In just a few days, Rawoplast will celebrate 10 years of PET production. What does this anniversary mean to you?
Janett Rasztovits: This 10th anniversary has several meanings for me. On the one hand, looking back at the past decade makes me very proud of what we have achieved together as a family. For me personally, it also marks the end of my active role in the company, giving me more time for family, friends and home life again. And last but not least, this anniversary marks the beginning of the future for the company, which, thanks to its new shareholder structure, is very promising.
What were some of the landmark events of those first 10 years?
Janett Rasztovits: We’ve always had a lot going on over the years. Discussions with our great customers and partners have been decisive for Rawoplast’s development. Standout moments certainly include the founding of the company in mid-September 2009, the start of production in April 2012 with two production lines, the commissioning of the third line in 2015 and the fourth in 2019. These events were always very emotional for me. I was always aware of the importance each step had for the company and how much effort we had invested in order to be able to realise these advances.
A family business always has an impact on the children in one way or another. How about in your case?
Marcus Sorge: Rawoplast has always been at the centre for us and still is. Marc and I were involved in all decisions right from the start. When I began my apprenticeship as a plant operator in 2013, I actively joined the company.
Marc Sorge: I completed my apprenticeship as a mechatronics engineer as Rawoplast was still in the planning phase. I’ve been involved with the business since the start of production and have been able to help shape the company as it is today. We made a lot of things ourselves, helped to provide machines and supported electricians in the planning phases.
Expanding from two to four production lines not only makes large technical demands. In organisational terms, too, decisive things had to happen. What was the biggest challenge in executing this expansion?
Marcus Sorge: From a technical point of view, everything ran smoothly. In this respect, the expansion of our capacities was more fun than a burden. In a family business of our size, the choice of employees is important. They have to share values similar to ours and fit into the existing team. From the looks of it, so far we’ve done a good job of getting the right people involved. The core team has been with us since the beginning, and we have always been able to fill vacancies quickly.
How is the handover to the new shareholders going?
Janett Rasztovits: Marc and Marcus are already finding their feet in their new roles as leaders. After a period of adjustment, the employees now also accept them as bosses and no longer see them as the colleagues they used to be. With the three new shareholders, Wolfgang Bonerath, Hanspeter Logo and Bernhard Schulte, Marc and Marcus have three very experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts at their side. The new management team is already well established and has defined a clear plan for the future.
When you set up the company and later when you expanded it, you could count on the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). That will not say much to most of our readers. Can you tell us just what the ERDF is, please?
Janett Rasztovits: The ERDF is an investment programme of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its aim is to strengthen the regional economy by creating new jobs, thus enhancing the region’s prosperity. Access to these funds is subject to strict controls that ensure the effectiveness of the funding. In our specific case, the ERDF supported the establishment of production here at the Kretzschau site and the two capacity expansions. For a family-owned company of our size, this was of course a great help.
Rawoplast currently produces around 320 million preforms per year in 11 weights, from 0.125 to 2 litres. Who are your customers?
Wolfgang Bonerath: Rawoplast’s product portfolio focuses on fruit juices and dairy products. We also serve a segment in the PCO market. Our customer portfolio is very diverse and includes everything from smaller specialised companies to well-known retailers.
Why do customers choose Rawoplast?
Marcus Sorge: Rawoplast has a lean organisation. It’s owner-led and it’s of a manageable size. Decisions can be made quickly, flexibly and bindingly. Our warehouse and our own transport logistics also play a decisive role. We deliver just in time. This flexibility is certainly one of our strengths. Another reason why customers choose us as their partner is our high standards of product quality.
How do you assure product quality?
Marc Sorge: We continuously check the product’s structure, thread and weight, both optically and technically. We are also ISO:9001 and HACCP certified and are about to be BRC certified. These are all standard quality assurance measures. In the end, it is crucial for the customer that the preforms function absolutely smoothly in further processing.
To what extent have the requirements and wishes of customers changed in the last 10 years?
