A whole new (virtual) world: Syntegon Technology presents latest innovations at well-attended Virtual Show

12 May 2020 --- Syntegon Technology has lifted the veil off its machinery and technology innovations during its first Virtual Show, which has reportedly attracted more visitors than the company was expecting. Through videos, live chats, webinars and an opening press conference held on May 7, the company has self-accommodated for the lost networking platform that the postponed interpack trade show would have provided. Syntegon will present its intelligent and environmental sustainability-enhancing technologies for the food and pharmaceutical industries online until May 13.

After rebranding to Syntegon Technology from Bosch Packaging Technology early this year, interpack was supposed to serve as the company’s debuting platform. “It would have been the first time we presented our products to the markets in our new brand and new design. Instead, we did this at our Virtual Show and we are curious to try new formats, which is something that fits the Syntegon brand,” Syntegon Technology Corporate Spokesperson Patrick Löffel tells PackagingInsights in a video call.

In a similar experimental move to packaging companies Krones and Sappi, the event is Syntegon’s inaugural virtual trade show. “Every company hosting a virtual show is gaining experiences in what is possible in terms of time and money and how to realize it the best way. That’s what makes it very interesting: there’s no one format to follow, no one way to go,” Nicole König, Global Manager Marketing and Communication, tells PackagingInsights.

Syntegon communicated its response to the COVID-19 pandemic via an opening press conference webinar. The COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced the need to prioritize health and safety while preparing the company for the worse, according to Michael Grosse, CEO of Syntegon. Considering Syntegon has been less affected by the coronavirus pandemic than companies in other industries, Grosse further maintains that Syntegon is “cautiously optimistic” about the future. 

Löffel highlights that when the impact of the COVID-19 crisis began to affect Syntegon’s operations, there was admittedly not a lot of time to organize and be creative. What was more crucial was swift action to ensure the Virtual Show would be a success. “As soon as we made the decision [to host the Virtual Show], we made the announcement, which we communicated step-by-step. Our customers really appreciated our quick decision to present our technologies,” König details.

PackagingInsights followed Syntegon's breadcrumb trail of Virtual Show sneak peaks, ranging from its preventive maintenance tool to resource efficiency in confectionery, snacking and pharma manufacturing.

“The interest from our customers and visitors was much more than we thought it would be. As soon as the registration link was open, there were so many that we needed up to one day to get ahead and get the feedback to the customers,” König recalls. 

The Virtual Show takes place on the same days interpack would have, but forgoes any activity on the weekends. “We’re just focusing on these five interpack days – we left out the weekend because even in Dusseldorf, there aren’t that many visitors on the weekends,” says König. The event’s opening times from 7 AM to 8 PM CEST also provide customers in Asia and the US the opportunity to visit the show. “Especially in the mornings, there is a high interest,” she adds.

Reining in the chat box
Syntegon’s chat box has been sizzling hot with numerous visitor questions, although König muses that event attendees initially approached it with a level of ambiguity and bluntness. “The chat box is suspicious to some people, who ask if there is a human being responding, but we try to answer very quickly and we have a big team of colleagues behind the sets.”

Connected through the chat box, Syntegon's communication representatives were available for a call with PackagingInsights within minutes.Having this troupe of experts easily accessible to visitors has proven resourceful considering how comprehensive the questions asked have been. “Those who have specific questions, for example on sustainable packaging or inspection technologies, are really asking detailed questions. They don’t start with ‘Hello, my name is and I’m interested in.’ They immediately ask, ‘Can you give me some information on mono-materials?’ which is really going into the deep details.”

“Luckily, there haven’t been any questions we haven’t been able to answer because we have all of our experts behind us. There is no chance that we are not able to answer a question,” König affirms. Notably, Syntegon has received “equal attention” for its food and pharma businesses, with a broad interest in all of its products and services.

Greetings from the big bosses
The welcoming press conference that kicked off the Virtual Show on May 7 also witnessed a high participation rate – just over a thousand registrations on the first day. The conference discussed the company’s 2019 financial results, business response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the role of paper in replacing plastic packaging.

“People just had the time to take part in the press conference. It’s different if you can do it from home and take part for an hour while watching the live stream and texting with the trade show branch. Everyone was curious – what we will present, how we will present it – not only the customers but also the media, as you can tell from our feedback from our press conference last week,” notes König. 

The conference highlighted Syntegon’s overall sales increase to €1.33 billion (US$1.44 billion) in 2019, as compared to 2018’s figures at €1.28 billion (US$1.39 billion). The packaging specialist also saw stable sales growth in North America and China in the pharmaceutical sector and a “positive development of order intakes” in the food sector.

Löffel sees a future for virtual events but not as a replacement for brick-and-mortar shows.Paper pods to replace single-use plastic
Syntegon’s forward-thinking vision is notably exemplified by its recent partnership with BillerudKorsnäs, which combines its manufacturing equipment with the latter’s 3D formable FibreForm paper to create a thin barrier plastic-alternative solution called Shaped Paper Pods for dry, chunky or viscous foods and cosmetics.

“It’s hard to say how much plastic it can replace right now because it depends on the product that needs to be packed. However, the food and cosmetics sectors are showing high interest now, where they have these probes. It’s hard to speak in concrete numbers, but maybe we will spend some time over the year and have a better answer next year for real applications,” explains Clemens Berger, Member of the Syntegon Executive Board, Food, commenting on the launch in the press conference. 

Physical shows remain priority
Looking toward the future, Uwe Harbauer, Member of the Syntegon Executive Board, Pharmaceuticals, does not expect the move toward digital events to replace physical trade shows any time soon. This sentiment was echoed by Krones and Sappi, who envision more of an added-value role as opposed to entire substitution.

“In the next 20 to 30 years, we will continue to see normal shows. In parallel, however, I think we will see more virtual shows and this is the kind of experiment that we’re doing here,” Harbauer predicted in the press conference. 

“Now we are gathering our first experiences with this event format and of course we are excited to see what kind of feedback we will see after our show. I think traditional trade shows will continue to exist in the future but maybe virtual trade shows will find their place, even after the coronavirus crisis,” Löffel concludes. 

By Anni Schleicher