Wirtschaftsforum: Signode is directly represented in 17 countries across Europe and has been appearing in the market as an expert for transport goods securing for 100 years. What services do you precisely offer your customers to support them?

Patrick Eggen: Primarily, we are known for our expertise in the End-of-Line Packaging segment and have acquired a comprehensive skills portfolio in various packaging technologies over the last few decades through several acquisitions – from strapping systems, stretch wrappers, and hood stretchers to stapling systems and cardboard packaging, as well as robotics and warehouse automation. In order to offer our customers the most holistic solutions possible, we handle the production and distribution of our entire product range in-house and are also available for any necessary repair and maintenance services.

Wirtschaftsforum: Especially in the fields of robotics and automation, the market developments in recent years were marked by a particular fondness for innovation. How much has Signode been able to further expand its expertise there?

Patrick Eggen: Our acquired companies had largely operated in isolation from each other until we decided five years ago to only appear in the market under the name Signode and to gather the individual product brands under it. This not only allowed us to have a more distinctive brand presence but also went hand in hand with a systematic restructuring of our organizational structures to always appear as a competent partner with our multitude of coordinated solutions. Today, every person in our company has access to a powerful network and can always rely on very high expertise when necessary. This approach is a central unique feature of our company.

Wirtschaftsforum: How does Signode plan to develop in the coming years?

Patrick Eggen: We will certainly position ourselves even more strongly as a system provider in order to use our comprehensive product portfolio more targeted. At trade fairs and in personal conversations, we repeatedly experience that our customers are often not aware in detail of the wide range of services we offer from a single source. We will certainly communicate this more sustainably and comprehensively - because automation has not only arrived among large corporations but also widely within medium-sized businesses, where our product range can support at many critical points. Another challenge lies in the increased expectations of our partners. Even though we operate purely in the B2B segment, our customers inevitably bring their personal experiences into the business context - and these are primarily shaped by the speed and reliability of companies like Amazon. Time-to-Consumer is therefore particularly in our focus, as well as the diverse sustainability ambitions that we are currently implementing as part of our ‘Twentyby30’ program. In this, we are not just pursuing dedicated ecological goals to further increase the efficiency of our production facilities, but also see sustainability as a social concern as part of strong Employer Engagement, where values like Diversity and Inclusion sustainably shape our working culture.