Its decision to sell Hell almost completes its exit from the pre-press market, which it entered with the acquisition of Linotype-Hell back in 1996.

Last month it announced its decision to cease making scanners, which were based on technology originally developed by Hell (PrintWeek, 26 April).

The key decision to sell was to focus on core pre-press areas of CTP and workflow software, said a Heidelberg spokesman, who refused to reveal the selling price of the stake. Hell Gravures is a niche market for big printers of magazines and catalogues in huge quantities.

The firm makes production systems for gravure used on well-known titles like Stern and Spiegel as well as catalogues and food packs.

Dr Beisswenger and his business partner Max Rid formed a new company to take over the stake, and aim to buy the remaining quarter from a Frankfurt-based private investor.

Rid owns Kaspar Walter, which sells electroplating, and Johannes Bauer, which makes storage systems. Beisswenger said the tie-in would complete a chain for gravure forms.

The new firm is called BR Gravure Beteiligungs and the 120 existing staff will move to a new office in Kiel in the middle of the year.

The current kit line-up includes the HelioFlex 2000 platesetter and HelioSprint engraving head for packaging and decorative printing.

The world market for gravure technology focuses on 30 large publication printing firms and over 1,000 engraving shops, packaging and decorative printers.

Story by Jez Abbott