Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the VDMA Food and Packaging Machinery Division, reflects on his final trade fair appearance after more than 20 years with the association. He discusses the positive start to the fair, the enduring significance of interpack as the world’s leading trade fair, and the growing international competition. A key topic: how the German engineering sector must navigate between traditional perfection and the speed required by the market. Despite current challenges, Clemens sees the packaging machinery sector as having a promising future – ‚People will always eat and drink‘. At the same time, he warns against over-engineering and calls for faster time-to-market. #interpack #VDMA #Machine Engineering #Packaging Machinery #RichardClemens #Düsseldorf #Packaging #Innovation #Future