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Heidelberg acquires postpress specialist MBO Group

October 12, 2018  By PrintAction Staff



Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is taking over MBO Group in a bid to further expand its offerings in postpress operations for digitally printed products.

The move, the company explains, is another step in the company’s continuing growth in the digital and packaging segments and will help Heidelberg gain new customers in the pharmaceutical industry and add mailing system offerings to its offset portfolio.

The acquired operations account for a sales volume of around €50 million and will see Heidelberg expand its postpress offerings. The acquisition involves, among other things, taking over the sites in Oppenweiler and Bielefeld, Germany, and the production site in Perifita, Portugal, which employ a total of approximately 450 staff.

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“The planned takeover of the MBO Group enables us to attain further sustainable and profitable growth by leveraging new technologies and customer segments,” said Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO of Heidelberg. “By acquiring MBO’s digital portfolio, we are closing a gap for our customers and helping them achieve a smooth industrial process in the digital future. We also expect to see synergies in our own value added chain, which will bring about tangible benefits for customers, too.”

Subject to the agreement of the antitrust authorities, the takeover is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

“Even when postpress operations are running efficiently, there is still huge potential for boosting productivity throughout the entire print shop,” says Stephan Plenz, Member of the Management Board responsible for Digital Technology. “The takeover is another important step in offering our customers a comprehensive portfolio that generates value and covers everything from technology and consumables right through to service.”

The companies explain that MBO’s technology will complement the Heidelberg product range well, saying the acquisition will help optimize the portfolio and supply chain, while leveraging the MBO dealer and service network will also result in mutual benefits. Overall, the acquisition is set to create a better basis for unlocking shared potential for future-focused developments that are geared toward market demands.

“The aim is to increase productivity and decrease costs by achieving maximum efficiency across all print shop processes. The Heidelberg Push to Stop concept and the company’s industrial digital print portfolio for the packaging market, which includes the Labelfire and Primefire product ranges, is driving forward digitalization. In this regard, integrated postpress solutions are playing an increasingly important role when it comes to optimizing the end-to-end process,” explains Heidelberg.


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