Bobst has appointed Detlef Merklinger as head of product line coating and has strengthened the team of specialists dedicated to this market sector.
The strategy is to expand capabilities and product offering to further develop additional segments, including paper coating & laminating, labelstock, tape production, siliconising, aluminium lacquering, and printed electronics.
Mr Merklinger has held a number of senior management positions during his 20 year career in the converting industry, with special expertise in all aspects of label stock production and markets.
‘I am pleased to welcome back Detlef Merklinger and wish him well as he joins the management team of the Business Unit Web-fed. The deep knowledge and international experience of the converting market that he has developed and brings along is the ideal background for heading our Product Line Coating,’ said Erik Bothorel, head of the Business Unit Web-fed. ‘We are confident that he will leverage our leading-edge technology through his market knowledge to strengthen our leadership rank and achieve our growth objectives in the Coating sector.’
The company’s core competences in coating are based in the production plant of Bobst Italia in San Giorgio Monferrato, in northern Italy. With more than 50 years of experience in gravure printing, coating methods, drying systems and web substrate handling, the facility is the company’s centre of excellence for gravure printing, laminating and coating technologies.
‘I have been very impressed by the engineering excellence and operational efficiency of BOBST coating solutions. I look forward to building on the momentum behind the growth of recent years to further expand our hold in the global market,’ commented Mr Merklinger. ‘Planned investment in Bobst Italia’s Technology Centre will also enable widening of the range of applications available for R&D testing and trial runs for new developments in coating technologies.’