Marcus Sorge: More flexibility, quick solutions and better responsiveness are three important issues that customers care about. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, we have had to hold larger stocks so that any bottlenecks on the raw materials market can be dealt with. One change from the customer side affects the value-added process. In the past, customers approached us with a clearly specified preform and asked us to produce it. Today, they contact us at an early stage in the development of the bottle and the associated preform and involve us in the development process. So today, the customer gets a finished product from us. This includes, if necessary and requested, one of our technicians travelling to the customer’s production site and adjusting the blow-moulding machine correctly.
As in all areas of manufacturing, price sensitivity is extremely high these days. Which cost factors affect you the most, but cannot be influenced by you?
Wolfgang Bonerath: These are clearly raw materials and energy. Compared to last year, the price of energy has increased by 100 per cent this year. We can only counter such price fluctuations by integrating a so-called energy price clause into our contracts and by communicating with the customer in a very transparent and timely manner.
Hanspeter Logo: On the energy issue, we have concrete plans for a photovoltaic system and an energy storage system to reduce energy dependencies. According to the calculations, we should be able to reduce the amount of energy we buy by 25 to 50 per cent in the medium term. In addition to improved energy autonomy, we are also reducing the ecological footprint of our company.
The core team at Rawoplast has been there since the start-up of production 10 years ago and is highly competent.
The core team at Rawoplast has been there since the start-up of production 10 years ago and is highly competent.
The core team at Rawoplast has been there since the start-up of production 10 years ago and is highly competent.
The core team at Rawoplast has been there since the start-up of production 10 years ago and is highly competent.
Where do you see the greatest challenges for PET production in the future?
Marc Sorge: According to EU law, PET beverage bottles must consist of at least 25 per cent recycled material from 2025 and 30 per cent from 2030. However, the trend in the market is clearly towards 100 per cent rPET. At Rawoplast, we produced a preform made of 100 per cent rPET for a customer around eight years ago. In this respect, the greater use of recycled material does not give me any sleepless nights. With regard to the entire industry, I see major challenges in the areas of availability, processing and reduction of additives.
The uncertain future, especially for plastic containers, is motivating many producers to diversify into other areas of application. How do you see this development?
Wolfgang Bonerath: In my opinion, this is going in the wrong direction. With the dual system that we have here in Germany, the PET cycle is closed and the material can be completely reused, in stark contrast to cardboard packaging, for example. Also, given that HDPE and PP are increasingly being replaced by PET, I would say that PET has a great future.
The technical and commercial challenges are likely to demand more from Rawoplast in its second decade than its first. How can Otto Hofstetter AG support you in this?
Marcus Sorge: Ever since we started working together, we have had the same contacts at Otto Hofstetter AG. For us, as a family business, this is very pleasant, as a personal relationship has developed over the years. If we have questions, we quickly receive constructive answers. From my point of view, this is the kind of support that we would like to continue to enjoy in the future.
You chose Otto Systems for the capacity expansion in 2019 – a courageous step given the fact that the provider hardly had any references at the time. What is your experience with it?
Marc Sorge: From a pragmatic point of view, the answer is quite simple: we clean and overhaul the system at the beginning and the end of each week. If everything is fine between these days, we are happy. And that has always been the case with the production line from Otto Systems.
Let’s take a look into the future. The property owned by Rawoplast still has a lot of undeveloped space. How long will that stay this way?
Wolfgang Bonerath: Our location here in Kretzschau is excellent in terms of the future because all signs point to growth. The existing building and the site offer plenty of space for increasing our capacity, expanding the value chain in the area of bottles and diversifying our product range. In addition, we are very well connected to the north–south and east–west transport axes. And the new composition of the shareholders opens up synergies that also offer potential for substantial growth.
Hanspeter Logo: Our plans also have a strong emphasis on ecological issues. We are in the early stages of developing our ideas for the processing of new materials and new products, thereby opening up new markets. Thanks to our new shareholder structure, Rawoplast’s product and services portfolio will be further expanded, carrying us further along the successful path of recent years.
Thank you all for this insightful interview, and all the best for the future.
