Heidelberg is further expanding its commitment to the growing label market. As part of this, the Gallus Group sites in Switzerland and Germany have been strengthened through targeted investments and divided into competence centres.

The company said that the next step will be to reorganise the headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and develop it into a competence centre for digital label printing.

To this end, the new customer demonstration centre is to be opened at the site at the end of the year as the “Gallus Experience Center”.

The expansion of the digital printing portfolio will be accompanied by comprehensive innovations in equipment, service, software and ink.

A total of around 160 people work in St. Gallen, including business and R&D management as well as finance, sales, service, marketing and purchasing. The new office infrastructure and the Experience Centre will be reorganised in the main building of the site.

“With targeted investments in the Gallus Group, we want to gain further momentum in the growing label market,” Heidelberg CEO Dr. Ludwin Monz said.

“The reorientation of our site in St. Gallen into a competence centre for digital label printing underlines the high strategic importance for Heidelberg in the packaging sector. We welcome, that the commitment of entrepreneurs Marcel and Roger Baumer will create an innovative environment in St. Gallen from which we can also benefit.”

As part of the reorganisation of the site, St. Gallen entrepreneurs Marcel and Roger Baumer will take over the entire area in St. Gallen with around 20,000 sqm on April 1. The brothers are the fourth-generation owners of the Hälg Group and have acquired the site privately.

Gallus will continue to use the required space as the main tenant in this area in the future. A corresponding purchase and long-term lease agreement has been signed.

Heidelberg expects the transaction to be completed in the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year, for an undisclosed sum.

“The Gallus area is set to develop into an open campus for companies and institutions that are helping to shape the future and strengthen St. Gallen as a workplace. We are delighted that the Gallus Group, with its headquarters and Digital Campus, is the anchor tenant of the site,” Roger Baumer said.