Theodore “Ted” Niggli, an influential international leader in the printing industry throughout the last half of the 20th century and a former executive with Miehle-Goss-Dexter, Marinoni, Harris and Heidelberg-Harris organizations passed away in France on January 11. He was 84.

Recognized for a pioneering international approach and an ability to balance the interests of customers, employees and shareholders, Mr. Niggli is credited with organizational leadership decisions that enabled suppliers to develop and support vital technology during a critical period in the emergence of the web offset industry.

Mr. Niggli was hired by press manufacturer Miehle in Chicago in 1950 as export-import manager and served as international marketing manager following a 1957 merger that created Miehle-Goss-Dexter. In 1961, he was appointed president of a new international division of that company which centralized and expanded the global sales activity for Goss presses. Over time, Miehle-Goss-Dexter became Rockwell Graphic Systems and then Goss Graphic Systems.

Mr. Niggli later joined the press division of Harris Corporation and was appointed president and CEO of its Marinoni affiliate in Montataire, France in 1977. He was instrumental in the integration of the Harris and Marinoni operations, the reorganization of the company as Harris Graphics in 1983 and the sale of the company to Heidelberg in 1988. Goss International acquired the web systems division of Heidelberg in 2004 including the Montataire site, which remains an operations center for the company.

Born in Paris, Mr. Niggli held U.S. and Swiss citizenship. He earned his business degree in Bern, Switzerland and began his career with a press sales firm there.

Mr. Niggli retired from Heidelberg Harris in 1991 and remained active on the company’s board of directors and within the industry throughout the 1990s.