Goss International has made a surprise move to replace its chief executive, with Richard Nichols taking over from Jochen Meissner with immediate effect.

Nichols does not have an industry background. He was previously president of Terex Cranes, part of a large global construction and mining group.  Nichols describes himself as having "a high-impact record of building, growing and turning around global businesses across an array of commercial and industrial segments."

Meissner had been CEO since 2008, and had worked at the company for a decade.

Goss is owned by giant Chinese conglomerate Shanghai Electric. The company said it had "confidence in Goss and the printing industry" and expects Goss to be "an even stronger industry leader in future".

In a statement announcing Nichols’ appointment, Goss said: "The board expects that the Goss management team, headed by Mr. Nichols, will undertake active and effective measures to stabilize and expand the Goss leadership position in the industry.

"Relying on Shanghai Electric’s support and Goss' own distinctive capabilities, Goss will optimize the allocation of resources to enhance innovation and responsiveness to customers and market demands, within a culture that fosters an inspiring and challenging working environment. This will propel the company to a new level of performance, to meet and exceed the strategic goals of the board."

No further comment was available at the time of writing.

A month ago Meissner hailed the firm’s performance at Drupa, with 11 orders for web presses sealed at the show, along with the worldwide launch of its new Sunday Vpak web for the packaging market.