Heidelberg is ready to build for its fanbase 

Heidelberg’s presence at Drupa was reckoned as one of the most impressive at the show. Visitors seemed to think so with 130,000 of the 170,000 people passing through the doors at the Dusseldorf Messe also clocking in on the Heidelberg stand. The company retains its appeal, or as incoming CEO Jürgen Otto put it at the AGM, it has “fans”. The CEO himself is close to fandom. He certainly admits his admiration for the business, something reinforced by early impressions of the people in the business. His task is to harness that asset and to deliver the growth in the share price and sales that have proved elusive for a succession of CEOs.

There will be tough measures: a salary cut to bring labour costs in line with industry standards, a drive for efficiency to match the methods common to the auto industry where Otto has earned his reputation as a turnaround specialist. But there is also a destination to inspire the 9,600 people associated with Heidelberg and the fans that aspire to being able to buy the presses. This is a world in which AI and robotics replace people, initially on the difficult to staff night shift, and will also sort production conundrums over the choice of press and production path.

This is the vision that for all the hoopla at Drupa, the 21,000 sheets per hour technology, the robot arms to load pallets and the partnership with Canon, was missing from the show. The timing prevented Otto taking the stand to deliver the inspiration that will have been explained internally because the predecessor was still in post. That impediment is no longer in the way. This is Otto’s chance to put his stamp on Heidelberg’s future. To do that, the words to the company’s shareholders need to become reality.