Citing economic factors and changing demands in the marketplace, Heidelberg is consolidating its worldwide digital printing operations in its Rochester, NY facility. Production/assembly of the NexPress 2100 digital color production press, currently in Keil, Germany, will be relocated to Rochester during the course of 2003; other digital finishing equipment operations previously done in other German sites will also move to Rochester. The color printing press operation will join the high-volume black and white digital presses which have been housed in Rochester since 1999.
The current workforce in Rochester is 775-strong. However, a workforce reduction program was intitated in January. The company wants to eliminate up to 150 positions through voluntary retirement packages, reduction of contractor positions, some layoffs and transfers.
Overlapping this reduction is the expansion of the manufacturing operations as digital press and finishing equipment manufacturing resources are shifted from Germany to Rochester. As a result, some new jobs will be added through internal transfers and some new manufacturing hires. The company projects that by the end of 2003, the Rochester workforce will be the same or slightly larger. (Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG: 585-512-8054, www.heidelberg.com)