The company said more than 13,000 visitors came to Würzburg, Germany for a Sept. 23 open house and 650 guests attended the official ceremony at the Vogel Convention Center.
Former Germany President Horst Köhler served as the main speaker. Additionally, three CEOs of printing companies made short presentations.
The company said hundreds of customers and business partners visited the parent plant.
Visitors got a first-hand look at state-of-the-art production facilities, the new Demo Center for digital and flexo printing presses ‒ soon to be equipped with machines ‒ and a piece of history.
Pictured: CEO Claus Bolza-Schünemann
"Print has been keeping our company and its employees moving for 200 years now," said CEO Claus Bolza-Schünemann. "Even in a digitalized world, it is always an exciting task finding new technologies, solutions and applications for print with which our customers can continue to be successful."
Axel Hentrei, CEO of the Bertelsmann Printing Group in Gütersloh, explained the impact of online media on book, brochure, catalogue, magazine and advertising printing in his short lecture "World of Media."
Hans Schur, owner and CEO of the Danish packaging group Schur International, spoke about the "World of Packaging", and in view of the growing world population, particularly emphasized the often-overlooked role of packaging for the longer shelf lives of foodstuffs.
The "World of Security" was the topic of Ralf Wintergerst, CEO of Giesecke+Devrient in Munich. The CEO of the renowned producer of banknotes and electronic payment systems spoke about the growing risks of cybercrime for electronic and online payment systems, as well as efforts to make physical banknotes as forgery-proof as possible by employing new security features.
Pictured: Prof. Dr. Karsten Kilian
In his concluding short lecture on the "World of Brands," Professor Karsten Kilian said: "A great idea is the basis of every major brand.
"Especially in our times of increasing digitalisation and dynamic change, we need strong brands for orientation," he added.
Pictured: Former German President Horst Köhler
"You can regard these three trends as big trains heading towards each other," said Köhler, who discussed the conflict between the growth of the world population and the scarcity of resources and digitalization.
"Only when we understand how little solutions on only one side of the triangle can help us we will realize what a mammoth task humanity is facing," he continued. "In the future as well, every country must forge its own destiny. But to be successful, we must all keep an eye on much more than just our own anvil.
"In the 21st century, we need nations that realize that they are all sitting in the same boat. We need political answers that merge into a new paradigm of global partnership. We need a global economy that allows all people on earth to live in dignity, without destroying our planet."
Photos courtesy Koenig & Bauer
