Together with its partner and major shareholder Masterwork, Heidelberg has established the joint venture HeiMaster. With the largest manufacturer of hot foil stamping and embossing machines in China, the German manufacturer aims to strengthen its position in the booming Chinese market.
HeiMaster, in which Heidelberg has a 40% stake and Masterwork 60%, will produce some of the machine parts previously manufactured by Heidelberg. Its main customers will be Heidelberg Graphics Equipment (Shanghai), the Group's local company in China, Masterwork and its affiliated companies. Production is expected to start at Masterwork's new site in Tianjin at the beginning of next year. HeiMaster may also be a subcontractor for other customers outside the joint venture partners' groups in the coming years.
"With a sales volume of around 300 million euros, China is Heidelberg's most important domestic market for graphic arts, explains Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberg, which employs 11?300 people. We have gradually strengthened our position in this market by expanding our product range at our site near Shanghai. Increasing the supply of locally manufactured parts will significantly increase our competitiveness in this growing market."
The Heidelberg plant near Shanghai, which went into production in 2006, manufactures Speedmaster offset presses for the mainly Asian market. The group employs around 900 people in the country, almost half of whom work in sales and service.
"Through this cooperation, the joint venture will introduce the most advanced management, production and manufacturing technologies, all based on Industry 4.0, says Li Li, the president of Masterwork. In addition, various processing centers of the world's most advanced level will be commissioned in the joint venture to ensure the best performance and maintain the same quality standards as Heidelberg."
With this partnership, Heidelberg, whose Masterwork became a shareholder in 2019 also wants to considerably expand its position in the packaging printing market.
