Interview with Tim Rudersdorf, Managing Director of ProTec Polymer Processing GmbH

Mr. Rudersdorf, what is the greatest benefit of digital transformation?
I think the greatest benefit of digital transformation is in interpersonal communication, because it enables a significant increase in employee efficiency. We have a very high wage level in Europe but are facing international competition. We cannot afford to operate with the same manpower as companies in countries where wage levels are lower. Conversely, this means that our employees must achieve higher productivity, which can be achieved through digitalisation.

What does that mean in concrete terms?
I would like to focus on sales. I have been working in B2B business in the plastics industry for many years. We know from studies that buyers in the manufacturing industry today use other channels for sourcing than visits from sales reps. When seeking equipment for a project, they first conduct research on the internet first, so their method is digital. They obtain a lot of information about products, possible suppliers, and even about the contact persons listed on the website. It’s only further down the line in the decision-making process, when the sourcing is already very far advanced, that a personal meeting will take place, which can now also take place virtually. As a supplier, we are therefore close to the customer despite the physical distance, enabling us to deploy our sales staff much more efficiently. Of course, personal visits will still take place. In the future, it will be important to find a good balance.

Has the pandemic accelerated this process?
Absolutely. We were able to significantly increase our order intake last year, even though trade fairs were almost non-existent. We have therefore rebuilt our online presence with a new website, our own social media channels, and a considerable amount of new content. Customer enquiries and ultimately orders are generated through this online presence. The pandemic has shown us that digitalisation plays a key role for us on the way to additional growth.

What role does digitalisation play at a later stage in terms of the cooperation with customers? Are they ready to exchange data yet?
There are still some hurdles to overcome for customers to rely on data exchange in the digital transformation. For example, if we received production data from a customer’s plant, we could tell them how to operate the machine more efficiently in the process. It is still comparatively easy to convince small and medium-sized companies of these advantages, where we are often in close contact with the managing directors. With large international corporations, it’s so much more difficult, as they usually have IT guidelines that make the digital transformation more difficult due to security reasons.

Is it necessary then for you to improve security?
On the one hand, as suppliers, as machine builders, we must be able to offer solutions of that nature for secure data exchange in the first place. But we only do that when there is a need. People have been talking about Industry 4.0 for years, but in my experience, many companies have been reluctant to use it for fear of losing know-how.

Could the experience of the Corona pandemic help to initiate a rethink in this field?
For sure. When customers’ machines failed unexpectedly in 2020 and 2021 because service technicians were no longer allowed to enter plants, we tried to solve the problems via data glasses or mobile phones with cameras. If those customers had opened up to us a little beforehand, allowing us, as their supplier, access to productivity levels, times, processed quantities and other framework parameters of their plants, it would probably have been possible to notice that something was not going right before the breakdown. I feel that the experience of the last two years has increased the pressure on customers. They know they have to do something. We are seeing a surge in maintenance contracts. That is a first step. Preventive maintenance, for which data exchange is essential, will hopefully follow.

The government is relying heavily on digitalisation. Is it doing enough in this respect?
Politicians are already quite supportive. There are many opportunities for companies to apply for funding. We have also done that, and the funds from theFederal Ministry of Research help us a lot in financing our digitalisation projects. For example, if we want to offer our customers secure data exchange in the future, we will need a qualification process for our employees. This is exactly what the ministry supports in our case. We can therefore not only offer customers secure predictive maintenance, but also make it easier for employees to operate the machines. This represents great added value, especially in times of skilled worker shortages.

Avery Dennison Corporation
(NYSE: AVY) today shared details of two major investments aimed at expanding its manufacturing capacity and improving factory efficiency in Europe to meet growing demand for its label and packaging materials.

The company said it is one year into a three-year, €45 million expansion of its facilities at Champ-sur-Drac, France. Enhancements include five new logistical buildings covering more than 8,700 square meters, a new automated warehouse, and an additional high-speed, state-of-the art hotmelt adhesive coater, scheduled to come online during 2024.

At its Luxembourg facility specializing in labels made with acrylic emulsion adhesives, the company has undertaken a €15 million project to redesign operational flow and add a new emulsion speciality coater. The coater is expected to come online during the first quarter of 2023.

“Our investments at Champs-sur-Drac and Luxembourg will allow us to meet customer demand now and into the future by freeing capacity throughout our European manufacturing network”, said Tim Presto, vice president of supply chain & operations, EMENA.

The expansions at both Luxembourg and Champs-sur-Drac will enhance the reliability of service for customers by strengthening the company’s already robust network of manufacturing plants and distribution centers across Europe. Finally, these expansions will take us a step closer to fully embracing Industry 4.0 practices that increase efficiency, reduce operating costs, and free our employees to perform safer, higher-value tasks.

Reintroduction of the returnable PET bottle to the Austrian market

The ALPLA Group, the global packaging solutions and recycling specialist, has developed a new returnable PET bottle together with Vöslauer, Austria’s leading company in the mineral water market. The sustainable bottle reduces carbon emissions by around 30 per cent and bottle weight by almost 90 per cent in comparison to the reusable alternative made of glass. The one-litre bottles are now available in stores.

Resource-conserving, light, stable and visually appealing – ALPLA has realised the first modern returnable PET bottle for the Austrian market together with Vöslauer. Following the 2018 introduction of a climate-friendly bottle made entirely of recycled PET, the two family-owned enterprises are now rolling out their next innovative solution – a one-litre returnable PET bottle. The bottle, which bears the Austrian Ecolabel, is made of fully recyclable PET monomaterial with a recyclate proportion of around 30 per cent. Going through at least twelve usage cycles, the bottles are estimated to remain in use for three to four years.

The bottle was unveiled on 20 April 2022 in the presence of Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler and Alexander Egit, Managing Director of Greenpeace in Central and Eastern Europe. ‘The majority of Austrians want to see returnable containers on the supermarket shelves. PET is the environmentally sensible addition to our product range. As the market leader in the deposit segment, we are the first company in Austria to create a light and practical alternative,’ explain the two Vöslauer Managing Directors Birgit Aichinger and Herbert Schlossnikl. The new product replaces the previous one-litre two-way PET bottle with a deposit.

Light, stable, climate-friendly
‘People want to consume sustainably. Although returnable PET is the optimum packaging solution, there wasn’t a single product of this kind in the Austrian market until now. The returnable PET bottle developed together with Vöslauer illustrates how demand, a sense of responsibility, a hunger for innovation and technological expertise can reduce the carbon footprint,’ emphasises Rainer Widmar, Managing Director, Central and Eastern Europe, at ALPLA.

Weighing just 55 grams, the bottle developed by ALPLA is around 90 per cent lighter than the returnable glass alternative, reducing the carbon footprint by approximately 30 per cent. The low weight has a positive influence on production, shipment and storage of the containers. With the introduction of the returnable PET bottle, Vöslauer will make an annual saving of approximately 400 tonnes of material and 420 tonnes of CO₂.