Founder of the Muller Martini group Hans Müller has died aged 96.

A business which began with the invention of a first pad and booklet stitching machine in 1946 has evolved a global group of international renown.

Müller established several milestones for the industrial production of print products. The pad stitcher was followed by a first perfect binder, and then the first saddle stitcher with automatic signature feeders and a three-knife trimmer in 1954. At the same time, he increased production speeds from the 1000 cph current then to four times that.

In 1956, ‘flying stitching heads’ astounded the industry and brought further increase in speed.

Growth followed with the founding of the Grapha printing press factory in 1964, integration of the Swiss Martini business in 1969 and that of German VBF Buchtechnologie in 1998, as well as the development of a worldwide sales and service network.

Muller was happy to have managed to provide “our discerning customers” with innovative and market-driven solutions in the form of our machines.

“Some solutions were developed in response to suggestions by customers and in close cooperation with them,” he once said in an interview. Another important factor for success was the high esteem in which the company holds its employees. “I find it highly gratifying that I could give many people interesting tasks.”

An indication of his deep commitment to the company and its employees was that he went almost daily to his office in Zofingen, even into his advanced years.