Gallus Holding AG

What Gallus Holding AG does

Gallus Holding AG is a Swiss narrow-web printing press manufacturer founded in 1923, headquartered in St. Gallen with additional production in Germany, and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG). The company develops, manufactures, and distributes conventional flexo, digital inkjet, and hybrid printing presses for label converters and packaging printers, with a portfolio spanning the Gallus Labelmaster flexo platform (up to 200 m/min), the Gallus Five hybrid press (100 m/min), the Gallus One digital press (70 m/min), the entry-level Gallus Alpha, the multi-process Gallus RCS, the hybrid Gallus Labelfire (and its Low Migration food-compliant variant), and the commodity-segment Gallus ECS 340. All products are organized under the System to Compose modular architecture — five plug-and-play components (platform, process units, ink, workflow, service) — and are paired with proprietary Heidelberg Saphira UV inks (UV02, UV04, UV05, UVLM) and consumables.

The business model is capital equipment OEM plus recurring aftermarket: revenue is generated from press sales, original parts and consumables (over 10,000 SKUs), service contracts, training (Print Academy), preventive inspections (Fit-Check), and a certified refurbished line (Gallus Classics). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and sales are executed through direct enterprise consultation supported by the global Heidelberg sales and service network, the Gallus Experience Center demonstration facility, and industry trade shows such as Labelexpo Europe. The customer base is concentrated in label converters serving food, beverage, healthcare/beauty, pharmaceutical, household goods, and flexible packaging end markets, with named flagship customers including Italian label producer Artes Etichette (first Gallus Five installation, December 2025) and digital label specialist Flexon.

The company employs approximately 275 people across Swiss and German operations. Embedded in its digital presses is a Vision System with automated print visualization, nozzle error detection and compensation, density unevenness detection, and inline digital register adjustment, representing applied computer vision and anomaly detection in production. Regulatory differentiation is centered on food-contact compliance (EU Regulations 10/2011, 1935/2004, 2023/2006, Swiss Ordinance, Nestlé Guidance, EuPIA, GMP) for the Low Migration variant.

Name

Gallus Holding AG

Legal name

Gallus Holding AG

Website

https://gallus-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Gallus Holding AG is a Swiss narrow-web printing press manufacturer and HEIDELBERG subsidiary, founded in 1923, that designs and sells flexo, digital, and hybrid label and packaging printing systems for global label converters and packaging printers through the Heidelberg sales network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Printing Equipment

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555), Commercial Printing (2750)

akta.pro primary industry

Production & High-Volume Printing Systems (HDACAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Packaging Inks (IMAEAHAH)

Keywords

• Narrow-web printing presses
• Label printing equipment
• Flexographic printing
• Digital label printing
• Hybrid printing presses

Headquarters

HQ city

Stallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Printing Press Sales: Sale of conventional and digital narrow-web printing presses for label and packaging printing
2. Service and Support: Global service network, production support, machine inspections (Fit-Check), training (Print Academy), and remote diagnostics
3. Original Parts & Consumables: Supply of over 10,000 original Gallus spare parts and consumables including cylinders, rollers, doctor blades, filters, seals through Heidelberg World Logistics Centers
4. Ink and Consumables: Sale of Heidelberg Saphira UV inks (UV02, UV04, UV05, UVLM) for digital printing units
5. Gallus Classics: Used machine business with comprehensive overhauls replacing wear parts with original components

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Gallus Holding AG manufactures narrow-web roll-fed printing presses for label and packaging printing, combining conventional (flexo, offset, screen, gravure) and digital (UV inkjet) printing technologies. Products are sold alongside Heidelberg Saphira inks, OEM parts, training, and maintenance services, distributed globally through the Heidelberg sales and service network.

Product overview

Gallus is a global leader in narrow-web label and packaging printing solutions, offering a modular platform-plus-products architecture. The portfolio centers on the System to Compose modular platform concept, which combines five coordinated components (platform, processing units, ink, workflow, service) to enable flexible configurations spanning flexographic, digital, and hybrid printing technologies. Core products include the Gallus Five (high-performance hybrid at 100 m/min), Gallus One (digital press), Gallus Alpha (entry-level digital), Gallus Labelmaster (flexo platform in 340/440/570mm widths), Gallus RCS (multi-process inline press), Gallus Labelfire (hybrid system covering up to 94% PANTONE colors), and Gallus Labelfire Low Migration (food-compliant). The Gallus ECS 340 serves commodity label printing. Supporting the machine portfolio are Gallus Screeny screen plates, the Gallus Experience Center (2,500 sqm demonstration facility), and services including Fit-Check inspections, Print Academy training, Original Parts, Service Contracts, and Gallus Classics used equipment. Products are distributed through the global Heidelberg sales and service network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• System to Compose: Modular platform concept for label and packaging printing combining flexo, digital and hybrid printing
• Gallus Five
• Gallus Alpha
• Gallus Labelmaster
• Gallus RCS
• Gallus Labelfire
• Gallus Labelfire Low Migration
• Gallus ECS
• Gallus Screeny
• Gallus MatteJet
• Gallus Print Academy
• Gallus Fit-Check
• Gallus Classics

