Heidelberg is marking its 175th anniversary with a week of celebrations at its Wiesloch-Walldorf site in Germany. The kick-off event was attended by over 1500 guests from around the world. The centrepiece of the milestone is the unveiling of the newly redesigned Print Media Centre (PMC), renamed as the “Home of Print”.

Described by the company as the largest customer experience centre in the global print industry, the PMC has been refurbished to align with Heidelberg’s growth strategy across packaging and commercial printing. The facility demonstrates the company’s end-to-end solutions, featuring live production systems created in partnership with firms such as Polar and MK Masterwork.

“Our Home of Print reflects our growth strategy for our core business, which showcases Heidelberg as a collaborative total solution provider and end-to-end systems integrator for packaging and commercial printing,” said Dr. David Schmedding, chief technology and sales officer at Heidelberg. “This is unique in the industry,” he added.

Technologies on display include folding carton production with the Speedmaster series, flexographic web printing via the Boardmaster system, and offset, digital, and flexo options for label and commercial applications. These are all integrated within Heidelberg’s Prinect software ecosystem, which links equipment, consumables, robotics, and services.

New product launches timed to coincide with the anniversary include the Cartonmaster CX 145 press for very large format (VLF) packaging, aimed at high-volume folding carton production. Also on display is the Mastermatrix CSB 106 die cutter, operating at speeds up to 9000 sheets per hour. Both machines are fully integrated with Prinect.

The company has also expanded its industrial digital print offering, extending its Jetfire 50 ecosystem with postpress solutions from C.P. Bourg and Tecnau. These enhancements allow for a broader range of inline and nearline finishing capabilities.

Each year, the 9000sqm venue hosts approximately 1000 bespoke demonstrations, allowing customers to test equipment using their own files. Around 120 Heidelberg experts support these sessions, which are supplemented by open house events, guided tours and technical training. The company also maintains demonstration centres in the USA, China, Japan, Indonesia and Switzerland.

Bertram Kawlath, president of the VDMA Association, representing the mechanical engineering industry, said: “175 years of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen stand for outstanding innovative strength and unparalleled customer focus .This success story impressively demonstrates how mechanical engineering companies from Germany and Europe set standards worldwide.”