Hans-Joachim Boekstegers and Guido Spix, directors and CEO and CTO respectively of MULTIVAC, struck a consistently positive note at this year's press conference at IFFA. In front of many journalists from home and abroad, they gave comprehensive details about the company's business development in the current year and a perspective on the strategic direction of the company. Highlighted on the exhibition stand were innovative packaging solutions and labelling and inspection systems for hand producers and industrial-scale meat processors.

MULTIVAC's figures can be clearly seen: the Group's turnover in 2015 was some 900 million euros. This equates to an increase of over 19 percent compared with the previous year. There are now 1,700 employees at its headquarters in Wolfertschwenden, and worldwide there are 4,700. With its own 75 sales and service com-panies, the Allgäu-based world market leader for packaging ma-chines is now represented in over 140 countries.

Proof that MULTIVAC is also a leader in research and development is provided by the more than 300 patents, which the company has registered since 2002.

A new Logistics Center is currently under construction in Wolfertschwenden, and from the third quarter of this year onwards it will ensure that the production site is supplied with parts from its 5,400 m² warehouse, which will also supply European customers with genuine spare parts. And investment is also taking place at the Group's other sites. One example of this is a new production facility for manufacturing components in the Bulgarian town of Bozhurishte near Sofia, and the factory will be built by 2018 with a surface area of 20,000 m². The investment is around 19 million euros.

Despite low growth expectations for many sectors, Hans-Joachim Boekstegers and Guido Spix see great growth potential and oppor-tunities for MULTIVAC. The growth markets will shift over the medi-um term from Europe and the USA to Asia, South America and Afri-ca: “Even if for example uncertainty over the euro, price movements with raw materials, or devaluation of the Brazilian real or Russian rouble have a negative influence on the investment behaviour of companies, we are able as an internationally operating company to cope with the challenges,” says Hans-Joachim Boekstegers. “As an innovation and technology leader, we have very extensive know-how, which we systematically adapt to the requirements of customers and the market. Our starting position is therefore very good. But it will still remain challenging,” adds Guido Spix.

Further information can be found at: www.multivac.com.