The deal was agreed earlier this year, and went live on 1 May.

It allows Friedheim to sell and service German manufacturer GUK’s range of specialist, miniature and multi-purpose folding machines in the mainland UK, with Northern Ireland excluded.

Particularly well known for their pharmaceutical applications, GUK folders have more than 80% of their parts manufactured in-house by GUK itself, and the manufacturer produces more than 100 variants of its different models.

Friedheim’s deal allows it to sell any of GUK’s products, including new additions, and the firm will be able to provide a complete service offering, including spare parts, services and consumables.

Friedheim’s fresh partnership with GUK comes four years after Komori acquired folder manufacturer MBO in 2020, with Friedheim losing the MBO account after 54 years as a result.

Likewise, in December 2023, post-press heavyweight Muller Martini bought out fellow post-press manufacturer Hunkeler – though Friedheim still sells Hunkeler's high-speed finishing kit.

A spokesperson for Friedheim told Printweek: “GUK actively pursues a niche in pharmaceutical folding, which does differentiate them from other members of our portfolio, old and new, but GUK products stand on their own merit and don’t require a comparison. 

“While its niche markets continue to grow, GUK’s ability to expand its product offering to match has given them a unique position.”

The non-exclusive agreement has brought Friedheim alongside – and in competition with – M Partners as GUK’s suppliers to the UK market.

M Partners director Murray Lock said: “The loss of MBO to Komori and Muller Martini buying Hunkeler must be an incentive to replace sales.

“M Partners will continue to service all GUK equipment with the sales focus on specialist machines and service programmes. This includes our new optimisation training initiatives that are being rolled out across the industry.

“We’re always keen that people want to promote GUK.”