The trade magazine for the packaging industry
He is the former chairman of the German Packaging Institute, was a board member of the World Packaging Organisation and now advises major companies and brands in the industry. Thomas Reiner, CEO of Berndt + Partner GmbH, has been passionate about packaging for years.
Thomas Reiner always keeps a watchful eye on what is happening and what needs to be done. In the current issue of packaging people, he spoke to us about sustainability, the opportunities presented by digitalisation and his work at the dvi.
Episode 12: „Packaging is like an inconspicuous, loyal friend“
Through his mentor Dieter Berndt, Thomas Reiner not only studied packaging technology, but also became an active and founding member of various organisations at an early stage. Thomas Reiner can look back on decades of association with both the dvi and the World Packaging Organisation.
Reiner considers the exchange of ideas in such associations and institutes, but also at events such as interpack, when the industry comes together, to be particularly important and a driver of innovation.
I myself believe that change always happens one-to-one. That's why it's not so much the big events that I really appreciate. It's actually more the one-to-one conversations. They happen at a short level, and I believe that this creates more awareness than if we want to address 250 people from the stage without denying the value of these events. There are also many one-to-one discussions. But in my opinion, change is always triggered by a one-to-one encounter.
As an engineer, Thomas Reiner is passionate about productivity and innovation in packaging machines. But he also attaches particular importance to packaging itself.
Packaging is like an inconspicuous, loyal friend. It's nothing big, nothing spectacular, but it still makes all the difference. If you think about it, our whole society wouldn't function without it. Packaging not only protects products and enables the distribution of goods. It also helps with communication, with understanding. And that impresses me - how a small detail like packaging can support an entire system and make it possible in the first place.
Videos with Thomas Reiner
Thomas Reiner in conversation at interpack 2023
Thomas Reiner at the German Packaging Congress 2023
packaging people, the podcast from packaging journal and interpack will be published from August onwards once a month. It can be accessed via all known podcast portals, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer or Google Podcasts and subscribed to. It is also available on the online pages of packaging journal and interpack.