The Voice of Converting & Flextronics
30 minutes of opinion, personality and debate. Our podcasts “The Voice of Converting” and “The Voice of Flextronics” are as entertaining as they are informative – essential for the key players in the converting and flextronics industry.
The Voice of Converting | Sara Alexander (BOBST)
In this episode of The Voice of Converting, we spoke with Sara Alexander, Marketing & Communication Manager Flexible Packaging at BOBST Italia. One major focus of our interview is BOBST's sustainability strategy. General market trends Sara Alexander sees innovations happen in the areas of automation, digitalisation and AI, among other things. "The hottest topic is sustainability," she emphasises. "We want new materials, new structures, new applications, and at the same time we want to get rid of the excess." Major changes ahead According to the industry expert from BOBST, "The flexible packaging world that we have known and have been comfortable with for so many years will evolve and change." Learn more about BOBST's sustainability strategy, Sara Alexander's takeaways from this year's drupa tradeshow in Düsseldorf, and her view on paper as a possible replacement for plastic films!
Read more »The Voice of Converting/Flextronics podcast, is published regularly/once a month. It can be accessed and subscribed to via all known podcast portals, such as Deezer, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The Voice of Converting | Heike Slotta & Phuong Anh Do (FACHPACK)
For our podcast The Voice of Converting, we spoke with Heike Slotta, Executive Director Exhibitions at NürnbergMesse GmbH, and Phuong Anh Do, Manager FACHPACK. NürnbergMesse is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year - and FACHPACK is celebrating with it. Many novelties in the anniversary year Phuong Anh Do looks ahead at FACHPACK 2024 (24-26 September): "We have just reached the final phase of preparation for our supporting programme – and there are actually quite a few things that our visitors can look forward to! Firstly, there is our PACKBOX, which has been firmly established for years and is known as an expert forum for current topics and trends. This time, the first day will focus on the topic of "Market and Consumption". On the second day, we will talk about the circular economy, PPWR and sustainability. And on the third day, we will be focussing on the topic of "Man and Machine" – this also includes artificial intelligence with its challenges and opportunities. According to Heike Slotta, "first and foremost, a trade fair is an exchange platform. The two major issues currently facing the packaging industry are the implementation of EU legislation and the demands that a weakening economy is placing on the market. If fewer products are manufactured, fewer products can be packaged. We want to accompany this change in the packaging industry. As a platform that brings everyone together in one place and provides space for presentations, we play an important role here." Last-minute insights In this 30-minute podcast, you will gain exclusive insights into the work of the FACHPACK organisers and what they anticipate the most.
The Voice of Converting | Julia Fuhrmann & Patricia Sailer (Digital Transformation)
For our podcast The Voice of Converting, we spoke with Julia Fuhrmann and Patricia Sailer. Julia Fuhrmann is Systemic Advisor for Digital Transformation & Sustainable Organisation Development, while Patricia Sailer is Owner of INSUI GmbH - Digital Transformation Consult & INSUI Online Shop “Natural Healthy”. A conversation about the digital potential of SMEs. Achieving strategic goals With our two guests, we are talking about the question of where, when and how the possibilities of digitalisation can be useful for a company's strategic goals. With over 22 years of experience in digitalisation, Fuhrmann and Sailer boast a systemic understanding of the issue at hand, which is the basis for obtaining answers that can also be implemented in practice.
