British investor Tony Langley has brought the lieutenant of his two German businesses out of retirement to head the sheetfed press business he bought from the manroland insolvency administrator.

"He knows exactly how we work," says Langley.

German Alfred Rothlaender (66) is the man named to head manroland sheetfed systems GmbH. He was formerly head of machinery builder Claudius Peters when Langley bought  in 2001, and  went on to head another Langley acquisition, Piller Group, which makes heavy electrical systems for data centres, from 2005-2008. He retired in  20industry's he industry veteran is back to help Langley with his latest project.

Marketing organisations in South East Asia - expected to represent the Possehl-owned web systems busibess- are part of the Langley Group package.

Says Langley: “Alfred knows exactly how we work when taking on a new business.

"He is a vastly experienced managing director 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”.