Langley’s own man for Offenbach

Only a week after meeting with manroland’s Offenbach workers to proclaim he was now one of them with the words, “ich bin ein Rolander,” the sheet fed business’s new British owner, Tony Langley, has appointed a new head of the company from his own ranks.

Langley this week appointed Alfred Rothlaender, former head of German machinery manufacturer Claudius Peters, as the new chief of manroland’s Offenbach sheet fed business. Rothlaender, who is German, was also head of the Piller Group, a Hanover-based producer of heavy electrical systems for data centres between 2005 and 2008, following Langley’s acquisition of that company.

Although Rothlaender (pictured) retired in 2010, he and Langley had kept in touch, and he had offered his services to Langley should the British industrialist acquire another German-based company.

Now that his company, Langley Holdings, has done just that with manroland’s Offenbach division, Langley has wasted no time in making use of Rothlaender’s offer.

“Alfred knows exactly how we work when taking on a new business,” says Langley. “He is a vastly experienced MD who I know can be relied on during the transition between the former institutional management style of manroland AG and the leaner more flexible way that our companies do things.”