About Management

President

As President and Managing Director, Manfred Janoschka manages the entire Janoschka network and in particular looks after the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region, the Benelux countries, Central Europe and Russia. He founded the company as a trained gravure retoucher in 1976. His motivation was clear: he wanted to be better than the competition and as a result more successful. From the outset he placed the customer’s wish at the focal point of his entrepreneurial activity. The best possible result for every individual customer was his stated objective. He has stayed loyal to this principle up to today and transmits it to his staff with a great deal of inner conviction. This is because they are the decisive key figures for him: as sources of expertise on the one hand and as the customers’ trusted contacts on the other. In contrast, the professional use of modern technologies as well as well-founded knowledge of target markets are obvious prerequisites for successful work in his view. Manfred Janoschka has also developed a global network decisively and with a clear vision over more than 30 years in order to safeguard geographical and cultural proximity to his customers.

Managing Director

As an executive shareholder, Michael Janoschka is responsible for company activities in Central and South America and in Iberia. As an industrial engineer, he gathered five years of versatile industrial experience after his studies in Madrid and Berlin and also worked in the interim as an independent consultant in quality assurance and organisational management for two years. He joined Grabaciones Janoschka in Barcelona as chief executive in 2003. With his sure eye for customer and market requirements he made a decisive contribution to Janoschka’s successful positioning in the South American market. By 2006 he had already taken on responsibility for all of the subsidiaries in Iberia and South America. One year later he facilitated direct entry into the brands business in Spain by founding a new subsidiary Janoschka Barcelona. Expansion into Central America via a subsidiary in Mexico is also due to his pronounced ability to identify and exploit growth potential.

Managing Director

As an executive shareholder, Alexander Janoschka promotes corporate strategic and organisational development. Before his studies as a communications designer, he worked in various sectors of the printing industry in the US. Furthermore, he deepened his professional experience through stays in France, Portugal and Denmark. After successfully completing his studies, he worked as an entrepreneur with his own marketing and web design agency in Berlin. He completed his broad educational spectrum with an MBA through further general management studies in Sydney and St. Gallen, before joining the company at the start of 2008. With his keen feeling for people and markets he ensures the successful strategic orientation of the company based on current market requirements and customer needs. Moreover, he further develops internal processes and structures to bundle all of the competences and potentials inside the rapidly growing corporate network meaningfully and to make these genuinely usable.

Business Unit Manager Printers

Rudi Weis-Schiff is a renowned gravure expert, who knows how to develop and look after international customer relations. He began training as a gravure retoucher at Janoschka in 1982. Thanks to commitment, energy and decisiveness he became qualified for responsible management tasks in a very short time frame. After a three-year stay in the US and relevant experience in the gravure industry, the development of the first foreign subsidiary came under his responsibility in 1991. Starting from Gravure d' Azur in Avignon, Weis-Schiff successively developed the company’s position in the French market and also opened up other Southern European countries for Janoschka. Today, beyond France’s borders, he also looks after our customers in the Asian region.

Business Unit Manager Brands

With his multi-faceted competence profile, Stefan Hilss is the contact partner for all players in the brands business, as in his case technical and graphical know-how go hand in hand with international project management experience. He began his career at Janoschka in 1989 with training as a media designer. An educational stay in California, US, followed in 1994. Two years later he returned to Janoschka to support various expansion projects in a position of responsibility. Among other things, he was involved in developing the subsidiary in Malaysia as technical Manager for three years. On returning to Germany he took over the implementation of the direct laser system in gravure cylinder production as project manager in 2001 in addition to other special tasks. When business with local and international brand owners became more important in 2003, Stefan Hilss developed a new team with a wide range of tasks for this target market. He has been head of SBU Brands since 2009.

Business Unit Manager Tobacco

Thierry Muller is an accomplished expert in the special demands of the tobacco industry. When he joined Janoschka in 1995, he initially worked for a year as an engraver and then gathered comprehensive experience in the step&repeat, reproduction and customer service areas in a responsible position. In 1999 he went to France for a year. By combining technological competence, a spirit of innovation and a focus on customers, Thierry Muller has an extraordinarily strong ability to develop individual special solutions. With his problem-solving skills, he has made an essential contribution to satisfying our customers in the tobacco industry since 2002. He took over management of SBU Tobacco in 2010.

Business Unit Manager Flexo

Rainer Geiger distinguishes himself as a printing technician with many years of versatile professional experience through his wide knowledge of all printing processes. He joined Janoschka in 1998 and contributed this expertise for over ten years, most recently as department manager in the printing and processing technology area. He promoted the topics of standardisation, print optimisation and quality assurance in theory and practice, with commitment and know-how. From 2007 to 2009, he switched to become Key Account & Operations manager in direct customer care. As his marked management and leadership qualities were also persuasive in addition to his specialist competence, he took over the general management of Fentsch Packaging Solutions in mid 2009. As the manager of SBU Flexo he works on the targeted amalgamation of all flexo printing competences and resources inside the Janoschka-network, to serve the specific needs of the packaging industry and decor market as effectively as possible.

Business Unit Manager Bases & Sleeves

Jörg Günther is the specialist in bases and sleeves of all types as well as unusual special applications. In-depth know-how in printing form manufacturing and a knowledge of the widest variety of target markets qualify him for the development of innovative technologies and customer-oriented solutions. After his graphic technology studies at the Technical University of Chemnitz Jörg Günther joined the Janoschka subsidiary SWG as technical manager in 1986. An increasing number of international business relationships came within his set of tasks from 1988. As the export manager he was a central link to South America, Eastern Europe and in the Near East. He has been a member of the SWG management since 1990. In addition, he manages SBU Bases and Sleeves inside the Janoschka network.

General Manager Finance & Administration

As a business management graduate, Oscar Lechner is the expert for figures, finance and administration. He completed his business management studies in Augsburg, Regensburg and in St. Gallen and also deepened his knowledge of controlling and finance during a one and a half year stay in the US. With approximately 20 years of professional experience in internationally operating medium-sized companies Oscar Lechner joined Janoschka as the chief executive for the Kippenheim site in 2000. Since then he has played a key role in the development and expansion of the international corporate structure and is responsible for the administration and finance areas.

General Manager Technology

Lothar Roth is our source of know-how for technology questions, standardisation and quality assurance. He has been in the company since 1980. He initially completed training in image processing, but very soon gave this field a new dimension at Janoschka through his researching spirit and methodical work. In particular, he did remarkable pioneering work during the digitisation of prepress via the application of new technologies to the special requirements of packaging printing. Today he is responsible for all research and development activities as well the offering from the Janoschka Academy. In addition, he supervises the entire technical area from reproduction through colour management to the use of workflow systems.