Heidelberg acquires Manroland Sheetfed service and spare parts business

Langley Holdings – who acquired Manroland’s Sheetfed press operation out of German insolvency proceedings in 2012 when the Manroland web offset and sheetfed litho business was first broken up – has now reached an agreement with Heidelberg for the sale of significant parts of the Manroland Sheetfed business, including its global service and spare parts offering.

As part of the planned transaction, which sees Heidelberg take on some 600 staff across market organisations in around 35 countries, Heidelberg will also acquire related intellectual property, including for the Roland 900/Cartonmaster large-format press.

Jürgen Otto, CEO of Heidelberg, says: “With this transaction, we are ensuring that the acquired Manroland business can continue to operate reliably. The combination of Manroland Sheetfed’s service and spare parts business and its sales subsidiaries, now with Heidelberg support, both strengthens Heidelberg’s global role as a systems integrator and enables us to seamlessly ensure long-term continuity for more than 3,000 Manroland Sheetfed users worldwide”

Mounting losses in recent years resulted in Manroland Sheetfed entering insolvency proceedings in March. A spokesperson from Langley Holdings adds: “Since acquiring Manroland Sheetfed in 2012, Langley has supported the business through a hugely challenging period for the global printing press industry. This agreement with Heidelberg now ensures continuity of service and spare parts support, while placing the company within a global organisation with the scale and infrastructure to support Manroland users over the long term.”

Heidelberg is committed to fully integrating all existing Manroland customers into its global service network, as well as offering the option to upgrade to Heidelberg’s latest Speedmaster systems, for any customers considering a technology change.

The transaction remains subject to the usual approvals and conditions precedent and when finalised, integration will be planned and rolled out on a country by country basis, with Manroland Sheetfed customers continuing to be supported by their local contacts.

No viable future solution has yet been found for the Manroland press manufacturing operations at its Offenbach facility in Germany, and the company has recently stated that production is being wound down there as part of a time-limited run-out phase. Heidelberg has, however, confirmed that it is currently evaluating options for the production and further development of the Roland 900/Cartonmaster large-format press.

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