The Voice of Converting & Flextronics

In this episode, we sit down with Charlotte Leitner, Event Lead for ICE Europe, and Rebecca Moorcroft, Product Marketing Manager at RX Global, to discuss the future of the world's leading trade fairs for the converting industry. Our guests share insights into the strategic evolution of ICE Europe and explain how the event is becoming a continuous platform for industry dialogue, innovation, knowled...

What really determines competitiveness today – technology or psychology? In this episode of the podcast ‘The Voice of Converting,’ editor-in-chief Martin Hirschmann talks to Wolfgang Drexler, managing director of foresmind GmbH, about neuropsychological leadership and why ‘people still think like they did in the Stone Age’ even though we live in an AI-driven world. Between Generation Z, AI and the...

Auf der LOPEC sind Start-ups mehr als nur eine Ergänzung – sie sind eine treibende Kraft für Innovationen im Bereich der gedruckten und flexiblen Elektronik. In dieser Folge von „The Voice of Flextronics“ sprechen wir mit Armin Wittmann, Messeleiter der LOPEC, und John Fahlteich, CEO von KETMarket, darüber, wie junge Unternehmen auf der Veranstaltung aktiv unterstützt werden und warum der LOPEC St...

From 23 to 25 September 2025, the packaging industry will once again gather at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg for FACHPACK, the European Trade Fair for Packaging, Technology and Processes. Around 1,400 exhibitors are expected to attend, spread across 11 exhibition halls. Trade visitors can look forward to a wealth of products and services related to packaging, as well as a high-calibre supporting...

PLACE stands for Polymers, Laminates, Adhesives, Coatings and Extrusion. The conference has been taking place every two years since 1991 in different European cities. The next conference will be on 26-28 May 2025 at Le Méridien Hotel, Munich. For this issue of The Voice of Converting, we sat down with Anna Helgert (Dow), European PLACE Committee Chair, Peter Gellerich (Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & C...

In our podcast ‘The Voice of Converting’, we spoke to Cordula Schulz, Owner and Managing Director of Schulz Flexgroup. To celebrate her birthday, the entrepreneur invited us to the company site in Roth near Nuremberg, Germany. In an exclusive interview, we discussed birthday wishes, female leadership and the importance of digitalisation and AI. Innovation Day with high-calibre guest speakers The f...

In our podcast ‘The Voice of Converting’, we spoke to Esa-Matti Aalto, Senior Vice President and General Manager Coating & Converting Industries at Matthews International. We discussed industry trends, barrier papers and the upcoming ICE Europe. Megatrends "One megatrend is clearly sustainability, which is now permeating all industries and layers of society," says Aalto. "We are addressing this to...

For our podcast The Voice of Flextronics, we spoke with Armin Wittmann, Exhibition Director LOPEC, and Manfred Salat, Exhibition Manager LOPEC from Messe München. Novelties in 2025 LOPEC, the leading trade fair and conference for printed electronics, next taking place in Munich from 25-27 February 2025, will be even more practice-oriented. The conference will now feature special lecture sessions f...

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....

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...

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...

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 l...

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 themselv...

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 reg...

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 h...

In this episode, we welcomed Alexander Houben, CEO of JHT Jakobs-Houben Technologie GmbH. The company from Geilenkirchen, Germany, has its core competencies in coating and engineering. In The Voice of Converting, Houben talks about making his company future-proof and the new management structure that had been announced at the beginning of the year. New management team As of 1 January 2024, Alexand...

Teresa Walter-Leitzgen is our current guest on The Voice of Converting Teresa Walter-Leitzgen has been working in digital and content marketing since 2015. Before focussing on digital strategic consulting for companies, Teresa studied ethnology, law and political science at Goethe University in Frankfurt. Through her passion for triathlon and running, she has built up her own brand on social media...

Who are we - what are our goals? Welcome to our German-speaking pilot episode! We launched the PRO Converting and PRO Flextronics media hubs just over a month ago. A lot has happened since then. After a lot of positive feedback from the industry and even more work in the background, it's now time to ignite the next stage of our newly launched rocket! Welcome to our podcast! For the pilot episode,...