Executive Q&A: Carrington Herbert

As part of our continuing series where we talk to executives from all around the industry, this week we spoke to Carrington Herbert, national sales director for Muller Martini.

PN: Tell me a little about your company, the segment of the market it serves, and what you consider to be your “core” users.

CH: Muller Martini is a family-owned company founded in Switzerland in 1946 by Hans Muller. His son, Rudy, is now chairman of the board and nephew, Bruno, chief executive officer. Muller is the world’s largest provider of finishing equipment, serving all markets in the printing industry from small to large. Our company actually evolved from a small-equipment provider to where we are today: global market coverage that includes the world’s largest print manufacturers.

The core users of Muller Martini equipment are the small to mid-size printers who rely on us to give them the best possible equipment at a competitive price. That’s how we built our company—by providing reliable, technologically advanced machinery which leads to a printer’s success and growth. That in turn leads to more equipment in the future and more growth. Our customer’s success leads to our success. That’s our philosophy.

PN: How did you get involved with the company?

What is your background?

CH: I started in the industry in the mid-1970s when I was hired to work at William Byrd Press in Virginia by my colleague, Wallace Stettinius. Wally is one of the industry’s premiere thought leaders. He authored the classic handbook “The Printer’s Guide to Profitability,” and was a pioneer in web production. He grew Byrd from a one-site operation into the multi-plant Cadmus Corp.

When I started with William Byrd, there wasn’t any Muller Martini machinery in the plant. As a department head in charge of production and productivity, it was my job to investigate new equipment, and I realized that the user friendliness and makeready capability of the Muller equipment was essential to our growth and development. So, within five years we had three Muller Martini stitchers and one perfect binder.

Through the acquisition of that equipment I got to know a lot of people at Muller Martini and grew to respect them and the company. And, when I was given the opportunity to “jump the fence,” I did so. I think what’s most interesting—and beneficial—about my background is that I come from the printer’s side. I understand the way printers think, and I feel their pain. And that experience has also allowed me to appreciate first-hand the expertise and commitment of an organization like Muller Martini.

PN: What do you consider your greatest achievement in this market to be?

CH: That would probably be the friendships I’ve made within the industry; relationships that have been built on trust, partnerships, and mutual respect. Seeing my colleagues’ operations grow and be successful has been extremely rewarding.

PN: If there was anything you could change, either about your career in regards to the print industry, your company, or the market as a whole, what would it be and why?

CH: I think improving the way we cultivate new talent is something that’s become perhaps the industry’s biggest challenge. It’s interesting to note that in almost every state graphic arts is named as one of the top four manufacturing sectors in terms of people employed. But, frankly, I’ve never had any young person say to me “I want to go into the print business.”

The encouraging news is that the industry as a whole is on a recruitment movement. Lots of colleges and technical schools are offering programs that encourage graphic arts skill sets, but we still need to get away from the mindset that printing is mostly about “ink under the fingernails.” Ours is a huge industry, but it has been unable to transition from an artisan industry into one of high tech. And, the bottom line is that’s the real challenge: redirecting mindsets.