The Krones Sales Regions are looking forward to drinktec 2013: EASTERN WORLD

Rosy prospects for the food and beverage industries, thanks to globally rising consumer expenditure – that’s the overall consensus. This view is confirmed by data from the British market research institute Euromonitor. The experts are forecasting for the soft-drinks product category growth of 16 per cent for global trading volume up to 2017, for instance. Beverage consumption in the CIS/Eastern Europe region is predicted to grow by an average of 2.2 %.

Alois Tax, Senior Vice President Sales Eastern Europe, CIS, Middle Asia, gives us some insights into these exciting regions, and outlines his expectations of the drinktec.

Mister Tax, the drinktec is fast approaching. How important is it for the clients, particularly in your own region?

The drinktec offers our clients, both existing and prospective, the best and largest platform of all. There they will be able to see what the market leader Krones has been working on. Being there is a must. And people acknowledge this. Krones has an opportunity here to leave behind a lasting impression in people’s minds of technology, trends, innovations and service capabilities. Our aim has to be to do things better than our competitors. That’s precisely what our clients expect of us, and we’re not going to disappoint them.

What does the beverage market look like in your region? What Krones themes are of particular interest for your clients?

Demand in our region is like a multi-coloured bouquet of flowers. From aseptics to a simple water line, from PET to glass and cans, it’s all represented. The output bandwidth starts at 3,000 containers an hour, and extends up to high-speed lines rated at 60,000 containers an hour.

We’re scoring more and more heavily in terms of compactly dimensioned lines, featuring the ErgoBloc L and the ErgoBloc D, for example. Building space and personnel are causing progressively higher cost, so that with our ErgoBloc system we’re able to offer tempting alternatives to building investment and staffing costs.

There’s also keen interest throughout our countries in the ability to guarantee arrival of parts and technicians within a minimised timeframe. In conjunction with the transportation distances and import formalities involved, it’s important to have a concept for meeting and mastering this challenge: this we have demonstrably achieved, which constitutes a substantial added value for our clients.

I should also mention that more and more of them are focusing on warehouse logistics, energy-economy, TCO and PET recycling. For these areas, too, we are optimally equipped to serve them.

What do you personally expect from the drinktec? Is it still the industry’s most important sectoral meet-up?

Since it’s the most important sectoral meet-up for us, we’re really looking forward to seeing our existing and prospective clients. We are anticipating good, frank and also critical conversations. Criticism is particularly important for us, and of great interest. Thanks to the fair, we have an opportunity to take on board a densely concentrated flow of statements and information that will enable us to be better equipped to meet and master the challenges of the future, and respond even more effectively to our clients’ expectations.

After the work’s all been completed, though, we shouldn’t miss out on enjoying a convivial time with our clients. And that we are most definitely going to have.