The two packaging clusters Packaging Valley Germany and Packaging Excellence Region Stuttgart (PEC) set out on the path to a merger in 2019. During the Packaging Valley general meeting in February, the members voted in favour of the merger. The general meeting of PEC has now also issued a positive vote.
At the joint general meeting of the now merged Packaging Valley Germany, which took place immediately after the PEC general meeting, a decision was made on the management boards for the now joint cluster. Bernd Hansen from Rommelag Kunststoff-Maschinen Vertriebsgesellschaft was elected chairman. His deputy is Markus Höfliger from Harro Höfliger Verpackungsmaschinen. Further members of the board are Uwe Herold from E+K Sortiersysteme, Sabine Gauger from Optima Packaging Group, Dr Johannes Rauschnabel from Syntegon Technology, Christian Benz from Jetter and Andreas Hesky, Lord Mayor of Waiblingen, as representative of the city of Waiblingen. The name remains Packaging Valley Germany e. V., the association’s headquarters are now in Waiblingen, and the offices are still located in Schwäbisch Hall and Waiblingen.
The cluster is currently working on various marketing projects such as a new website, the Packaging Valley Podcast, a benefit guide and an intensification of social media activities. The working group Human Resources and Training will start a recruiting offensive and is working on the topics Packaging Valley Talent Pool and solutions for matching job and applicant. The topic of digitization with a focus on augmented and virtual reality as well as sustainability are also on the agenda.