Firmengruppe APPL

Firmengruppe APPL (stylised FIRMENGRUPPE APPL) is a family-owned German printing and print-finishing group headquartered in Wemding, Bavaria. Its roots go back to 1899, when the Appl family took over the regional magazine Tagblatt für Wemding und Monheim and began working in the printing trade. Over more than 125 years the business has grown from a local publisher-printer into one of the leading European companies in the media and printing industry, producing books, magazines, catalogues and inserts for publishers, industry and retail customers. The group operates through two main production companies at several German sites. appl druck GmbH in Wemding specialises in web offset printing of newspaper inserts, magazines, catalogues and telephone directories on eight special-format web offset presses. appl druck GmbH in Freising focuses on the finishing of magazines and periodicals, using several saddle-stitching and perfect-binding lines, and can also address and mail printed products to end customers. aprinta Druck GmbH, based at the main Wemding site, covers large-format sheet-fed offset printing on seven presses as well as digital printing, producing colour non-fiction books, guides, XXL-format atlases, illustrated books and durable school books; it also runs a bookbinding operation with three book lines for thread-sewn brochures and hardcover books. Technically, the group is known for its large web and sheet-fed offset capacity. It installed the world's first large-format four-over-four perfecting press in 2002, and its seven sheet-fed offset presses in Wemding form one of the largest sheet-fed printing capacities in Europe. Digital printing machines, available since 2009, serve short-run production. Finishing is carried out in Freising for web offset products and in Wemding for sheet-fed products, supported by cross-company prepress and, since 2008, a complex ERP system linking the group's entities. Ownership remains with the Appl family. Since 2011 the operating businesses have been held under a holding company, Firmengruppe Appl Holding, and the group has also entered the B2C online book-printing market. The company emphasises tradition, technology and precision, and has expanded its competence into media analytics with AI-based solutions. It is certified to FSC, PEFC and ISO 14001, runs photovoltaic installations and participates in the Ökoprofit environmental programme. The group employs around 500 people and describes itself as one of the leading European companies in the printing and media industry.

The history of Firmengruppe APPL begins in 1899, when the Appl family took over the regional magazine Tagblatt für Wemding und Monheim and started its activities in the printing sector. That magazine continued to appear until the end of the Second World War. In 1947 the company began industrial book printing (Werkdruck) and built up a typesetting-oriented printing house. The move into sheet-fed offset printing followed in 1968. This branch was expanded in 1978 with the takeover of Sellier Druck GmbH. Six years later, in 1984, web offset printing started in Wemding. This area was broadened by the acquisition of Echter Druck GmbH in Würzburg in 1999 and of Kuncke Druck in Ahrensburg in 2005. Also in 2005, the takeover of Print.Forum GmbH brought the group into gravure printing. This segment was enlarged in 2011 through a participation in Rose Druck GmbH. With the takeover of a bookbindery in Monheim (Bavaria), the group was able to cover the finishing sector from 2006 onwards. Digital printing machines for short-run production have been available since 2009. Since 2011 the company has been organised under a holding structure, with a managing director responsible for the business, and in the same year the group entered the online-shop market for book printing in the B2C segment. From 2015 the various parts of the printing and binding business were concentrated: sheet-fed offset at Sellier druck was moved from Freising to Wemding, while finishing remained in Freising. In the same year the gravure site Print.Forum in Sinsheim was closed and relocated to Kirchardt. In 2019 the Kirchardt site was also closed, and in 2020 the Reichenberg site near Würzburg was closed. Today the group operates through appl druck GmbH in Wemding and Freising and aprinta Druck GmbH in Wemding, employs around 500 people, and describes itself as one of the leading European companies in the printing and media industry, with more than 125 years of experience in printing, binding and further processing.

• 2020

  Closure of the Reichenberg site near Würzburg.

• 2019

  Closure of the Kirchardt site.

• 2015

  Concentration of business areas: sheet-fed offset moved from Freising to Wemding; Print.Forum gravure site in Sinsheim closed and relocated to Kirchardt.

• 2011

  Company placed under a holding structure; entry into the B2C online book-printing market; participation in Rose Druck GmbH.

• 2009

  Digital printing machines become available for short-run production.

• 2008

  FSC, PEFC and ISO 14001 certifications; complex ERP system links the group's entities.

• 2006

  Takeover of a bookbindery in Monheim (Bavaria) covers the finishing sector.

• 2005

  Takeover of Kuncke Druck in Ahrensburg and of Print.Forum GmbH, entering gravure printing.

• 2002

  Installation of the world's first large-format four-over-four perfecting press.

• 1999

  Acquisition of Echter Druck GmbH in Würzburg expands web offset.

• 1984

  Start of web offset printing in Wemding.

• 1978

  Expansion of sheet-fed offset through the takeover of Sellier Druck GmbH.

• 1968

  Entry into sheet-fed offset printing.

• 1947

  Start of industrial book printing (Werkdruck) and construction of a typesetting-oriented printing house.

• 1899

  Appl family takes over the regional magazine Tagblatt für Wemding und Monheim and enters the printing trade.

One of the leading European companies in the printing and media industry, combining tradition, technology and precision from single orders to series production.

• Newspaper inserts

• Magazines and periodicals

• Catalogues

• Telephone directories

• Colour non-fiction books and guides

• XXL-format atlases

• Illustrated books

• Durable school books

• Thread-sewn brochures

• Hardcover books

1. 1FIRMENGRUPPE APPL - FIRMENGRUPPE APPLappl.de
2. 2Firmengruppe APPLwikidata.org
3. 3Firmengruppe Applde.wikipedia.org