Erwin van Rossem: 2021 was a year of adaptation

PrintWeek (PW): Tough 18 months. Your learnings from 2021...
Erwin van Rossem (EVR): This crisis has forced us to change our way of working like many others. In some cases we made the impossible, possible. I consider 2021 - a year of adaptation.

PW: How has your company and factory sites responded to the challenges of the Covid-19 era? Anything on the ideas front? Any new research or innovation?
EVR: We were forced to sell, install, and commission systems remotely. We introduced working with smart glasses to allow for joint installations with our customers.

PW: The pandemic has impacted India’s prospects to become a USD 5-trillion economy by FY25. However, has the last quarter numbers reposed faith in the Indian market?
EVR: Yes, absolutely. We have seen an increased amount of inquiries coming from the Indian market and even better, we also see an increased order intake volume during the last quarter.

PW: Brands (FMCG and non-FMCG) are seeking more and more from print and packaging. As a global manufacturing brand, how can our industry cater to the new normal of - gaining speed; more flexibility; profit-centric approach; and lower carbon footprint?
EVR: As an automation specialist, of course we need to answerthe obvious; “automate further” in order to be as efficient as possible. Less waste and less ink consumption, but no compromise with quality of the end product.

PW: 77% of Indian consumers are actively engaging with sustainability. These consumers will invest time and money in companies that try to do good. Three sustainable actions you have undertaken in the past year that you can share with us?
EVR: We have designed new software/hardware architectures for our solutions that allow for a reduction of hardware.We have made our car parking space greener by promoting electric cars heavily.

PW: Your plans for 2022?
EVR: Engage in sports and eat healthy.

PW: One outrageous prediction for the year to come...
EVR: 2022 the world will go back to normal.