Heidelberg has followed up the takeover of Manroland Sheetfed’s spares and service business with the acquisition of the elements of the Polar-Mohr business it did not already control.
Both targets were in administration and present both an opportunity and a challenge of Heidelberg. The opportunity comes from expansion of its business, particularly adding Manroland Sheetfed into its Lifecycle division through provision of consumables and ongoing service contracts as well as adhoc business.
The full absorption of Polar brings in handling equipment and a packaging arm, particularly for wet glue labels through ram punch systems that can be operated with full hands free automation.
Both present challenges too. Langley Holdings has already struck a deal with Siemens to occupy half the former Manroland Sheetfed factory in Offenbach. While press production has ceased, the plant has been engineering spares and other parts for its presses. At some point they will have to shift.
The same situation applies to Polar. Its Hoffheim site is separate from the deal and will be sold separately meaning that Heidelberg will need to shift production of guillotines and other finishing systems to another plant.
Hofheim lies between Frankfurt and Heidelberg while its Ludwigsburg site, which produces its finishing equipment, lies beyond Heidelberg and is closer to Stuttgart. Ludwigsburg produces Stahl folders and handling systems.
The acquisition consolidates what Heidelberg has already done with Polar. It has been the major sales channel for the finishing systems producers for almost 70 years, but had to forge a closer relationship after Polar was forced into administration in 2022. An outside investor company was found and in 2025, Heidelberg took control of the brand, sales and service leaving Polar as a manufacturing and development business working for Heidelberg and others customers outside print. But a second administration this year left Heidelberg in the position of having to secure the finishing systems supplier.
The opportunity now exists to accelerate integration into the Heidelberg eco system and strengthening its hands as a full systems provider for the packaging industry. Polar already has fully automated robotic systems for jogging, loading and running guillotines for commercial print, and for cutting square labels for glue applied products which can be banded and if necessary to load stacks of labels into a ram punch unit.
Details of the deal, which will be completed in stages, have not been made public. Heideberg CEO Jurgen Otto says: “With the complete acquisition of Polar, we are further expanding our leading role as a systems integrator. For our customers, reliability and performance are always the top priorities. Especially during a period of noticeable market changes, we are sending a clear signal to the market: Heidelberg stands for stability, quality, and long term partnership.”
