Heidelberg's Schreier Gives Farewell Speech to Industry Journalists (Video)

HEIDELBERG, GERMANY—Dec. 12, 2012—Bernhard Schreier, retiring CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, paid a surprise visit to a group of U.S. and European journalists who were touring Heidelberg's Wiesloch-Walldorf facility in Germany on Tuesday.

Relaxed and in good spirits after running the press manufacturing company for almost 13 years, Schreier said he wanted to meet one last time with industry journalists, including North American Publishing Co. titles In-Plant Graphics (IPG), Printing Impressions and packagePRINTING, to thank them for their years of coverage of Heidelberg.

IPG Editor Bob Neubauer captured Schreier's address, which he said was his last official action with Heidelberg, on video. To emphasize the finality of the act, when Schreier had finished speaking, he removed his red Heidelberg tie for the last time and presented it to the journalist he has known the longest—Yvon Guémard, editor of the French graphic arts magazine Caractère.

Schreier said he felt good about new CEO Gerold Linzbach since he had wanted the new CEO to come from outside the industry to bring some new perspective. "It was an ideal choice," he said.

Schreier said he has no plans to look for a new company to run, but noted that he will continue to monitor the printing industry from retirement. "I'm so close to the business that I will carefully observe what's happening around the world in this industry," he commented.