Pharma: Heidelberg and Pfenning group combine packaging and logistics under one roof

“Packaging is an important growth market for Heidelberg. As a system integrator, we are systematically expanding our solutions to cover the entire manufacturing process in packaging production. With the Pfenning group, we are gaining a competent partner to extend this end-to-end approach to meet the high demands of the pharmaceutical industry,” says Jürgen Otto, CEO of Heidelberg. “This collaboration is thus another milestone in our strategy to build a complete ecosystem for production and logistics together with strong partners and to establish ourselves as the industry’s system integrator.”

The collaboration also opens up new opportunities for the Pfenning group: “The partnership with Heidelberg strengthens our ability to offer integrated packaging and logistics solutions to our existing customers in the pharmaceutical industry. By closely integrating packaging, data management, and logistics, we create greater transparency, compliance, and operational efficiency throughout the entire value chain,” says Rana Matthias Nag, Spokesman for the Management Board of the Pfenning group.

Logistics requirements in the pharmaceutical packaging sector are increasing

The pharmaceutical industry faces increasing demands regarding traceability, documentation, serialization, and regulatory compliance. At the same time, expectations for flexible and cost-effective packaging and logistics processes are growing. Against this backdrop, both companies are pooling their expertise to develop integrated and scalable concepts for pharmaceutical packaging.

While Heidelberg contributes its extensive know-how in the areas of industrial printing technologies, workflow integration, automation, and quality-oriented production processes, the Pfenning group complements the partnership with comprehensive expertise in pharmaceutical packaging, serialization, aggregation, track-and-trace, and GDP- and GMP-compliant logistics processes.

A holistic approach along the pharmaceutical value chain

The collaboration focuses on integrated solutions for pharmaceutical packaging processes that combine printing, packaging, and data-driven logistics solutions. A central element of the partnership is the digital integration of the systems involved. By linking workflow, printing, and packaging technologies with serialization and logistics systems, the goal is to create seamless information flows. These enable greater transparency, improved process control, and complete documentation throughout the entire supply chain.

Heidelberg further expands its role as a system integrator in packaging production

The collaboration underscores Heidelberg’s strategic focus on expanding end-to-end system integration in the packaging industry beyond the actual printing process. At interpack 2026, the company had already announced plans to expand its range of solutions, in collaboration with partners, to cover the entire manufacturing process, from substrate selection through printing and finishing to logistics and digital integration.

To this end, the company had already announced initial partnerships, for example with Pack-Smart and Metsä Board. The collaboration with the Pfenning group specifically expands this approach to include downstream pharmaceutical packaging and logistics processes.