SGP Schneider Geiwitz is advising on the self-administration and transaction involving manroland sheetfed GmbH

SGP Schneider Geiwitz advised manroland sheetfed GmbH during its insolvency proceedings under self-administration and, in collaboration with the management, implemented an investor solution with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG).

At the heart of the transaction is HEIDELBERG’s acquisition of the lifecycle business, the global sales and service companies, and the relevant intellectual property of the manroland sheetfed Group. This will secure the service and spare parts business for the global manroland installed base in the long term.

Background and market environment

Around 14 years after the insolvency proceedings concerning the assets of manroland AG, the successor company manroland sheetfed GmbH, based in Offenbach, once again found itself in a state of insolvency. Following the appointment of a provisional administrator on 2 March 2026, insolvency proceedings were opened on 1 June 2026 under self-administration. Martin Mucha, a solicitor at the law firm GrubBrugger in Stuttgart, was appointed as the (provisional) administrator.

The self-administration was comprehensively supported by an interdisciplinary team from SGP Schneider Geiwitz. The following were appointed by the company as general authorised representatives:

• Arndt Geiwitz, chartered accountant and tax adviser
• Oliver Brückner, tax adviser
• Peter Fissenewert, solicitor (BUSE law firm, Berlin)

From the very first day of the application proceedings, intensive work was carried out on the investor process in parallel with stabilising the proceedings.

Transaction with HEIDELBERG: Integration of the lifecycle business

Following the investor process, a transaction agreement was reached with Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. HEIDELBERG is integrating the lifecycle business and the global sales and service companies of the manroland sheetfed Group into its own organisation. The key elements of the transaction are:

• Acquisition of the manroland sheetfed Group’s service and spare parts business
• Takeover of around 35 country and market organisations with approximately 600 employees
• Acquisition of the technology and intellectual property (IP) for service and spare parts
• Acquisition of the IP for the Roland 900 / Cartonmaster in large-format sheetfed offset, as well as selected assets

Through this integration, HEIDELBERG is significantly strengthening its international service and lifecycle organisation, expanding its sales and service network, and ensuring continuity for well over 3,000 manroland users worldwide. The familiar local contacts within the manroland sheetfed Group will generally remain in place, now integrated into HEIDELBERG’s structures.

With immediate effect, HEIDELBERG is taking over the service and spare parts supply for manroland presses worldwide and is fully integrating customers into its global service network spanning around 170 countries. For manroland users, this means:

• Guaranteed spare parts supply and technical support
• Integration into standardised service processes with a consistent level of service quality worldwide
• Access to extended lifecycle services (service, consumables, data-driven services)
• Optionally, the possibility of switching to the latest HEIDELBERG Speedmaster systems, including structured upgrade concepts to improve productivity and efficiency

HEIDELBERG is also reviewing the options for the production and further development of the Roland 900 / Cartonmaster in the large-format segment.

About manroland sheetfed GmbH

manroland sheetfed GmbH is an internationally active manufacturer of sheetfed offset printing presses, based in Offenbach am Main. The company develops and manufactures printing solutions for the packaging, advertising and publishing industries and is one of the leading suppliers in the field of industrial offset printing.

SGP Schneider Geiwitz advised manroland sheetfed GmbH in its capacity as the self-administered administrator. The Offenbach-based company operates in the printing press manufacturing sector and, in addition to press sales, runs an after-sales business providing service and spare parts to its customer base.

The mandate centred on developing a robust long-term outlook for the economically viable business divisions. The aim was to safeguard core activities and to create a reliable going-concern solution for customers, employees and other stakeholders within a challenging restructuring environment.

About Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG) is a leading technology company that has been synonymous worldwide with innovation, quality and reliability in mechanical engineering for more than 175 years. With a clear focus on growth, HEIDELBERG, as a full-service provider and systems integrator, is driving forward development in its core areas of packaging and digital printing, software solutions and the lifecycle business, which encompasses services and consumables. Building on decades of industrial and systems expertise, the company is also systematically tapping into new markets in the fields of security, energy, charging infrastructure and industrial system solutions – with clear expertise in scaling operations and attractive growth prospects. Thanks to a strong international presence in around 170 countries, the creativity and expertise of its approximately 9,500 employees, its own production facilities in Europe, China and the USA, and one of the largest global sales and service networks, the company is well positioned on a global scale.

Our contribution to the transaction

SGP Schneider Geiwitz supported manroland sheetfed GmbH throughout the entire self-administration process. Arndt Geiwitz and Oliver Brückner were appointed by the company as general authorised representatives. Together with Peter Fissenewert, a solicitor from the law firm BUSE in Berlin, they provided support during the implementation of the self-administration proceedings.

The work on this mandate focused on the areas of restructuring, insolvency law, business continuity, employment law, payroll processing and insolvency payments, as well as the coordination of transaction-related work packages.