Under the leadership of Peter Steinbeck, the Windmöller & Hölscher (W&H) team played a significant role in shaping the global flexible packaging market. As CEO and a longtime CSO, as well as a member of the W&H board, a family-owned German engineering company with a 155-year history, he played a pivotal role in transforming the company into a global leader in machinery used to produce flexible packaging. His work has helped drive innovation, job creation, and sustainable growth on an international scale. He helped to foster a strong, family-oriented workplace culture, reflected in an average employee tenure of 18 years at the German headquarters, often spanning multiple generations.
Since joining W&H in 1992 and becoming a board member in 1998, Steinbeck oversaw a quadrupling of company revenues—from €300 million to €1.2 billion by 2023—and a 64% growth in employment. W&H’s growth outpaced global market growth, cementing W&H’s status as a technology leader through sustained investment in research and development. During his tenure on the board, the company consistently allocated 8% of its revenues to research and development (R&D), fostering numerous groundbreaking technologies and securing over 1,800 patents.
A passionate proponent of sustainability, W&H introduced the “Greenovation” strategy in 2009 to reduce energy and resource consumption. This initiative evolved into a comprehensive ESG-aligned corporate policy by 2022. Steinbeck and other Board members also recognized the disruptive potential of the COVID-19 pandemic early and ensured business continuity by deploying global service personnel and securing supply chains.
During Steinbeck’s tenure, W&H expanded its manufacturing footprint with a major facility in the Czech Republic and co-founded AVENTUS, a strategic joint venture with competitor Haver & Boecker, to lead the form-fill-seal market segment. The company’s commitment to technical excellence is evident in W&H’s 100,000-square-foot Technology Center, the world’s largest in its field, which supports innovation through trials, demonstrations, and application testing.
With roots in mechanical engineering and an MBA from INSEAD, Steinbeck’s career also included roles at Hewlett-Packard and Jagenberg before joining W&H. He has long been active in industry organizations, serving on the K show advisory board for over two decades and engaging deeply with VDMA and the Flexible Packaging Association.
Now a member of W&H’s Supervisory Board, Peter Steinbeck’s lifelong contributions reflect not only business success but also a steadfast dedication to technological progress, industry collaboration, and global sustainability in the plastics industry. All in all, Steinbeck left a lasting mark on the company by leading sales and building incredible partnerships and friendships with customers worldwide.