Gerhard Schubert
GmbH
Industriegebiet Südost
Hofäckerstraße 7
D-74564 Crailsheim
www.gerhard-schubert.de
Area of activity:
Flexible packaging solutions,
TLM packaging machines,
systems and robots.
Interview
trends in automation:
As a manufacturer of packaging
machines how do you deal
with the trend towards always
having to supply them more
cheaply?
Reiner Weidmann:
With highly
flexible packaging machines
that customers can also use
for other products. With easy
expansion and conversion
options. That is one of the
fundamental differences
between low-cost and high-end
machines.
In the food industry how long do people expect packaging
machines to last?
Weidmann:
Our machines can be operated for 10, 15 and
20 years. The problem is, however, that companies only want
to spread the risk over two, perhaps three or, at the most,
four years.
What part does the purchase price of a machine play?
Weidmann:
It’s not only the low purchase price of a packaging
machine that is critical for a company’s success. It’s also its
availability, quality and service life, i.e. what is called the life
cycle-cost, that need to be considered.
Do components also play a critical role?
Weidmann:
Definitely. In principle we can use any product,
any valve on the market. However, if you want to achieve
sustainability with appropriate life cycle costs, you must use
high quality components. Factors such as the technical quality
of the product, the market leadership of the manufacturer
and the reliability of the supplier also carry weight.
How important is the size of a packaging machine today
and how can the dimensions be reduced still further?
Weidmann:
The size of a packaging machine is very important.
Space is money. The more space a machine takes up the more
expensive it is for the customer. Dimensions can be reduced
by using standardised components that are designed to be
small. Add to this the important role played by state-of-the-art
technologies. Machines that were once rigidly synchronised
using chains are now being replaced with intelligent machines
that move products flexibly.
Reiner Weidmann,
Sales Director
at Gerhard Schubert GmbH