Heidelberg - still the world's biggest printing machine maker - has named Martin Sonnenschein as the new chairman of its supervisory board.

Things have changed since Sonnenschein wrote his thesis at Heidelberg 30 years ago, and the new chairman says the time is right to seize opportunities offered by digitisation, technological change and new customer requirements.

"The current economic situation is making it more difficult," he says. "The demands on expanding expertise, speed of change and innovation are high. Profitability must increase in order to have scope for the transformation that has begun and for new markets."

Sonnenschein, who is 55, is partner and managing director of management consultancy A.T. Kearney, where he has implemented a variety of large digital transformation programmes and industrial growth and innovation projects around the world.

A new 2019 innovation ranking puts Heidelberg at the top of the sector as one of the 25 most innovative companies in Germany.