Heidelberg USA is keeping its U.S. hub right where local leaders wanted it: in Cobb County. The German print giant is shifting operations into a newly built Print Media Center in Marietta that will open for employees in early 2026. The short hop — less than five minutes from the company’s longtime Kennesaw site — comes with a much larger showroom and training campus aimed at deepening on-the-job skills while keeping jobs anchored close to home.
In a January press release, HEIDELBERG USA said the new site will be called the “Print Media Center Americas — Home of Print,” with roughly half the facility dedicated to demonstrations and training. The headquarters is slated to open for employees in early 2026 at 3074 Chastain Meadows Pkwy NW in Marietta, with collaborative workspaces sized for about 400 U.S.-based employees and a grand-opening event later in the year.
Short Move, Big Intent
Company leaders told a Cobb County business reception they were “intentional about staying in Cobb County” because, as President Clarence Penge put it, “people make the difference,” underscoring a strategy focused on retention rather than chasing a spot closer to the airport. Global Atlanta reported that Heidelberg first set up in metro Atlanta in 1994 on Gutenberg Drive in Kennesaw and now employs about 440 people, roughly 215 of them in Georgia, with 29 apprentices in its local training pipeline.
Training Center and Workforce Courses
Heidelberg’s announcement leans heavily on workforce development. About half the Marietta center will be reserved for live demonstrations and hands-on operator training, and the company said it will continue offering the free operator and maintenance courses it introduced in 2022. In the company release, Penge described the center as a place “where employees and customers alike have opportunities to network and learn,” framing the move as an investment in the next generation of print professionals rather than just a change of address. HEIDELBERG USA
Apprenticeships and Local Pipeline
The new Marietta campus will also house an apprenticeship model that Global Atlanta describes as a three-year program adapted from the German system, alternating classroom machine work with field assignments to build service and repair skills. Global Atlanta notes nearby resources such as Kennesaw State University as part of the talent pipeline and points out that Cobb County hosts more than 200 international companies from about 30 countries employing roughly 17,000 people — context that company leaders say helps with both retention and hiring…