Markus Rustler is the managing partner of Theegarten-Pactec GmbH & Co. KG in Dresden. As Commercial Director, he has been responsible for finance, controlling, sales, service and marketing since 2006. In addition to his involvement in the VDMA, Markus Rustler is also a member of the advisory board of the interpack trade fair.
pj: Mr Rustler, what is the current focus at Theegarten-Pactec?
Markus Rustler: We are still the global market leader in our segment - the primary packaging of small confectionery pieces. As Innovation driver we are constantly working on the further development of our systems using the latest technologies and manufacturing processes. We want to remain a decisive step ahead of the market in the future. To achieve this, we invest a great deal of energy in our Research and development work.
pj: What particular challenges did you face last year?
Markus Rustler: As an innovation leader in our field, we are constantly challenged to develop further. Our current focus is particularly on the Software development. We want to make our machines even more efficient and intuitive to operate. We are also constantly improving our machines in the direction of self-diagnosis, instructions for troubleshooting via touch panels, etc.
pj: How do you assess the economic situation?
Markus Rustler: The majority of our orders are international. Western Europe is currently rather stagnant. We are currently experiencing increased demand in the USA. Orders from Russia have also increased significantly. Asia, South East Asia and parts of South America are also interesting markets. Africa will also continue to develop in the foreseeable future.
pj: What effects do you expect for your company?
Markus Rustler: Theegarten-Pactec generates over 90 per cent of its turnover in the export business. Our Sales territories vary from year to year. The development of the markets is not clearly predictable for us. To name a few examples: In Russia and Ukraine, demand was subdued for a while as there was uncertainty in these markets. Demand has picked up again here. In South America, the market is currently more difficult due to the ongoing economic and political situation.
pj: What do you see as the most important tasks and trends in the industry?
Markus Rustler: With globalisation, the production of higher-quality confectionery is also becoming an issue in developing countries. Protective packaging will become increasingly important due to demanding climatic conditions. The focus of this packaging will not only be on appearance, but above all on product benefit, i.e. ensuring that the product is hermetically sealed and optimally protected at the same time. We are currently working hard to ensure that we can offer other attractive types of packaging with protective properties in addition to the tubular bag in order to be successful in countries in the tropical climate zone.
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