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From a traditional company to an agile technology group

Koenig & Bauer is the world's oldest printing press manufacturer and has long since developed into a modern technology group.

2 July 2025

Connected packaging advances interaction with the end consumer: a wide range of up-to-date information can be generated on the smartphone based on the print data. (Image: Koenig & Bauer)

The world's oldest printing press manufacturer, Koenig & Bauer, has long since developed into a modern technology group. At its headquarters in Würzburg, we were recently able to experience the entire spectrum - from its own foundry to the production and assembly of the various types of printing presses and the latest digital developments.

In 1814, Friedrich Koenig's cylinder printing press printed the London daily newspaper „The Times“ for the first time using steam engine power. This heralded the media age, so to speak, according to Koenig & Bauer today. The company was officially founded in 1817 by Friedrich Koenig and Andreas Bauer in the Oberzell monastery near Würzburg. Almost 125 years ago, the company moved to the other side of the River Main. Today Machines and software solutions for the entire printing and finishing process produced. New business units show where we are heading in the future.

Koenig & Bauer Kyana GmbH, for example, is a new addition. The digital unit has just been spun off from the holding company as an independent subsidiary, focussing on two strong product lines: the machine platform, the also enables the seamless integration of third-party machines thanks to its open architecture, consolidates all production data centrally in one place and serves as the foundation for data-based decisions. The second strand, Connected Packaging, aims to revolutionise interaction with the end consumer.

(Image: Koenig & Bauer)

„Digitalisation is a key driver of innovation and progress in our industry. With the new subsidiaries, we are in a position to pool our expertise in a more targeted manner in order to create added value for our customers.“

Display

Christian Steinmaßl, Member of the Group Executive Board and responsible for various business units in the Special & New Technologies segment

From analogue packaging to an immersive experience

Thomas Vollmuth, Head of Brand Owner Management, explained to packaging journal what is already possible with the company's digital solutions. The connected packaging platform redefines the rules of the game for brands and opens up a wealth of opportunities for direct customer dialogue. Using the packaging of a fully automatic coffee machine as an example, Vollmuth demonstrated how consumers seamless and interactive support from the purchase decision to commissioning and reordering consumables intelligently supported by AI.

„The highlight is the simplicity,“ emphasises Vollmuth. „Only the print data of the existing packaging is uploaded and linked with a wide range of current information. This allows us to generate dynamic digital content directly on consumers“ smartphones, while the physical packaging in the market remains unchanged.„ This approach is therefore literally “on demand" and also opens up potential for growth for brands, supports their sustainability efforts and creates a new dimension of transparency in customer dialogue. The resulting data-driven insights also help brand owners to refine their marketing strategies with precision.

One highlight is the seamless integration of Google's artificial intelligence „Gemini“. This enables consumers to, interact directly with an intelligent AI chatbot via the packaging. Questions about the product, application or accessories are answered directly and in context.

While the focus is on the latest digital solutions and artificial intelligence, in the production halls, state-of-the-art drilling and milling machines perform precision work to ensure that new printing cylinders, for example, run reliably even at high speed. And just a few steps further castings are produced in the company's own foundry. It was built at its current location in 1901 and today has a state-of-the-art production facility. The foundry has long been used for more than just its own production. In addition to castings for its own needs, Koenig & Bauer also produces for well-known machine manufacturers throughout Europe.

Growth market digital printing

Individualisation, personalisation and innovative design - these trends continue to drive digital change in the printing industry. Machines such as the RotaJET digital web press are being built in Würzburg, for a wide range of applications in the growing digital printing market, e.g. in the food and beverage carton industry.

And the PageWide T700i Press for packaging printing has emerged from a collaboration with HP. It offers Maximum speeds in digital web printing for corrugated and folding carton applications and is the second model that the two companies have jointly launched on the market after the HP PageWide T1195i. They are designed and manufactured at Koenig & Bauer's Würzburg plant. This is also where the CI flexo presses are manufactured and assembled.

Koenig & Bauer is building the digital web presses developed jointly with HP in Würzburg. (Image: packaging journal)

„The versatile XD Pro is the ideal CI flexo press to cover a wide range of applications - from demanding films to a wide variety of paper grades,“ says David Kraus, Director Flexo. Following the relocation of the machines to the main plant in Würzburg, the company sees good opportunities, to significantly increase its market share in the growing CI flexo market with machines „Made in Germany“. The machines address all substrates and markets in the CI flexo sector - i.e. printing on film, paper and cardboard. The company sees great growth potential in the area of fibre-based packaging in particular, as the market for barrier papers in the food and beverage sector is growing strongly.

Protect what is important

The portfolio also includes security/banknote printing presses. „Koenig & Bauer has extensive expertise in banknote printing, as the majority of all banknotes worldwide are printed on Koenig & Bauer machines. Today, we apply this expertise to all print products and offer solutions that go far beyond conventional security features,“ explains Julian Schubert, Managing Director of Koenig & Bauer Vision & Protection.

The division has just become an independent business unit as part of the Group's current reorganisation, which focuses on solutions for offline and inline quality control and protection against counterfeiting and product piracy. In the process modern, non-invasive technologies such as Daktylo, Ovjera and Stegano to protect products and packaging from counterfeiting and grey market activities. These solutions are not only counterfeit-proof, but also sustainable, as they do not require any additional materials.