‘True progress means thinking radically new’

Innovation drivers everywhere: from population growth to cybercrime

Henry Ford once said, ‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’ What would you have said to Henry Ford with regard to the beverage and liquid food industry?

Tobias Wetzel

Let's go back to Henry Ford's time. Back then, packaged beverages – especially beer and soft drinks – were in high demand. However, there were two major problems: firstly, the shelf life was very limited, and secondly, transport was costly. Our task as a solution provider is – and in this respect nothing has changed since Henry Ford's time – to anticipate and analyse consumer needs. Based on this, we work closely with our customers to develop solutions that offer measurable added value beyond the product itself. For me, true progress does not lie in gradually optimising existing processes, but in radically rethinking them. At KHS, this is exactly where we come in – whether through efficient line concepts, sustainable packaging solutions or smart, networked systems. For us, innovation means not just delivering the fastest horse, but providing answers to questions that the market may not yet be asking – but will be asking in the future.

What are the current global and regional drivers of innovation?

Tobias Wetzel

Global population growth, with all its implications for society, the environment and politics, continues to have a significant impact on the beverage and packaging industry. One important trend we are observing globally is the search for environmentally friendly and resource-saving solutions, including our lightweight packaging solutions, for example.

Other significant drivers of innovation include automation, the use of artificial intelligence and digital solutions for plant management and monitoring. With cybercrime on the rise, there is a growing need for secure software solutions. KHS offers its customers protected OT systems and a secure network architecture for real-time data access, among other things.

Very few innovations just happen by chance. They have to be brought about deliberately. What does this process look like at KHS?

Tobias Wetzel

For me, innovation is synonymous with inventions that are successfully established on the market. This requires a sophisticated process that is based on close and trusting cooperation with our customers. Committed and motivated employees who demonstrate their creativity every day with a great deal of heart and expertise are also essential for success. Another important factor is our often long-standing cooperation with technology partners such as Ferrum, H.F. Meyer and Tyrolon.

But innovations don't just have to work in simulation or in the laboratory; they have to be better than the status quo in real production every day. How do you manage this balancing act between theory and practice?

Tobias Wetzel

As I mentioned earlier, I believe that innovation requires the product to establish itself successfully on the market. Our customers naturally want our filling and packaging systems to operate 24/7 with maximum efficiency. To achieve this goal, we are in close contact with them at all times. After all, promising inventions can only become innovations if they pass field tests at our customers' premises. A successful example of this is our Nature MultiPack. It was only through persistent and close cooperation with our customers that we were able to develop a promising idea into a marketable solution and thus an innovation. Together, we have not only realised an innovative packaging concept, but also brought the necessary NMP machine to series production. Today, it is successfully in use as an industrially proven technology and processes up to 100,000 cans per hour in 24/7 operation – efficiently, sustainably and economically. This product impressively demonstrates how partnership-based development leads to genuine innovation.

Your customer base ranges from regional producers to global corporations. How does this diversity influence the path from the idea for an innovation to the finished product?

Tobias Wetzel

The beverage and liquid food industry is very diverse. This is also evident at drinktec. Here, we not only come into contact with large global corporations, but also meet many small and medium-sized companies. This is what makes the industry and the trade fair so exciting and unique.

 Our development process is tailored to this unique characteristic. We offer our customers tailor-made solutions that meet their individual needs and challenges. Our secret recipe: modular systems. This allows us to tailor our solutions to each customer – whether they are a craft brewer, a medium-sized mineral water producer or a global soft drink giant.

We live in an increasingly virtual world. In this environment, how important are ‘analogue’ trade fairs such as drinktec as a platform for innovation?

Tobias Wetzel

drinktec is and remains the most important innovation stage for us. It makes our engineers' hearts beat faster and drives our sales team to peak performance.

For me, it's clear that drinktec cannot be replaced by any virtual medium in the world. The coronavirus pandemic has made this abundantly clear. The trade fair is a unique platform for experiencing innovations live, discussing them and putting them into context in direct dialogue. Trust, partnership and technology transfer arise precisely there – between people.

Of course, we also make intensive use of digital channels, whether for training courses, virtual product presentations or our wide range of remote services. But drinktec enables something that can only take place to a limited extent virtually: it allows visitors to experience systems in action, feel their quality and see their precise work with their own eyes. Above all, however, it offers personal exchange on an equal footing.

The next drinktec will take place in 2028, thus aligning itself with the innovation cycles in companies. Does this development also correspond to KHS's experience?

Tobias Wetzel

drinktec is undoubtedly a highlight in our calendar. As the world's leading trade fair, it is the ideal platform for presenting our innovations to an international audience of experts.

Nevertheless, our development cycle is not primarily based on a rigid annual rhythm. The beverage and liquid food industry is very fast-moving and complex. At KHS, we therefore work in agile processes. Many solutions are developed in close cooperation with our customers and partners and are brought to market after extensive testing – regardless of trade fair schedules. drinktec is then the place where we showcase these developments in a larger context and take them further. It is an important catalyst, but not the only one.

The main themes of this year's drinktec are Circularity & Resource Management, Data2Value and Lifestyle & Health. Will these keywords also feature in your trade fair presentation?

Tobias Wetzel

drinktec is the most important trade fair of the year for us. We are therefore planning our trade fair appearance very meticulously. This year, we want to focus more strongly on our core competence, our passion for technology. This is also reflected in our new trade fair slogan and our key visual, which we will unveil at our stand on 15 September.

Of course, this year's main themes for the trade fair are important focal points that will be reflected at our stand. After all, that is what matters to our customers. We are always on hand to offer advice and support and have the right answers to their questions – whether they relate to environmentally friendly packaging solutions, energy-efficient systems or smart, networked digital solutions.

One last question: What specific innovations will KHS be presenting to the global trade audience at drinktec 2025?

Tobias Wetzel

At drinktec, we will be presenting new and enhanced solutions and services for all common container segments. Our overarching guiding principle is our holistic line concept.

The best example of this is the InnoPET FreshSafe QuadBlock, which we will be presenting to the general public for the first time at drinktec. It combines KHS technologies from the areas of stretch blow moulding, coating, filling and labelling to create an efficient and space-saving complete solution. In the glass segment, we want to impress visitors with our Innoclean Cascade-D cleaning machine. It is characterised above all by low energy and media consumption and a small footprint. We will also be presenting our diverse portfolio of digital solutions and services. These include our new exchange programme for cold glue stations on all common KHS labelling machines and our spare parts service with products from 3D printing.

Another focus will be on our new 0.25-litre PET bottle for still water, which we will be showcasing for the first time at drinktec. Made from 100 per cent rPET and fully recyclable, it makes an important contribution to strengthening the circular economy. Energy-efficient and space-saving systems such as the SmartCan Eco by KHS/Ferrum are also in demand and will therefore feature prominently at our trade fair stand. This can filler and seamer block offers lower energy and media consumption as well as a small footprint.

What all these innovations have in common is that they offer our customers measurable improvements in areas such as efficiency, ergonomics, sustainability, usability, productivity and TCO. Our goal is simple: we want to make our customers even more successful – with tailor-made solutions and services.