Franz Kriechbaum · CEO · manroland Goss · LabelExpo Barcelona 2025

Morten Reitoft from Inkish speaks with Franz Kriechbaum of manroland Goss during LabelExpo in Barcelona.

Franz explains that although many assume manroland Goss has struggled as web offset demand has declined, the company has adapted successfully by focusing on book production and high-speed finishing solutions. He notes that while global book market growth appears small, certain customers, especially in North America, are reporting double-digit growth in book printing, often still using decades-old web offset presses, which creates major upgrade opportunities.

He highlights the company’s FormerLine and FoldLine systems, developed around 2015–2016, originally designed for long runs but now proving ideal for the new generation of high-speed inkjet printers. These digital presses are finally reaching the speeds the FormerLine was built for, up to 50,000 revolutions per hour in continuous operation, and manroland Goss has already sold about 20 units with demand rising strongly, especially from China.

Franz adds that handling delicate papers at very high speeds is a core advantage, rooted in his team’s aerospace engineering expertise. At 60 km/h paper behaves like an airfoil, so manroland Goss uses air-film guidance and other advanced methods to ensure accuracy and stability, which gives them a competitive edge in high-speed web finishing versus traditional sheet-based or lower-speed competitors.

He also discusses the global market outlook. Tariffs in United States add complexity, but manroland Goss can legally mitigate costs through software, local commissioning work, and close partnerships, keeping ROI attractive for US customers. Asia is becoming more active as well. Historically content with “good enough” technology, the region now seeks higher performance driven by inkjet growth, where manroland Goss already has proven solutions.

While many still associate the company only with newspaper presses, Franz emphasizes their diversification. Alongside web offset, they now serve digital book production and are expanding into packaging. After years of underinvestment by the market, book printing is resurging, and manroland Goss’s experience with high-speed web paper handling positions them well to meet this new demand.