Koenig & Bauer has announced the appointment of HP global executive Markus Weiss as CEO of the paper & packaging sheetfed system segment, following the retirement of Ralf Sammeck after 25 years with the company.
Sammeck began his career with Koenig & Bauer in 2000 as sales director and authorised signatory and became CEO & president of Koenig & Bauer North America in 2002. He has been a member of the executive board of Koenig & Bauer AG since 2007, and in his role as CEO he is responsible for the sheetfed segment and later also for the tasks of the CDO.
Sammeck will leave the company as planned in June 2025, with Wiess to commence from February 2025.
According to Koenig & Bauer, Sammeck played a key role in steering the strategic direction of this segment in the group for 18 years. Under his leadership, the market share tripled, and the product portfolio was expanded to include prepress software and postpress machines as well as digital printing – supported by digital solutions for the entire workflow process and digital service products (Kyana).
Dr Andreas Pleßke, CEO of Koenig & Bauer, said: “Ralf Sammeck has succeeded in continuously establishing the Sheetfed segment as a complete solution provider and expanding market leadership in the packaging sector. In doing so, he has positioned the division for the future”.
Weiss, who was previously HP general manager of industrial print for EMEA, will take up his position as managing director/CEO of Koenig & Bauer sheetfed AG & Co. KG on February 1, 2025 and will be a member of the group management reporting to the executive board.
In March, Weiss, together with Indigo founder Benny Landa, predicted that digital printing will complement offset printing, and may not ever replace it.
At that time, they both shared their future predictions for the ongoing digital versus analogue debate in the printing industry and despite both executives confirming they are continuing to focus on improving the speed and quality of their digital presses, they said they also believe that offset analogue printing technology will always have a place in a ‘hybrid’ environment.
Commenting on Weiss’ appointment, Sammeck said: “Markus Weiss is a strong, international leader who has built up an excellent network over the past almost 20 years and brings enormous experience in our industry. I am particularly pleased about this because our customers are very important to me”.
Weiss said offset printing will remain the leading technology in packaging and commercial printing in the long term, complemented by innovative solutions in the prepress and postpress areas.
“At the same time, digital printing is becoming increasingly important. The optimal combination of both technologies opens up new growth opportunities for our customers and shows that their joint use will shape the future of the printing industry. I am delighted to be able to contribute my knowledge and experience in this exciting field to the leading packaging manufacturer with a great team,” he added.
