What in the World is Schutzschirmverfahren? – March 2026 M&A Activity

Schutzschirmverfahren (shu̇ts-ˌshir-m fər-ˈfä-rən): a German word literally translated as “Protective Shield Proceedings,” but in practical terms, it is the German equivalent of a self-administered, court-supervised proceeding under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code.

Exit, Consolidate, or Invest

Despite the recent spate of numerous plant closures and total plant auctions, we do not see evidence of widespread company failures in the printing industry. Rather, recent transactional activity suggests something more structural at work. The industry is not collapsing; it continues to be sorted out by market forces as the demand for printed products changes.

Three distinct pathways are emerging: excess capacity is being wrung out of the system via company and plant closures, often outside formal restructuring processes; core mature print markets are continuously consolidating through many, sometimes small, local transactions; and capital continues to flow toward the growth segments, in particular packaging and digital print technologies, albeit at a much slower pace than in previous years. Together, these dynamics are reshaping the printing and packaging industry from the inside out.

Wrung Out - Manroland Sheetfed Files Bankruptcy

One of the most highly respected manufacturers of printing equipment, Manroland Sheetfed, entered into bankruptcy proceedings in Germany under that country’s Insolvency Code, which provides the option for management to retain control of the company while restructuring, rather than being replaced by a court-appointed administrator.

The Manroland press line traces its origin back to 1844 in Augsburg, Germany, and has been associated with many innovations throughout its long history. The company initially focused on producing steam engines, but within a couple of decades had expanded into manufacturing printing presses. In 1875, the company introduced the Albatross Press, which produced up to 700 sheets per hour, a very productive rate for a sheetfed press (“Albatross” clearly had a different, more positive connotation at the time). The company came into its own in 1911 with the introduction of its first sheetfed offset press. Another milestone was achieved in 1951 when the company introduced the 4-color sheetfed Ultra press at Drupa, revolutionary at the time for its “planetary cylinder” design, which enabled full-color printing in one pass through the press.

The company progressed over the following decades with a convoluted series of mergers. The 1979 merger with the MAN Group brought web press production into the company. To gain entry into the US market, the company marketed its presses under the brand name Miele-Roland, piggybacking on the reputation of Miele presses.

Manroland, with both sheetfed and web press manufacturing under its belt, churned through several ownership structures: corporate enterprise, foreign, and private equity. Following its first insolvency filing in 2012, the company emerged from that restructuring as two separate entities, Manroland Sheetfed, embracing sheetfed technology, under the umbrella of UK-based Langley Holdings. The legacy web press business was purchased by Possehl Group, a German industrial conglomerate, eventually merging it with Goss International to form Manroland Goss. (See The Target Report: Press Onward! - March 2018).

We may be seeing the end of the sheetfed branch of the Manroland family of printing presses. The CEO of Langley Holdings was quoted in the company’s review as saying, “The situation at Manroland Sheetfed is unsustainable.” The company’s restructuring expert noted that they “will have to implement drastic and far-reaching measures” and that it “is regrettable that a great many jobs will be lost.” Over the past couple of decades, much of the packaging market has shifted to Koenig & Bauer (KBA) for its very-large-format offset presses. Komori has made significant inroads into the commercial market for high-speed automated offset presses. Heidelberg has held its ground in both the commercial and packaging markets. Given these market trends, we will not be surprised if Manroland Sheetfed exits the manufacture of printing presses and is consigned to simply servicing its legacy of installed machines.

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