Heidelberg: Sustainability Report 2003/2004 published; Balancing Demands and Possibilities.

HEIDELBERG, Germany -- Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) (FWB:HDD) is to publish its new Sustainability Report 2003/2004. With more than 50 pages and a ten-year overview, this report from the world's leading supplier for the print media industry provides an overview of the fundamental values and objectives of Heidelberg's corporate philosophy and behavior, examines the past fiscal year and looks at the prospects for the future.

However, this report is not just about financial facts and figures. The Sustainability Report also enables Heidelberg to outline its commitment to environmental protection and to inform the public about its efforts to safeguard the interests of its workforce and maintain a good societal environment at its facilities. The publication can be used as a basis for an open and critical dialog with stakeholders on questions of sustainability at Heidelberg and shows the ways in which Heidelberg is able to take into account and balance demands and possibilities in relation to sustainability.

As in the previous four fiscal years, the latest Sustainability Report was drawn up on the basis of the guidelines of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) of June 2002. The objective of this initiative is to promote the international harmonization of reporting of economic, environmental and social achievements at corporate level in order to foster responsible decision-making.

After three years of economic difficulties, Heidelberg is taking stock: The new alignment was initiated and implemented during the reporting period by focussing on sheetfed offset printing, the prepress and postpress added value sectors and on customer-oriented services. The repositioning of the Group took place against the backdrop of drupa 2004 with, among other things, the innovation offensive that was launched there. Bernhard Schreier, Heidelberg CEO: "It is our desire and indeed obligation to justify the trust placed in us by significantly improving productivity and increasing value." With more than 50 technological innovations in the workflow, prepress, press and postpress sectors, the company launched around 30 percent more innovations and new product features at drupa 2004 than in the boom year of 2000. In the highly industrialized offset printing sector, Heidelberg signaled a new era in terms of productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness with the Speedmaster XL 105.

The company indicated the high value that it consistently places on environmental and social responsibility in its overall strategy with the approval of the new guidelines for environmental protection, workplace safety and product safety and with the opening of the Environmental Information Center at the company headquarters in Heidelberg. The Speedmaster CD 74 UV and CD 102 UV were the first printing presses in the world to be awarded the "Optimierter UV-Druck" (Optimized UV Printing) certificate from the German Berufsgenossenschaft Druck und Papierverarbeitung e.V. This award is given to UV presses that break new ground in terms of health and safety, environmental protection and operator safety.

The new Sustainability Report can be ordered from [e-mail] or from fax number [phone].

Photos are available on the Internet at www.heidelberg.com.