Fairfiel Enterprises was a leading British-based machine distributor and supplier of tooling and support services to the printing and packaging industries. The company was taken over in 2000 by the Swiss company Bobst AG, a supplier of machinery and services to the packaging industry.

The business was founded in London^[1] in 1884 by the Jewish-German immigrant Oscar Friedheim (1858–1928),^[2] at first trading in the supply of cardboard and paper. Five years later the company turned to the import and distribution of machinery,^[3] starting with a German^[4] made card cutting and scoring machine for the production of visiting cards.^[5] From there on Oscar Friedheim focused on building up its connections with overseas machine manufacturers in the paper and packaging industry (e. g. Bobst, Faber & Schleicher, Muller Martini and after the Second World War Winkler + Dünnebier).

In 1913 the company was incorporated as a limited company with a nominal capital of £17,000.^[6] During The Blitz its head office in Water Lane was hit hard twice. Most of the machinery and the company records got destroyed. Therefor a new provisional office had to be set up at Mill Hill.^[7] 1948 Oscar Friedheim Ltd. bought the engineers and sundries business of John Haddon & Co, a London based printing and advertising company.^[8]

In 1970 Fairfield Enterprises Ltd. was created as a holding company of Oscar Friedheim Ltd. To extend its business into spare parts Fairfield bought 50% of Lasercomb Dies Ltd. (Redditch) in 1984 and purchased the remaining 50% in 1991.^[9]

In August 1997 Fairfield was listed on the London Stock Exchange at 80p per share^[9] to raise funds for acquisitions.^[10] In 1998 Fairfield bought Palatine Engraving (Leeds)^[11] and Kennedy Grinding (London).^[12] In 1999 the headquarters of Fairfield Enterprises was moved from London to Redditch.^[13]

In 2000 Bobst AG of Switzerland acquired Fairfield Enterprises,^[14] paying 200p per Share.^[15] Fairfield's activities concerning the distribution of Bobst machinery in the UK and Ireland were renamed Bobst UK Holdings Ltd. The remaining parts of Fairfield, Friedheim International^[16] and Lasercomb Group (including Palatine Engraving),^[17] were sold to their management in 2005 and 2006 respectively.