negative exchange rate effects amounting to some € 71 million.

During the reporting period, the HEIDELBERG Technology segment’s incoming orders and sales were both up on the previous year. EBITDA improved slightly compared with the previous year but remained negative. 

In the Print & Packaging Equipment segment, incoming orders fell in the financial year 2025/2026, but sales increased slightly. The adjusted EBITDA figure was down on the previous year. 

The Digital Solutions & Lifecycle segment recorded lower incoming orders than in the previous year, and sales fell slightly. The adjusted EBITDA figure for the financial year 2025/2026 was also slightly down on the previous year’s level.

Partnerships and Core Business

By systematically building up its defense business, HEIDELBERG has established a further new mainstay alongside its e-mobility subsidiary Amperfied. HEIDELBERG’s ONBERG, a joint venture with the US‑Israeli technology company Ondas that is focusing on autonomous anti-drone defense and security systems. 

HEIDELBERG is also continuously expanding its portfolio in the growth area of digital printing. One driver of this development is the digital print ramp-up in the inkjet market. HEIDELBERG has substantially extended its strategic postpress packaging partnership with the Chinese manufacturer Masterwork, moving beyond the previous sales and distribution collaboration. 

At the same time, HEIDELBERG is pressing ahead with the technological development of its core business portfolio and systematically expanding its activities in growth regions such as Latin America, Vietnam, and India. 

In addition to this, focused strategic M&A measures such as acquiring the brand rights of Polar are further strengthening the portfolio.