Klaus Otto made the Düsseldorf event his tenth and final Drupa as he finally retired, after 48 years with the company.

Otto originally joined Polar as a commercial apprentice and rose through the ranks to become sales manager.

During his time at Polar, he gained experience in service, advertising and sales management.

In his early days with the company he spent six months in the UK to improve his English. He watched the 1966 World Cup in the country and played for his local South Kenton Football Club, which later visited the club he supported back in Germany for a match.

During his career, he saw several major changes in print and at Polar. He has survived the patent on Autotrim, which marked a leap forward in label-cutting technology and the arrival of automated PACE (Polar Automation for Cutting Efficiency) systems.

Mark Hogan, marketing manager at Heidelberg UK, adds: "Klaus Otto's first experience with the UK was in 1966 when England beat Germany in the World Cup, so to survive that and go on to have a close working relationship over all the succeeding years is a credit to him.

"We will miss his calm temperament and his deep understanding of the cutting market."

Despite his retirement, Otto has admitted he may show up at Drupa in 2012.