Heidelberg is expanding its scope of operations, but that doesn't mean it's turning its back on the printing industry. The German manufacturer is strengthening its presence in the graphic arts industry with the acquisition of Manroland Sheetfed and Polar, while also expanding into two sectors far removed from printing presses: energy storage and defense. This expansion is proceeding in tandem with its traditional business, which remains its core operation.
By acquiring Manroland Sheetfed?s service operations, its global sales and after-sales service structures, and all of Polar?s postpress operations, Heidelberg is expanding a business that is less dependent on sales of new presses: services, consumables, and spare parts generate recurring revenue from the installed base. This point is confirmed by David Schmedding, Head of Technology and Sales at Heidelberg: "We can increase the proportion of recurring sales and better balance our new equipment business, which tends to be dependent on economic conditions."
Heidelberg is taking back the Roland 900, for which a preliminary agreement has already been signed
The resumption of Manroland Sheetfed's operations also holds a surprise in store when it comes to printing presses. Heidelberg is acquiring the intellectual property rights to the Roland 900/Cartonmaster, which is designed for large-format sheetfed offset printing, particularly for printing on cardboard.
And the German manufacturer doesn't just intend to retain these rights. The first press has already been sold. Heidelberg is exploring options for continuing production and development at a lower-cost location.
From Batteries to Drones
At the same time, Heidelberg is seeking new opportunities for its industrial capacity. Its subsidiary, HD Advanced Technologies, is collaborating with the Swiss company Phenogy on energy storage using sodium-ion batteries.
Initially, HD Advanced Technologies will be responsible for the industrial manufacturing of complete systems for Phenogy, from component procurement through installation, service, and maintenance. The two partners are also preparing to establish a joint venture to develop and produce sodium-ion cells. Heidelberg is contributing a specific printing process to this project.
The second area of diversification is more unexpected. Onberg, a joint venture created by HD Advanced Technologies and the American-Israeli technology company Ondas Autonomous Systems, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ukrainian drone developer Skyeton. The two partners are working on integrating Skyeton?s surveillance drones with an unmanned ground vehicle from Heidelberg. In July, Onberg also opened a demonstration site in Brandenburg dedicated to drone defense.
For now, however, Heidelberg has not provided any figures regarding the expected revenue from these two new businesses.
537 million euros in orders in the first quarter
This diversification comes as the 2026/2027 fiscal year (April 1 to June 30) got off to a start marked by 537 million euros in orders, compared with 559 million a year earlier. The end of an Italian investment aid program reduced orders from that country by more than 60 million euros. Growth in China and the rest of Asia partially offset this effect.
Revenue reached 404 million euros for the quarter (compared with 466 million euros previously). Revenue grew notably in China, the United Kingdom, and Brazil. The adjusted EBITDA margin fell from 4.4% to 0.2%.
The Digital Solutions & Lifecycle business segment, meanwhile, reported a roughly 5% increase in orders, with revenue remaining at the previous year?s level. This is an interesting development at a time when Heidelberg is expanding its services business through the acquisition of Manroland Sheetfed and Polar.
Heidelberg is maintaining its outlook for the full 2026/2027 fiscal year. The manufacturer expects revenue to remain stable compared with the previous fiscal year and anticipates an improvement in its adjusted EBITDA margin.
