Press giant Heidelberg is taking its staffing levels down in the local Australia New Zealand business, with industry insiders and departing staff telling ProPrint that between 15 and 40 people may be on the way out.
ProPrint understands sales, service, admin and engineering departments are all seeing departures, as the country’s number one press sales business deals with a shrinking market and intense competition.
However Heidelberg managing director Richard Timson told ProPrint he could not confirm it, he says, “I cannot confirm the rumours. We are having a look at our business but we have not taken action. We are always going to review the business and cut costs.”
Proprint understands some staff have gone in the last two weeks, with more to come.
[Related: Heidelberg unveils B2 Speedmaster]
Before the latest batch of departures Heidelberg ANZ had some 105 employees located around the two countries. Pre-2008 the company had three times the number of current employees it currently has, and had showrooms in every capital city, they are now gone.
Since the onset of the GFC a decade ago the company has borne the brunt of a decimated local market, as it had a massive market share in Australia, it dominated the high-end long perfector market, as well as straight B2 and B1 presses
A huge drop in offset press orders since 2008 has forced Heidelberg ANZ to recalibrate its business, in ongoing process.
At the same time as the GFC and the internet hit competition has intensified. In the growing packaging space Heidelberg claims 30 per cent market share, with KBA and manroland also claiming major market shares., Ryobi – now part of the Cyber agency – is winning an increasing number of B2 and A1 press orders, and Komori also big in B2 and B1, particularly with its H-UV presses. The A3 offset market which Heidelberg completely dominated is no more, with the digital printers taking over. Nonetheless Richard Timson claims Heidelberg has a 65 per cent share of the offset press, 95 per cent of the bindery market and 45 per cent of the CTP market.
Heidelberg has scored some big wins recently, including a huge offset press at Blue Star, and it has also recently taken orders for five new offset presses.
The company continues to launch new presses, the latest a Speedmaster CX 75, dubbed XL Lite, aimed at B2 printers who want a compact press without all the bells and whistles of the XL 75.
All the leading offset press manufacturers have been through the mill since the GFC, with manroland going broke and being split in two, Ryobi and Mitsubishi merging, and KBA rapidly downsizing.
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