Heidelberg will aim for €3 billion ($4.4 billion AUD) in sales by 2022, an increase of €500 million ($732.7 million AUD) over its current sales figures.
At the manufacturer's annual general meeting in Mannheim, Germany, around 1600 shareholders approved all items on the agenda with a clear majority, including the election of Oliver Jung to the Supervisory Board. Rainer Hundsdörfer, CEO, introduced the "Heidelberg Goes Digital" strategy, which will focus on technology leadership, digital transformation, and operational excellence.
“Over the next five years, Heidelberg will once again become a leading light in the sector, enjoying strong growth and profits. We’ve defined the relevant success factors and have already introduced initial measures. This marks the start of a new era of growth for Heidelberg,” Hundsdörfer said in a statement.
Heidelberg's digital strategy was rewarded on June 30 when investors converted 95 percent of a €60 million ($88 million AUD) mature convertible bond into Heidelberg shares, reducing the company's debt and costs of interest.
“We are very pleased to see the capital market’s confidence in the future of Heidelberg further strengthened. The increased share price and the conversion of the bond into equity are important indicators for us that we have been able to convince investors of our ‘Heidelberg goes digital’ strategy,” said Dirk Kaliebe, CFO.
The 2016-17 financial year saw Heidelberg finish with an EBITDA of €179 million ($266 million AUD) and €2.5 billion in sales ($3.7 billion AUD). Attendees at the event comprised close to 30 percent of the company's share capital.