Around 700 shareholders attended the annual general meeting of Heidelberg for tye financial year 2023/2024 at the Congress Center Rosengarten in Mannheim on 25 July. Just under 27.5% of Heidelberg’s share capital was represented at the event. The management board explained the company’s strategic direction, the balance sheet figures for the past financial year (1 April 2023, to 31 March 2024) and the future outlook to the shareholders.
At his first AGM for the company, CEO Jürgen Otto emphasized, “I am convinced that we can and will create a good and successful future for Heidelberg.” One reason for this is the stable financial position that Heidelberg has achieved at the end of the 2023-2024 financial year. The company has generated a net profit for the third year in a row. In addition, Heidelberg is a global technology pioneer for the printing industry and a total solution provider for all modern printing processes. This offer led to the best order intake in recent years at the drupa trade fair at the start of the new 2024/2025 financial year. Jürgen Otto also emphasized the expertise within the company, which must be maintained as a strength.
Focus on growth
The company is working flat out on a growth strategy in order to continue to counteract rising costs in the future. “H Heidelberg must grow again in the future – especially in terms of turnover,” said Jürgen Otto. “We need to maintain a high level of cost discipline, particularly with regard to personnel costs.”
Heidelberg sees one lever for more sales growth in its strong international position in around 170 countries worldwide with the largest global sales and service network in the printing industry. This internationalization is to be used and expanded to an even greater extent, particularly in growth markets such as Asia, the USA and emerging countries. However, potential collaborations are also currently being examined, with which the global sales and service network could be used to open up new sectors.
The second focus of the growth strategy is on expanding the value chain with a focus on digital and packaging printing. The cooperation with Canon for the growing industrial inkjet printing segment presented at drupa and the further development of the Boardmaster system for the flexible paper packaging segment underline this approach.
The third focus is on Heidelberg‘s industrial business to open up new markets. To this end, the company is examining which skills, expertise and resources can also be used outside the printing industry, particularly for high-precision mechanical engineering, the automotive industry or the energy sector.
AGM elects three shareholder representatives to the supervisory board.
The company’s shareholders had to vote on nine of the 10 items on the agenda at the AGM, including the election of three of the six shareholder representatives on the supervisory board. Li Li (already a member of the supervisory board since 2019) and, for the first time, Karin Dohm and Jeppe Frandsen stood for election. In the resolution on the appointment of members of the supervisory board, the vast majority of those entitled to vote agreed with the candidates proposed by the management. All candidates will actively support the company on its path to a successful future with their skills and experience (link to AGM agenda with CVs of the candidates).
The terms of office of supervisory board members Fritz Oesterle and Li Li expired at the end of the AGM on 25 July 2024. In addition, Ferdinand Rüesch resigned from the supervisory board with effect from the end of the AGM on 25 July 2024. The shareholders also passed eight other resolutions.
