What Schepers does

Schepers, headquartered in Vreden, Germany, is a private, precision-engineering manufacturer of laser systems that has operated continuously since 1991 as a subsidiary of Heliograph Holding. It designs, builds, and services industrial laser engraving equipment used to structure printing, embossing, and decor cylinders, along with complementary etching, coating, cleaning, and software products that together form an end-to-end indirect engraving workflow. Customer concentration sits in industrial OEMs and converters in the embossing and printing supply chain, sold almost exclusively through direct, consultative field sales with custom-configured systems.

Name

Schepers

Legal name

Schepers GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://schepers-digilas.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schepers is a German manufacturer of precision laser engraving and etching systems for printing, embossing, and decor cylinders, selling modular multi-beam machines, software, and complementary workflow equipment to industrial customers in 37 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vreden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Laser Engraving Systems: Sale of precision laser engraving machines (Heliolas, Digilas, Digilas CE) for cylinder production. High-end industrial equipment with custom configurations and modular design.
2. Etching Systems: Sale of SPM Spray Etching machines for embossing and printing cylinders, available standalone or as part of complete production lines.
3. Software Solutions: Sale of specialized software including MultiScan (beam control), EQIm (layer distribution), and Model2TiFF (file conversion).
4. Coating and Support Equipment: Sale of SPB/VTB coating systems, RUE cleaning stations, and ancillary production equipment.
5. Professional Services: Installation, startup, basic training included with systems. Application training and installation services available upon request. Maintenance contracts for long-term reliability.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Schepers designs and manufactures precision laser engraving systems for structuring printing, embossing, and decor cylinders. Its product portfolio spans economical (Heliolas), high-end modular (Digilas), and fully customized (Digilas CE) laser systems, complemented by SPM spray etching machines, SPB/VTB coating systems, RUE cleaning stations, and proprietary software (MultiScan, EQIm, Model2TiFF). The company delivers complete indirect engraving workflows and serves industrial manufacturers across 37 countries with 320+ installed machines.

Product overview

Schepers is a German manufacturer (founded 1991) of precision laser engraving systems for cylinder production serving the printing and embossing industries. The portfolio includes three laser system tiers: Heliolas (economical entry-level), Digilas (high-end modular), and Digilas CE (custom configurations). Complementary products include SPM Etching Machine (spray etching), Coating Machines SPB/VTB (cylinder coating), and RUE Cleaning Station. Software solutions include MultiScan (beam control optimization), EQIm (content-sensitive layer distribution), and Model2TiFF (STEP to TIFF conversion). The modular architecture allows customers to configure systems to their specific production needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heliolas: Modern economical laser engraving system for cylinder production with unmatched price to performance ratio.
• Digilas
• Digilas CE
• SPM Etching Machine
• MultiScan
• EQIm
• Model2TiFF

Products and services

• Heliolas Modern economical laser engraving system for cylinder production with unmatched price to performance ratio. Targeted at manufacturers seeking a lower entry point into laser-based cylinder structuring.
• Digilas High-end modular laser systems for direct and indirect engraving with exceptional accuracy, repeatability, and performance. Configurable to customer specifications for industrial cylinder production.
• Digilas CE Custom tailored laser engraving systems designed to meet every specific production requirement for all industries. Built to bespoke configurations for specialized applications.
• SPM Etching Machine Most advanced spray etching machine for embossing and printing cylinders. Available standalone or as part of complete Schepers production lines, providing precision etching capability.
• Coating Machines (SPB, VTB) SPB horizontal spray coating and VTB vertical ring coating systems for printing and embossing cylinders. Black lacquer is standard, with photoresist available on request.
• RUE Cleaning Station Cleaning station for cylinder maintenance that seamlessly integrates into Schepers-powered production workflow, completing the indirect engraving process.
• MultiScan Software Advanced beam control software that allows the laser machine to reduce the number of layers required while maintaining engraving depths and quality, optimizing throughput.
• EQIm Software Content-sensitive software that intelligently distributes engraving information over multiple layers to achieve unmatched performance to quality ratios for cylinder engraving.
• Model2TiFF Software STEP file to 8-bit TiFF engraving file conversion software, the first solution purpose-built for the laser engraving market. Easy to use and reliable file preparation for cylinder production.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4x faster engraving speed with 4-beam setup vs single beam
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heliograph HoldingcoreOthersParent company of Schepers. Schepers operates as part of Heliograph Holding, which provides corporate backing and potentially synergies across the printing and embossing technology portfolio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Epilog Laser: Epilog produces CO2 and fiber laser engraving and cutting systems widely used for industrial engraving and marking. Comparable in laser engraving technology stack and end-user applications for surface decoration.
• Trotec Laser: Trotec manufactures industrial and entry-level laser engraving and cutting systems for marking, engraving, and cutting applications. Direct overlap with Schepers in laser-based surface processing on industrial substrates.
• Gravotech: Gravotech provides industrial laser marking, engraving, and dot-peen equipment. Comparable in laser engraving/marking systems for industrial marking, identification, and surface decoration use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen: Heidelberg is a leading global manufacturer of printing presses and related equipment serving commercial printing, packaging, and embossing workflows. Overlaps with Schepers in the cylinder production and embossing workflow stages of the print value chain.
• Bystronic: Bystronic produces industrial laser cutting and bending systems for sheet metal and adjacent applications. Comparable in laser-based industrial processing equipment targeting manufacturers globally.
• Koenig & Bauer: Koenig & Bauer manufactures printing presses and post-press equipment for packaging, commercial, and security printing. Adjacent incumbent serving the same print production customer base as Schepers.
• Trumpf: Trumpf is a major global manufacturer of industrial laser systems (cutting, marking, welding) and machine tools. Large incumbent with overlapping laser source technology and broad laser processing capabilities relevant to Schepers' market.

Emerging players

• Zünd Systemtechnik: Zünd manufactures digital cutting systems (including laser module options) for packaging, printing, and industrial fabrication. Overlap in laser-based processing for printing and packaging industry customers.

Regional players

• Manroland Sheetfed: Manroland Sheetfed manufactures sheetfed offset printing presses and post-press systems, primarily serving commercial and packaging printers in EMEA. Adjacent printer in the printing equipment value chain with overlapping cylinder-based embossing customers.

Others

• Heliograph Holding (parent): Schepers' parent company grouping brands in the printing and embossing technology space. Corporate parent providing strategic direction, cross-portfolio coordination, and capital support for Schepers' product development and sales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schepers-digilas

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schepers