Virtual maintenance support for customers
IDM: This leads us to the topic of sustainability. What is IMA Dairy
& Food doing here?
Becker: Our main raw material is stainless steel. In Germany for
example green material is increasingly used, which brings immense
additional costs with it. As far as competitiveness in Europe is concerned,
we really have to keep an eye on these additional costs.
IDM: Attempts are being made everywhere to replace plastics with
“natural” packaging materials. How does it look in your area?
Interview ¦ IDM
Becker: Alternatives are limited. Glass is a niche in the dairy market
and not at all the big ecological alternative. If you use paper-based
packaging, it must be coated. That makes recycling difficult. In the
long term we see PP and PET as the best packaging materials for our
target markets.
IDM: Let's come back to the consequences of the pandemic. How
will the contact with your customers be handled in the future?
Becker: The restrictions imposed by the pandemic have of course
greatly encouraged virtual meetings. As a consequence we are now
doing virtual FATs (factory acceptance tests). Our machines can all be
integrated into the customer's control systems so that there is less
need to visit the site. Nevertheless, meetings cannot be omitted in the
long run, because it is not just the machines alone that are at stake.
The personal conversation cannot be replaced by virtual meetings.
However, we now revaluate the importance of trade fair events differently.
Events organized in an annual cycle are losing importance,
while events organized in multi-year rotation which take into consideration
our innovation cycle are unlikely to lose their importance.
One of the new pillars of Hassia: vertical FFS machines
for sachets
Easy breakable PET multipacks realized with the tools of
ZERO Technology.
July/August 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com · 11
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