Clarence Penge · President · Heidelberg USA · PRINTING United 2025

At Printing United in Orlando, Morten B. Reitoft from INKISH speaks with Clarence Penge, President of Heidelberg USA, about his long career, the company’s evolving strategy, and the broader challenges and opportunities in the printing industry. Penge, who has spent 31 years with Heidelberg, describes his appointment as president as both “an honor and a humbling experience,” noting that many colleagues celebrated his promotion because he had grown up within the company. “I’m one of them,” he says. “I’m an old printer by trade.”

Penge acknowledges that leading Heidelberg in today’s market carries major responsibility, but he’s optimistic about what lies ahead. Despite ongoing issues such as tariffs and unfavorable exchange rates, he sees strong momentum across the U.S. market, particularly in packaging, label production, and digital print. He points to the company’s collaboration with Canon and innovations like the Jetfire and Speedmaster XL 106 as examples of how Heidelberg is positioning itself for the future. While tariffs create short-term hesitation among customers, Penge believes the bigger challenge lies elsewhere. “The real issue isn’t tariffs,” he says. “It’s finding skilled labor. The knowledge base of our industry is aging out, and we need to make print attractive again.”

Heidelberg, he explains, has taken that responsibility seriously. Since the pandemic, the company has run a large-scale training initiative at its Kennesaw, Georgia, facility — offering free weekend classes for operators, die cutters, and folder-gluer technicians. “We’ve trained hundreds of people over the past few years,” Penge says. “Our customers are investing in people, and we’re investing alongside them. That’s the partnership the industry needs.” These modular weekend programs make it easier for working printers to attend without leaving their jobs for extended periods, providing hands-on education that strengthens both companies and the wider industry.

Penge also sees this as part of Heidelberg’s larger mission to lead through example — not only in technology but in workforce development and business sustainability. “When you’re the leader,” he says, “you have to lead, not follow.” He believes that the company’s technological ecosystem — including the “Push to Stop” manufacturing concept — has fundamentally redefined how printers can maximize productivity and profitability. “Every press requires an operator to push start,” he explains. “But with Push to Stop, the machine takes over until it truly needs human input. It’s a smarter, more efficient way to run production.”

Reflecting on his decades with Heidelberg, Penge calls the evolution from manual to fully automated print “an amazing journey,” citing drupa 1995, 2000, and 2016 as milestones that marked true transformation in the industry. Now, as a newly appointed president, he remains focused on collaboration and transparency. “We all still have a lot to learn,” he says. “But if we keep the dialogue open and focus on the positive — the innovation, the partnerships, the people — the industry’s future is bright.”