Claus Bolza-Schünemann, former CEO of Koenig & Bauer, has joined the company’s supervisory board, three years after relinquishing the CEO position to Andreas Pleßke in 2020.
At that time Bolza-Schünemann expressed a desire to travel across North America and to learn to play the double bass. He had been CEO of the company for nine years and had reached the company’s mandatory retirement age. He is the great great grandson of the company’s founder and the family remains the major shareholder.
In proposing his membership, the company says Bolza-Schünemann has the necessary qualifications.
“Due to his specific competence profile as an industry expert and experienced CEO, he will, if elected, strengthen and expand the expertise of the entire board in the areas of innovation, research and development, technology in mechanical and plant engineering, the printing and media industry, and in particular through industry specific market and competitive knowledge.”
He was duly elected to the supervisory board with the support of more than 99% of those voting at the AGM in Würzburg, its first attended AGM in three years.
Current CEO Pleßke outlined the current range of activities to lay the foundation for its future. There is a pilot four-day-week project, a daycare centre being opened at the Würzburg factory, opportunities from reducing the risks of lengthy supply chains and tracking production along these. He also referred to a newly signed joint development agreement with Volkswagen to scope out the feasibility of applying a dry powder coating on electrodes for sustainable battery production. If the concept proves to be viable, the new production method has sizeable cost and environmental advantages over the current wet coating electrodes methodology. The development phase will run until the end of next year.
Chief financial officer Stephen Kimmich spoke about the 49% of shares in Italian flexo corrugated manufacturer Celmacch and two further partnerships in packaging including with Sealed Air for development of a machine for flexible packaging. He told the meeting: “We want to expand the boundaries of printed packaging and are delighted that the first series production press has been marketed with our joint venture Koenig & Bauer Durst.”
First installations of the Varijet 106 are also said to be performing well, indicating the partnership approach is working. “Pooling knowledge and technologies gives us a great advantage, allowing us to identify requirements at an early stage and address them in a customer centric approach,” he said.
