Press manufacturer Heidelberg has invested $71m into a new printing research and innovation hub located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

On its completion in 2018, Heidelberg says it will house some 1000 working spaces in ‘the world’s most state-of-the-art research facility for the printing industry’.

Despite a difficult print economy, Heidelberg says it has never cut its research budget, instead choosing to invest more into innovative print products and services.

The centre was officially launched in a meeting between new Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer and Theresia Bauer, minister for science, research and the arts for the state of Baden-Württemberg.

“Building a development centre of this size and quality proves that Heidelberg bases its decisions on a long-term strategy and makes the future worth looking forward to,” says Bauer.

The press giant says the research facility will study and develop applications of the future such as digital 4D printing, as well as traditional offset and digital production. Heidelberg now has some 250 software specialists and has started to employ chemists to develop its environmentally friendly inks.

“The example of Heidelberg is demonstrating that even a large company can reinvent itself,” adds Bauer. 

Heidelberg Board member Stephan Plenz says the $71m investment is part and parcel of Heidelberg’s streamlined operations and future strategy.

“Combining development, service, and production at a single location close to the customer will make us even faster and more efficient in the future,” says Plenz.

The investment announcement comes shortly after Heidelberg posted its turnaround second quarter results. The press supplier’s operating earnings climbed by €11m with an order backlog of €765m from drupa. 

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