Nonprofit-owned Possehl Group is backing further investment in manroland Goss by buying out its partner in the newspaper and commercial web subsidiary.
The Lübeck, Germany-based corporate, which had owned 51 per cent of manroland Goss Web Systems, is now buying the holding of American Industrial Partners, the company which had owned Goss before the merger.
Possehl says that, with full acquisition, it is consolidating managerial responsibility for manroland Goss under a single ownership structure, supporting investments in the product portfolio, service, spare parts supply and retrofits. Founded in 1847 and wholly owned by the nonprofit Possehl Foundation for more than 100 years, it has ten operationally independent business divisions and more than 200 companies employing about 13,000 people in more than 30 countries.
Board chairman Joachim Brenk said the move creates a long-term foundation for strategic investment in technology, product development, and support of the installed base of presses. “This includes the further development of the product portfolio, new solutions and the expansion of service, spare parts supply and retrofits.”
With day-to-day operations unchanged, the strategic focus will continue to follow two main directions:
–first, the new-equipment business for system solutions in packaging, book, commercial, and newspaper printing, as well as digital post-press; and
–second, the customer-oriented expansion of aftermarket solutions. Existing contacts, contracts, and terms and conditions, as well as ongoing projects, will continue as before. Delivery dates and service obligations will also remain in effect.
manroland Goss says the long-term ownership structure provides “additional planning certainty” for the support of the installed machine base – from spare parts supply and the service network to retrofit offerings throughout the entire service life of the machines.
manroland Goss chief executive Franz Kriechbaum said the move gives manroland Goss a clear ownership structure and a robust financial foundation: “For our customers, this means, above all, continuity and planning certainty – in terms of investments, service, and the long-term support of their machines.
“At the same time, we can consistently continue our technological development and our portfolio of solutions.”
German-owned manroland web systems and US-owned Goss International (but not its Contiweb subsidiary) merged in August 2018. AIP had bought Goss International and its subsidiaries from Shanghai Electric Corporation, which acquired Goss in 2010.
Possehl acquired the webfed division of manroland in 2012, after the company had filed for insolvency the previous year. The sheetfed press business and its international marketing organisation was sold to UK industrial group Langley Holdings. Following the insolvency of Manroland Sheetfed this year, the global service and spare parts operations were sold to rival Heidelberg.
Pictured top, from left: Franz Kriechbaum with Joachim Brenk; (above) the manroland Goss Augsburg site (photo: Industriepark Augsburg)