The contribution reviews the application of heterogeneous Pd catalysts for the manufacture of fine chemicals with special emphasis of their organic synthetic potential. In a first part, some background is given on the scope and limitations of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and on significant parameters and the various types of supported Pd catalysts. Then, the application of supported Pd catalysts for important classes of transformations are reviewed organized according to reaction type. The general statements are illustrated with relevant examples from the literature and from our own laboratories, Hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, and debydrogenation reactions are considered to be mature technologies with an extremely broad scope both for small-scale laboratory applications and large to very large-scale manufacturing processes. Oxidation reactions and C-C coupling reactions usually have a rather narrow scope and only relatively few have been developed to the technical stage. Especially for C-C coupling reactions, the nature of the active Pd species is under debate because it is not clear whether the reaction takes place on the metallic surface or whether leached soluble Pd complexes are the active catalysts.