Products and services

• System to Compose Modular platform concept combining flexo, digital, and hybrid printing technologies with five coordinated components (platform, processing units, ink, workflow, service) for scalable label printing solutions.
• Gallus Five High-performance hybrid press with speeds up to 100 m/min, combining digital UV inkjet (1200x1200 dpi) with conventional printing modules on the Labelmaster platform.
• Gallus One Pure digital label printing solution with maximum automation, modularity, and flexibility reducing total cost of ownership, with speeds up to 70 m/min using Heidelberg Saphira UV02/UV04 inks.
• Gallus Alpha Entry-level digital roll-to-roll press with 340mm width, 1200x1200 dpi resolution at 65 m/min in a compact monoblock design, aimed at converters entering digital label production.
• Gallus Labelmaster Flexographic label press platform with modular design available in 340, 440, and 570mm widths, achieving speeds up to 200 m/min with precise register accuracy.
• Gallus RCS 430/570 Modular inline printing press with up to eight offset printing units supporting UV offset, UV flexo, rotary screen, solvent gravure, hot foil stamping, and cold foil printing.
• Gallus Labelfire 340 Hybrid digital press combining inkjet (4-8 colors, 1200x1200 dpi at 70 m/min) with conventional inline processing covering up to 94% PANTONE PLUS colors.
• Gallus Labelfire Low Migration Food-compliant version of the Labelfire using Saphira UVLM inks meeting EU regulations, Swiss Ordinance, and Nestlé Guidance for food and pharmaceutical packaging.
• Gallus ECS 340 Flexo printing press for commodity labels with the shortest web path (1.1m) in its class, granite-core construction, servo drives, and modular 2-unit expansion.
• Original Parts and Consumables Genuine Gallus replacement parts and consumables including anilox rollers, doctor blades, rollers, and filters with over 10,000 parts available and 24-48 hour global delivery through Heidelberg World Logistics Centers.
• Service Contracts Flexible service modules including preventive maintenance, remote diagnostics, and extended warranties designed to ensure maximum machine availability and optimal productivity for Gallus printing systems.
• Gallus Classics Used machine business offering comprehensive printing unit overhauls where all wear parts are replaced with original components to optimize print quality and machine performance sustainably.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production speeds up to 100 m/min for hybrid digital printing (Gallus Five)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (HEIDELBERG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallus is a member of the Heidelberg Group with products distributed through the global Heidelberg sales and service network. The companies jointly develop solutions including System to Compose portfolio, Heidelberg Saphira inks, and Prinect workflow integration. HEIDELBERG and Gallus jointly present at Labelexpo Europe and collaborate on digital and hybrid press development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nilpeter: Direct peer in narrow-web flexo and digital label presses (FA-Line, PANORAMA). Comparable because Nilpeter competes with Gallus Labelmaster and RCS in the conventional flexo label press category with modular platforms.
• Durst Group: Direct peer in digital label and packaging printing with the Tau and Delta platforms. Comparable because Durst competes across the same narrow-web label converter and packaging printer segments with hybrid UV inkjet offerings.
• HP (Indigo division): Direct peer in digital label and packaging printing with the HP Indigo series. Competes head-to-head with Gallus One and Gallus Five for narrow-web digital label converter accounts at comparable speeds and quality.
• Mark Andy: Direct peer in narrow-web flexo and hybrid label printing (Performance Series, Digital Series). Comparable because Mark Andy serves the same label converter segment with conventional and digital narrow-web platforms.
• Xeikon (Flint Group): Direct peer in digital label and packaging printing under Flint Group's Narrow Web division. Comparable because Xeikon's Cheetah and TX series compete directly with Gallus One in digital label production.

Emerging players

• Brotech: Emerging Chinese narrow-web press manufacturer offering flexo and hybrid label presses at competitive price points. Comparable because Brotech is gaining share in cost-sensitive label converter segments that overlap with Gallus's ECS and entry-level offerings.
• Weigang: Emerging Chinese narrow-web flexo press manufacturer. Comparable because Weigang competes in commodity flexo label presses, pressuring pricing on entry-level platforms overlapping with Gallus ECS 340.

Broad incumbents

• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG: Parent company and broad incumbent in commercial and packaging printing equipment. Comparable because HEIDELBERG develops the Saphira inks, Prinect workflow, and global service network that underpins Gallus's offerings, and competes broadly in offset/packaging press categories.
• Bobst: Broad incumbent in packaging printing and converting equipment. Comparable because Bobst serves the same flexible packaging, folding carton, and label converter customers with presses and converting lines that overlap Gallus's packaging printer segment.

Others

• Esko (Danaher): Adjacent enabler providing prepress, workflow, and color management software for label and packaging production. Comparable because Esko's Automation Engine integrates with Gallus's Prinect workflow and is a complement/substitute in label converter production stacks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Gallus_Group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gallus-ferd.-rueesch-ag

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Gallus Holding AG