Markus Sandhöfner began his career at B&R at the company's headquarters in Eggelsberg, Austria. The mechanical and industrial engineer has now been working for the automation manufacturer for 18 years and has been Managing Director of B&R Germany since 2014. He contributes his expertise as an automation specialist to the board of the VDMA Electrical Automation Association.
pj: Mr Sandhöfner, what are the current priorities? at B&R?
Markus Sandhöfner: We are seen by our customers as a technology leader in automation. The continuous, lifelong learning required for this is firmly anchored in B&R's culture. The area of „machines for the production and packaging of consumer goods“ has emerged as a focal point.
Consumers characterise the trend towards individualised products and packaging and have high demands on the Sustainability. We have developed pioneering new technologies to meet precisely these requirements. The necessary „Adaptive machines“ can be easily realised with B&R automation technologies.
pj: What particular challenges did you face last year?
Markus Sandhöfner: The market launch of groundbreaking innovations such as the Flexible transport system „AcoposTrak“ or the integrated Smart camera requires an extraordinary level of commitment from the entire B&R team. Above all, this means intensively familiarising themselves with the new technologies and their applications at all levels. Targeted training, e.g. for the simulation of systems with „AcoposTrak“ or on the mechanics of transport solutions, enables the sophisticated transfer of knowledge.
pj: How do you assess the economic situation?
Markus Sandhöfner: We currently see a Increased uncertainty in the investment decisions of international end customers due to foreign policy developments. The current lively public debate on packaging materials and sustainability is also contributing to this. Strongly export-orientated customers are currently selling slightly fewer machines than in the previous year. We are continuing to see rising sales among customers who tend to be medium-sized companies. We continue to see Consumer goods sector strong economic development.
pj: What effects do you expect for your company?
Markus Sandhöfner: Across all industries and areas of application, B&R continues to see an upward trend. Stable growth off. The consumer goods industry is making a decisive contribution to this. With its innovative solutions, B&R is in an excellent position to continue gaining market share. With new technologies for areas in which B&R was not previously active - such as the AcoposTrak flexible transport system and the integrated, intelligent image processing systems - we are gaining new customers.
pj: What do you see as the most important tasks and trends in the industry?
Markus Sandhöfner: One trend is the increasing demand from consumers for sustainability along the entire value chain. The demand for new machine concepts and new production technologies that offer a less use of materials are playing an increasingly important role.
At the same time, we are seeing very high demand for adaptive machine concepts at our customers, with which production can be customised to individual customer requirements without retooling times. This requires the complete networking of machines within the company. Advancing digitalisation also makes it possible to New service models and a Increased efficiency in production.
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