As of today (1 April), the Digital Unit, which had previously operated under the group’s umbrella, will be a wholly-owned subsidiary, Koenig & Bauer Kyana GmbH, that will be part of the Special & New Technologies segment.
Sandra Wagner, previously VP of digitalisation at Koenig & Bauer, has been appointed managing director of Koenig & Bauer Kyana.
The new independent entity will continue to concentrate on the development of digital business models “as well as AI and data-driven solutions” throughout the entire life cycle of print products.
“We are convinced that this strategic spin-off, combined with the concentration and consolidation of our outstanding expertise in the field of digitalisation, will make a significant contribution to the long-term success of our company,” said Koenig & Bauer CEO Dr Andreas Pleßke.
The Digital Unit was originally launched in 2022 as part of the group strategy, ‘Exceeding Print’.
Wagner added: “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. With Koenig & Bauer Kyana, we are creating the necessary organisational structure of an agile software company, which enables us to respond even faster and more comprehensively to the needs of our customers.”
Koenig & Bauer said the unit’s transformation into an independent software company would enable the targeted development and expansion of specialised areas such as digital sales, a dedicated onboarding and support team, and sustained customer care through customer success management.
The Digital Unit has launched several products used by customers to optimise their own production processes. These have included the myKyana central portal for digital products; Kyana Assist, an AI-powered chatbot for fast assistance and problem solving; Kyana Data, an intelligent production data analysis tool; and energy management system VisuEnergy X.
In addition to the products in the Kyana ecosystem, Koenig & Bauer said the digital product portfolio was being expanded by the Connected Packaging offering presented by the company at Drupa last year.
Meanwhile, the existing digital product portfolio of Koenig & Bauer Kyana will be constantly expanded with further AI and data-driven applications.
“Digitalisation is a central driver for innovation and progress in our industry,” said Christian Steinmaßl, who as a member of the group management is responsible for various business units in the newly created Special & New Technologies segment.
“With Koenig & Bauer Kyana, we are in a position to bundle expertise in the field of digitalisation in a more targeted manner. Growth in this promising market segment will be further driven forward while maintaining close links with the group strategy.”
Koenig & Bauer Kyana will continue to work closely with the manufacturer’s other business units “to leverage synergies and offer customers a holistic solution”.
