It is always about the cycle!

Jean-Pascal Bobst looks back on 2021 and has solid hopes for the year ahead, as industry becomes more connected than ever before.

A report by Daniel Brunton

It is good to be back traveling! Although I certainly don’t miss the early mornings and driving up and down to the airport, I have enjoyed re-engaging with industry leaders – there has definitely been a warm welcome and interesting dialogue for sure.

In heading to Lausanne in Switzerland, I had the chance to sit down over a coffee with Jean-Pascal Bobst. He seems as busy as ever, but was happy to spend the time with me and get me up to speed on what has been happening the last 12 months or so and what we might expect to see over the coming months.

“To date, 2021 has been a good year,” he said. “The company got off to an excellent start in 2021 with an exceptionally strong order intake. Order entries increased by 68% compared to the first half year 2020, but of course that was heavily impacted by the global COVID-19 lockdowns. But even if you factor in a -18% in 2020 followed by +68%, the net result across the last few years is over 40%, which of course we know can not be sustained. We do expect the performance in the second half of 2021 to be lower than the first half year, but we are very happy with the shape of business right now.”

He continues, “In terms of geography, North America and southern Europe and Poland have performed very well. South America has remained a good market, as has Germany. China has performed well in 2021, but we are certainly starting to see a bit of a slow down in demand in the region; South East Asia remains a complex and slightly fragmented territory for us.”?

Lessons Learned

“Like many OEMs, we have taken some positives away from the last 20 months or so of life affected by COVID-19,” continues Jean-Pascal Bobst. “It might sound funny to say it, but service has become even more critical than before, especially when engineers can not travel with total freedom. What we have managed to do though is get these skilled engineers back into our call centres, assisting customers remotely for both installations or troubleshooting; the net effect of this is more problems solved in faster time, but we continue to monitor the impact this might have on our engineers – specifically in relation to mental health – specifically in relation to mental health – as governments rules increase anxiety on population,?spending more time sat at a computer and not in the field with uncertain travel conditions.”

Connectivity is Key

“If one thing is more apparent now, it is the need for connectivity,” he says. “All of our latest converting solutions have the ability to connect in several ways; of course with us as the manufacturer, but also in the plant management systems. With BOBST Connect we will have a platform to analyse, predict and solve issues before they arise and we are here to help our customers learn and adapt to the latest technological solutions. ?

“Data is creating a revolution in many industries and the packaging industry is no different. Take for example BOBST CONNECT; a cloud-based solution that enables converters to link every step in the process and create a digital transparency, from initial job order, through pre-press, following the job right through to delivery and beyond.”

He continues, “It doesn’t stop there either. We are developing new tools, new software that will help converters in ensuring exact quantities, in perfect condition, with less machine downtime and all at the highest output speeds. For example, we are developing predictive algorithms that will tell users when they will need to repair or replace die tooling, so they are fully prepared and order a replacement so it is ready when needed. Following on from the successful launch of the Digital Inspection Table for corrugated, we have released an enhanced version for folding carton which not only tracks image and registration for print to die-cut, but also accuracy of embellishments, QR codes and much more. With this tool, we are able to help converters create what we call a Twin PDF, a digital document that follows the job throughout its lifetime.”

Challenges Ahead

“In short, we are confident of a very good 2022, followed by a stable 2023,” concludes Jean-Pascal Bobst. “But none of us can ignore the extraordinary pressures that we are all facing; there has been and continues to be a huge impact on global supply chains, driven by political agendas and resource shortages. Converters are facing unprecedented rises in their paper and board prices, the likes of which we have not seen in many decades. Then factor in the apparent lack of skilled labour in many regions and it appears to be the perfect storm for our industry! But we must hold our focus, our way of doing business with great human values and culture ?and continue to do what we do best – innovate, promote the sustainability of our industry and its products and never lose sight of the fact that our industry always follows a cycle, through good and bad.”