Change of guard at imaging technology company.

After 44 years, company founder Wilhelm Stemmer is handing the company over to proven successors.

Wilhelm Stemmer with the two newly
appointed managing directors
Christof Zollitsch & Martin Kersting.

Stemmer Imaging achieved turnover of 88.7 million euros over the twelve months of the business year that has just ended. After adjustment for exchange rates, this means a growth of 6 percent for the company, which is active in 19 countries.

"The biggest increase as a percentage was realised by our branches in Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland", says managing director Christof Zollitsch, explaining the positive result. "It was unfortunate that a substantial growth, especially in the UK but also in Sweden, has been offset due to the depreciation of the local currencies against the Euro."

He said it was particularly pleasing that the portion of turnover attributable to customer services had increased further in the preceding year. "We have extensive resources in this area that enable us to significantly reduce the effort that our customers have to put in to solve their image processing tasks. Our range of services increases our customers' profitability and thus represents a major criterion for co-operating with Stemmer as a preferred partner for all aspects of image processing."

The close of the business year 2016/17 also represents the end of an era: Company founder Wilhelm Stemmer has sold his shares in the company and is retiring from the operative business. 75.04%  of the shares are now held by Munich-based AL-KO AG, parent company of the internationally active AL-KO KOBER SE. As part of the transaction, the proven management team acquired 24.96% of the shares.

"I have been an entrepreneur for 44 years and am now 73 years old. It was time for me to find a sustainable succession plan to ensure the continuation of my life's work", says Wilhelm Stemmer, explaining why he has taken this step. "With AL-KO AG as the majority owner, Stemmer Imaging will continue to be able to tap into future markets and expand them further. From now on Martin Kersting, who has been a partner in the business until now, will control the fortunes of the company as managing director together with Christof Zollitsch, who I also appointed managing director back in 2001. So I know that the company is in the best hands for the future and I wish both of them and indeed the entire workforce all the best for the future."

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