Gillard, who joined the German manufacturer’s UK operation 33 years ago, has been effectively managing the southern sales team since 1990, under various roles. He has been in his current role for the past five years and will move on to run Heidelberg UK’s national secondhand sales operation.
Neil Fletcher, currently consumables sales manager, will replace him as southern sales manager from 1 April.
Northern consumables manager Andrew Hall will move into Fletcher’s role.
Gillard said Fletcher was “a natural successor” and, as someone who customers knew and trusted, was in an ideal position to do well.
“I’m 62 years old. Drupa was the right time to step down in favour of a younger man who’s going to be around for the next 15 or 20 years and that can be with a customer for the next five or 10 years,” he told PrintWeek.
“Relationship building at Drupa is really important. It’s my choice and Drupa was the right time to have a new face on board. Neil helped Heidelberg UK build up consumables, so it’s a natural progression for him. He comes from a print background and knows the customers very well.”
Fletcher, who will have been with Heidelberg 16 years next week, will now be responsible for the crucial 10 days of exhibiting and entertaining at Drupa, which will run from 31 May to 10 June in Dusseldorf, Germany.
“We hope to get customers out there, to see the stand and be with us for the duration of the trip. Most of our customers I already know and it will be good to spend some time with them. I’m chuffed to bits about the job, it’s great,” he said.
Following Drupa Fletcher said he wanted to make more use of a combined sales force, across pre-press, post-press and consumables, and focus on Impress Control sales and the digital market. But he added that Heidelberg’s broad portfolio enabled colleagues to give objective advice.
“LE-UV and LED-UV are definitely growing. It fits some customers, not others. All options are available and together with Inpress Control it’s a powerful set-up,” he added.
Despite his experience, Fletcher said the post was not without challenges.
“The market is still shrinking, margins are very difficult to come by,” he said. “That’s the biggest challenge, making sure our customers can make the right decisions to make the right money. We are hopeful we’ll have a good Drupa.”
Gillard said his new job was a “going into retirement” role but he still has big ambitions for his new division.
“Heidelberg UK hasn’t really got into used machinery compared to some agencies around the world. But Inpress Control is a big USP for Heidelberg and we can retrofit it. We can offer warrantees and we can offer service. Customers need somebody that understand that product to push that forward. I think it’s a big market.”
