Heidelberg Increases Exports from Chinese Production Operations
06 April 2021: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for printing systems, particularly in the Asian core markets, is nearing pre-crisis levels again. The same applies to the production volumes of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) at its site in Shanghai. Accordingly, the company has also progressively increased exports of its printing presses manufactured in China. Since being established in 2005, launching the assembly of postpress systems, and subsequently taking up the production of standard small-format printing presses for the Chinese market, the site now employs some 450 staff and manufactures printing presses for commercial and packaging printing across all standard format classes.
Customers in more than 40 countries trust Heidelberg quality from China
The company is now exporting machinery from its site in Shanghai to more than 40 countries. The main customers besides China are other Asian markets such as Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and the Philippines. However, the number of Chinese-manufactured machines being exported to Europe – predominantly standard printing presses – is also increasing. For example, Chinese-made presses have been installed in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. In south and central America, countries such as Mexico and Brazil have been placing orders. As a result, the export rate from China is currently at 19% and rising.
“Our production at the Chinese site in Shanghai is a success story, not just in terms of the Chinese market, but also and increasingly with regard to the rest of the world,” states Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer. “Already, around one third of all the Heidelberg printing units being manufactured are coming from this plant. Following the rapid economic recovery of the Asian markets from the coronavirus pandemic, our local production operations have proven to be a strategic advantage in overcoming the crisis. As a consequence, we are increasingly able to realize growth opportunities in these regions.”
