• General Assembly elects new board of directors for four years - Andreas Endters remains chairman of the board
• Member companies exchange views on industry perspectives and new digital business models
• Robust business situation despite the pandemic and strained supply chains

Frankfurt - The VDMA's Printing and Paper Technology Association is entering the next four years with a new board of directors. Yesterday's general meeting took place at the headquarters of Windmöller & Hölscher KG in Lengerich. Andreas Endters remains chairman of the board. Endters is a member of the group management of J.M. Voith SE & Co. KG and chairman of the management of its Group Division Paper in Heidenheim.

Erich Kollmar, managing director of Bellmer GmbH in Niefern-Öschelbronn, Walter Kurz, board member of Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG in Fürth, Markus Frick, managing director of Baumann Maschinenbau Solms, the CEO of Andritz AG in Graz, Dr Joachim Schönbeck and the CEO of Müller Martini AG in Zofingen, Bruno Müller, were confirmed as board members. Additionally, the members' meeting of the trade association elected seven newly elected board members to the executive committee:

• Thomas Heininger, Managing Director of MBO Postpress Solutions GmbH in Oppenweiler
• Peter Hirsch, Member of the Board of Management and CTO/ COO of technotrans SE in Sassenberg
• Dr. Falco Paepenmüller, CTO of Windmöller & Hölscher KG in Lengerich
• Dr. Andreas Pleßke, Spokesman of the Board and CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG in Würzburg
• Bernd Sauter, Managing Director of KAMA GmbH in Dresden
• Dr. David Schmedding, Global Head of Sales & Marketing at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG in Wiesloch, Germany
• Michael Wombacher, Managing Director of the POLAR Group in Hofheim

The change of personnel was necessary because eight board members have left since the last election in 2018. "We are going through a generational change," Dr Markus Heering, managing director of the trade association, explained the departures. No longer on the board are long-time chairman Kai Büntemeier, Claus Bolza-Schünemann (Koenig & Bauer), Dr. Jürgen Vutz (Windmöller & Hölscher), Dr. Markus Rall (POLAR MOHR), Martin Brandt (BW Papersystems), Holger Kühn (IST Metz), Marcus Tralau (KAMA) and Stefan Plenz (Heidelberg). "We thank them for their strong commitment to our trade association," said Heering. At the same time, he is looking forward to working with the new elected board. The next four years offer a lot of room for manoeuvre, both programmatically and practically.

Shaping the transformation process together
The member companies of the trade association used the meeting for an intensive exchange of experiences on the ongoing digital transformation, the potential of new digital business models and best practices in minimising cyber risks. In addition to efficiency potential in the administrative area, the advancing digitalisation holds the prospect of fully networked, highly automated and at the same time transparent production processes. By making energy and material flows transparent, this data-driven production is at the same time becoming a supporting pillar for the second major task of the future: The suppliers of printing and paper technology are currently resolutely tackling in close cooperation with their customers the transition to a climate-neutral circular economy. Numerous member companies of the Printing and Paper Technology Association are pushing ahead with the conversion of their energy supply to self-generated renewable energy and are developing product and process solutions in collaborations, which ever higher proportions of recyclate can be processed into print products and packaging of the highest quality.

Many of these solutions will already be shown at the drupa 2024, which the industry is looking forward to more than ever after the pandemic-related cancellation in 2020 and the web-based "virtual.drupa" in 2021. In Lengerich, drupa Director Sabine Geldermann from Messe Düsseldorf presented the current status and the planned activities and highlights of the world's leading trade fair, which will return to its usual format as a presence trade fair with international exhibitors and trade visitors in 2024.

Business situation robust despite pandemic and supply chain issues
Despite travel and transport restrictions due to the pandemic, faltering supply chains, chip shortages and an increasingly tense global situation, the printing and paper technology industry is currently proving to be extremely robust. Business in China and the USA in particular grew significantly in 2021. Exports to China totalled more than 658 million euros last year, compared to 542 million euros in 2020 and 504 million euros in 2019. And exports to the United States in 2021 were also well above the 2020 figure (590 million euros) at almost 627 million euros. For paper converting machinery, the first half of 2022 indicates a continuation of the success. This is because the order intake was 33 per cent higher than in the first half of 2021. Orders for printing presses remained stable (+1 per cent) in the same period.

Key role for a sustainable future
"Even in this highly complicated situation with pandemic, extremely tense supply chains, war and the increasing shortage of skilled workers on top of that, our industry is proving to be extremely resilient," explained Dr. Markus Heering. He sees the reasons for this in the consistent internationalisation and diversification as well as in convincing innovations of the member companies. "They offer exactly the digitisation and sustainability solutions that are needed more urgently than ever for the modernisation of the print and packaging industry worldwide," he clarifies. Printing and paper technology and mechanical engineering together play a key role on the road to a sustainable future.