07.09.19
Durst and Koenig & Bauer appointed Robert Stabler as managing director of the new joint venture, effective Aug. 1.
Koenig & Bauer Durst GmbH was officially established in early May following the clearance of antitrust regulations from the relevant authorities.
UK native Stabler previously served as SVP with Xerox’s Continuous-Feed Business, based in Rochester, NY. He also held executive roles at HP and Agfa.
Business operations are now underway for joint development and marketing of single-pass digital printing systems for the folding carton and corrugated fiberboard industry. Koenig & Bauer Durst will have its registered office in Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany, and cooperate closely with both parent companies’ global network. Initially, the joint venture portfolio will comprise the Koenig & Bauer CorruJET 170 and the Durst SPC 130 – including all associated services and the ink business as well as the development of the VariJET 106.
“I am really excited to take on this new challenge in the folding carton and corrugated packaging markets,” said Stabler. “Both are ripe for digital transformation with run lengths declining in both segments and brands crying out for very good, cost-effective, short-run and versioning solutions. We will add all the competencies of Durst and Koenig & Bauer to leverage the best solutions. Durst with its expertise in digital imaging, production systems, inks and software integration, Koenig & Bauer with all its mechanical knowledge, high duty cycle process, engineering, paper transport capabilities plus, of course, the great go-to-market expertise of both teams.”
“This is the start of something very special in the printing and packaging industry," added Claus Bolza-Schünemann, CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG. "We are incredibly excited by the opportunities ahead of us and we are confident being able to form a superb team led by Robert Stabler. Our distinct technologies and market expertise will be combined to offer state of the art products, optimized solutions for our customers including a flawless service and support.”