The Voice of Flextronics | Thomas Kolbusch (Coatema)
For our podcast The Voice of Flextronics, we met with Thomas Kolbusch, Vice President at Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH in Dormagen, Germany. A conversation about future technologies, networks and current major projects. From the niche to the high-tech industries ‘Until 2018, we were a family-run, medium-sized plant and mechanical engineering company that, due to global competition, specifically looked for niches in which we had a competitive advantage,’ explains Kolbusch in our podcast. ‘We entered the fuel cell sector at the end of the 1990s with our first pilot systems for coating, printing and lamination. We entered these markets very early on and brought a great deal of expertise with us - not just on the systems, but also on the products and markets. We have multiplied this approach and positioned ourselves in a wide range of high-tech and deep-tech markets.’ Three major projects As part of the podcast, Thomas Kolbusch presents three current major projects involving Coatema: the cooperation with the ALTANA start-up HELIOSONIC, the construction of a large-format OPV production plant in Greece and the IDEEL project, which is highly relevant for the battery sector. https://www.coatema.de
The Voice of Converting | Ilkay Özkisaoglu (Der Social CEO)
In this episode of The Voice of Converting, we talk to Ilkay Özkisaoglu, one of the leading German-speaking voices in the LinkedIn network. A conversation about B2B content creation, reach and algorithms. "One cannot afford to not be on LinkedIn" Özkisaoglu says: "Of course, I believe, one cannot afford to not be on LinkedIn. But there are different personalities. Some people like to show themselves in public and some people don't like to show themselves in public. One of the main reasons is FOPO, "Fear of People's Opinion", i.e. the fear of being judged by other people. Reach is achieved by the people, the employees, the boss, the C-level. LinkedIn is very generous and theoretically grants these people unlimited reach, provided they do it well." Connecting the global workforce According to Özkisaoglu, there are currently 22 million active members in the DACH region. When he signed up in 2008, there were one million. There's still room for improvement! Worldwide, LinkedIn has now cracked the billion mark. However, this platform also has to contend with hackers, fake accounts and dubious zero-follower profiles. Learn more about Özkisaoglu's unique LinkedIn strategy and his personal journey towards becoming "The Social CEO" in our current episode of The Voice of Converting!
The Voice of Converting | Lena Lührmann (Consultant at Visionsalive)
In this episode of The Voice of Converting, we talk to Lena Lührmann, strategy consultant for medium-sized companies specialising in "innovation and securing the future". Securing the future Lührmann says: "Securing the future is actually a general term for the fact that, in my opinion, companies should know their expiry date. In other words, what threatens me, which technologies, which future regulations or political developments will influence and perhaps jeopardise my business area in the future? And that you always push this date of your own obsolescence as far away from you as possible. Securing the future is therefore actually necessary for all areas of the company: Personnel, skilled workers, business model, products, services, digitalisation, etc. Innovation is only a small part of safeguarding the future, but it is not enough to push this expiry date further away and always anticipate what could affect your company next." Image and reality of GenZ Another focus point of our interview: the perception and image of GenZ in the German economy. Lührmann states clearly: "SMEs have everything that GenZ needs and wants. SMEs are actually predestined to see people for what they are, to remain loyal to them, to give them security and variety. But this is simply not yet being used strategically. Conversely, GenZ also needs to understand that adaptation is not a one-way street."
The Voice of Converting | Michael Welsch (AI expert at Octopus Digital GmbH)
In this episode of The Voice of Converting, we talked to AI expert Michael Welsch, who brings generative models such as ChatGPT to the production lines of the converting industry with his company Octopus Digital GmbH. From mechanical engineering to artificial intelligence Welsch started out his career as a mechanical engineer. Then, in 2016, when he was working on his PhD, he met a colleague who had just returned from a conference in Las Vegas. He found the conference itself boring, but there was a hackathon on machine learning at the same hotel. At first, Welsch laughed out loud and wondered what that was supposed to be. This colleague then showed him what it was all about. And overnight he decided to drop everything. "I‘m joining in now! Back then, we already knew where the journey was heading, but we weren‘t quite ready to call it AI yet." Bringing analytical AI into production lines Welsch then founded his first company in 2018 to bring analytical AI into very broadly diversified production lines. Two years ago, the topic of generative AI came up – and now he is working on industry-specific solutions in this area. These primarily include printing, converting and coating machines, which Welsch believes are perfect for AI integration! In our Podcast, Welsch showcases the enormous possibilities of artificial intelligence within the converting sector. And he is certain: "AI is one of the most powerful tools mankind has ever created!"
