Set to take over the reins at manroland web systems within weeks, Alexander Wassermann stresses the company's proactive role in software and workflow, and its emphasis on service.
"Where others are just making an entrance, this has long been a reality for us," he says, "now even for presses from other manufacturers."
He's talking about Print 4.0, "hotly discussed' at DRUPA and in recent weeks, and the basis for increasingly hands-free production. "It gives customers the option to develop new business models in collaboration with us, and also provides real investment security," he says.
Wassermann joined manroland in January, after 19 years with paper machine maker Voith and latterly paper processing machine maker Bielomatik Leuze, taking on the joint role of managing director alongside Jörn Gossé. Now as Gossé - who is taking a job nearer to his family in northern Germany - moves on, Wassermann takes full reponsibility.
He says the mood in Augsburg and its subsidiaries is very good, expressed through the friendly reception he has received from employees. "The difficult times of insolvency and structural adjustments are finally over," he says. "manroland web systems has fully repositioned itself, ending 2015 with success.
"The employees' great motivation to repeat the successes of last year and improve even further is easy to discern. I am confident that we are well-positioned for the coming challenges facing the printing market.
"We know the current needs of our customers in both web offset and the newly developed area of digital printing."
He says a focus is to work towards recognising upcoming trends early and being the first to offer the right products on the market.
His responsibility for the service sector has seen this divided into business units for solutions, support and store. "Our main concern is helping customers achieve ultimate efficiency in their pressrooms - not only savings in plain figures that are easily understood such as ROI, but also factors that boost a company's image, such as optimised printing quality and last but not least, good ergonomics in system operation to bolster employee satisfaction."
Optimisation concepts for press systems from other manufacturers as well as manroland has seen a recent complete control upgrade for a Goss Headliner at Star Tribune in the USA.
"Service with added value always has to cover heterogeneous needs, which is why service begins with product development," he says. "We want to become even more innovative and develop an even greater understanding for the business of our customers. We know there are topics on the market where we aren't as well represented as our customers would like.
"We will address these topics and search for the best approaches to realise them."
The desire is to involve the company in the business world of its customers - in a decision such as whether to invest in a new press or upgrade and old one. "We want to create cost calculations and future plans together with them to be able to answer these questions and offer the best, most reliable solution."