8 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk July | August 2026 - Issue 361 printmonthly PrintMonthlyMagazine printmonthly_signlink printmonthly BUSINESS | NEWS HEIDELBERG purchases Manroland Sheetfed global service business The global service and spare parts business of Manroland Sheetfed has been purchased by fellow offset manufacturer, HEIDELBERG. Langley Holdings announed the sale on June 24th, reaching an agreement with HEIDELBERG for the transfer of significant parts of the Manroland Sheetfed business. As part of the planned transaction, HEIDELBERG will take over Manroland’s global service and spare parts business, including related intellectual property, market organisations in around 35 countries, selected assets, and approximately 600 employees. As part of the transaction, HEIDELBERG will also secure the intellectual property relating to the Roland 900/Cartonmaster wide-format press. The deal aims to allow current customers to receive support from existing local contacts, while gaining access to HEIDELBERG’s global service network, spare parts infrastructure, and lifecycle offering. Langley Holdings has positioned the sale as “an important step in securing long-term continuity for more than 3,000 Manroland Sheetfed users worldwide.” Manroland Sheetfed first entered insolvency proceedings on March 3rd, 2026, with Langley highlighting that despite a “technologically advanced product portfolio”, sales at the company have been declining in recent years with “mounting losses”. By Jonathan Pert Friedheim expands partnership with Scodix following FESPA success Friedheim International, a supplier of printing, finishing, and converting technologies, has announced an expansion of its long-standing partnership with Scodix, a provider of digital embellishment solutions. The redeveloped agreement means that Friedheim will now offer Scodix’s complete portfolio of digital embellishment technologies throughout the UK and Ireland, including the new Scodix Ultra 7000 which debuted at FESPA 2026 in Barcelona. Scodix exhibited right next to the Corrugated section, which was home to a variety of exhibitors and touchpoints for the corrugated sector. The press is considered a significant aspect of the partnership as it means printers and sign-makers can now add embellishment to rigid and corrugated substrates. The Ultra 7000 will be sold via Friedheim’s recently formed Corrugated and Carton division and will complement other finishing and converting technologies in the company’s portfolio. The SHD technology in the machine supports a wide range of applications including foil, tactile enhancements, variable embellishment, and special effects, all without the limits of analogue tooling. By David Osgar UPM and Sappi confirm Joint Venture with secured financing UPM has confirmed [May 28th, 2026] that it has signed a definitive agreement to form its Joint Venture with Sappi regarding distribution of graphic paper throughout Europe. Both parties have secured financing arrangements which UPM says will provide a robust financial standing for the Joint Venture. A non-binding letter of intent (LOI) by UPM and Sappi was signed on December 4th, 2025. The announcement in December detailed the plan for UPM Communication Papers and Sappi’s graphic paper business to combine into a 50/50 agreement. The Joint Venture will operate as an independent company, managing its own operations, resources, and decisions within agreed shareholder boundaries. According to UPM, the two businesses have secured €600m (£520m) of external financing for the transaction, as well as a committed revolving credit facility of €100m (£87m) to finance the operational liquidity needs of the Joint Venture. By David Osgar Simpson Group saved from administration by Pureprint Pureprint, a provider of integrated marketing, print, and technology services, has announced it has acquired Simpson Group. The acquisition follows speculation of the 54-year-old company being sold to a trade buyer after filing for administration at the end ofMay. Pureprint sees the acquisition as a way of bolstering its offering in the point-of-sale (POS), in-store marketing, and display production markets. Simpson Group is based in Washington, Tyne & Wear, and has built a strong reputation delivering POS and point-of-purchase systems, FSDUs, window displays, and 3D structural display solutions. The company was previously family-run until a management buyout in 2018 when it was reported as being a £11m turnover business. Formed in 1972 by Bill Simpson, the company employed over 100 staff in the North East and a southern operation in Langley. In the calendar year for 2024, Simpson Print filed flat sales of £13.4m with an operating loss of £1.2m. With this latest acquisition Pureprint says it now employs over 580 people with annual revenues of circa £95m. Simpson Group is based in Washington, Tyne & Wear By David Osgar UPM and Sappi are in the final stages of establishing their Joint Venture The purchase sees HEIDELBERG take over responsibility for approximately 600 Manroland Sheetfed employees worldwide
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