{"id":25476,"date":"2019-08-07T11:33:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T09:33:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=25476"},"modified":"2020-12-03T10:59:54","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T09:59:54","slug":"five-questions-for-michael-ruf-transnova-ruf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/fuenf-fragen-an-michael-ruf-transnova-ruf\/","title":{"rendered":"Five questions for Michael Ruf (Transnova RUF)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After an international career in an automotive group, business graduate Michael Ruf joined the family business in 2008 together with his brother, engineer Martin Ruf, who is now Head of Technology. Together with senior partner Dr Klaus-Peter Ruf, he forms the management team, is responsible for sales and plays a key role in the structural and digital development of the company.<\/p>\n<p><i><strong>pj:<\/strong> Mr Ruf, what are the current priorities in your company?<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Michael Ruf:<\/b> We have always focussed on the <strong>Automation of packaging processes<\/strong> in end-of-line packaging through to the ready-to-ship pallet. However, we do not sell standard machines, but generate customised solutions on the basis of a functional modular system and the broad <strong>Use of robot technology<\/strong> customised solutions.<\/p><div class=\"packa-in-post-alle\" style=\"text-align: center;\" id=\"packa-2412202867\"><div id=\"packa-1235663671\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/newsletter\/\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"PJ Self-promotion English 03\"><!--noptimize--><img src=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03.png 840w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-300x75.png 300w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-768x192.png 768w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-18x5.png 18w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-332x83.png 332w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-664x166.png 664w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-688x172.png 688w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" width=\"840\" height=\"210\"  style=\" max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" \/><!--\/noptimize--><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<p>We were one of the first companies in the industry to start using robot technology over 20 years ago, and today we are one of the first companies in the industry to use it. <strong>Integrate 200 robots per year<\/strong>, we have a big head start on the learning curve compared to our competitors. We utilise this advantage to provide our customers with superior <strong>Concept proposals<\/strong> to inspire.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><strong>pj:<\/strong> What particular challenges did you face last year?<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Michael Ruf:<\/b> Our customers' goal of digitalising the production process end-to-end and optimising <strong>Flexibility with \u201ebatch size 1\u201c<\/strong> has put a number of very exciting topics on the agenda for us. But on the basis of such <strong>\u201eLighthouse projects\u201c<\/strong> the entire organisation learns and becomes fit for the future.<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, of course, the topic of <strong>Shortage of skilled labour<\/strong> out. We see this as the only really relevant <strong>Brake on growth<\/strong> today and even more so in the future.<\/p>\n<p><i><strong>pj:<\/strong> How do you assess the economic situation?<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Michael Ruf:<\/b> The economic situation seems to be slowly but steadily deteriorating. This time it is not so much a shock-like downward movement, but rather a <strong>Creeping negative trend<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Through the <strong>Uncertainty<\/strong> Due to the international trade conflicts and the structural upheavals in the automotive industry, the overall <strong>Willingness to invest<\/strong> cooling down somewhat in the industry. We are receiving corresponding indicators from many sectors from customers or from our major component suppliers. The <strong>decisiveness<\/strong> for major investment projects has been somewhat dampened in any case.<\/p>\n<p><i><strong>pj:<\/strong> What effects do you expect for Transnova RUF?<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Michael Ruf:<\/b> Thanks to our very flexible approach, we are able to cover project requirements from all sectors. In addition, we have always made sure that the <strong>React flexibly to production capacities<\/strong> to be able to. This gives us the manoeuvrability we need when the seas are a little choppier. But we are gearing up for tougher competition and have already started to \u201ethrow a spanner in the works\u201c in sales.<\/p>\n<p><i><strong>pj:<\/strong> What do you see as the most important tasks and trends in the industry?<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Michael Ruf:<\/b> The topic <strong>Flexibilisation in the automation of packaging processes<\/strong> will not let us go. This has been our driving force for many years. The discussions under the keyword <strong>Industry 4.0<\/strong> provide important impetus for the industry. We want to ride this wave and see great potential here for a long time to come.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/transnova-ruf.de\/de\/startseite.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">http:\/\/www.transnova-ruf.de<\/a><\/p>\n<p>More interviews from our series <a href=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?s=%22f%C3%BCnf+fragen%22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Five questions for ...<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Business graduate Michael Ruf joined the family business Transnova RUF Verpackungs- und Palletiertechnik in 2008. His current assessments in a short pj interview.","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":25481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[28,112,21],"tags":[43,55,1022,89,58874,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-25476","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-aus-dem-magazin","8":"category-personen","9":"category-verpackungstechnik","10":"tag-aus-den-unternehmen","11":"tag-automatisieren-und-robotik","12":"tag-industrie-4-0","13":"tag-interview","14":"tag-interview_persoenlich","15":"tag-verpackungstechnik","16":"cs-entry","17":"cs-video-wrap"},"acf":[],"vimeo_video":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}