Entrepreneur: "Our DNA is social sustainability"

You once said that you prefer to focus on the diversity and development potential of SMEs. What does this mean?

SMEs are the backbone of our economy: 99.3 percent of companies in Germany are SMEs. More than half of all employees subject to social security contributions work in small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs combine the incompatible, namely stability and progress. You can see this very clearly in my company. 60 percent of my colleagues have been with Schulz Flexgroup for ten years, and we have been working with around 45 percent of our suppliers and customers for 15 years or more. These are sustainable, reliable relationships, some of which have existed for generations. On the other hand, it is very important to me to make the company fit for the future and, therefore, digital. To this end, I have initiated a number of change processes in recent years and invested in new technologies – in the last five years alone, I have spent 10 million euros on new machines and operating equipment. Perhaps that's why my company was awarded the title “Employer of the future – digital, innovative, modern.” The development potential of SMEs lies in their role model function. There are so many shining examples of successful companies among us SMEs, but only a few are really visible. No other country has as many hidden champions as Germany.

You also call on companies to have more courage. What would be courageous in the packaging industry?

For me, courageous in an entrepreneurial context means breaking new ground and swimming against the tide. When others save, I invest. When others act cautiously, I take the plunge into the deep end. For example, I bought a machine from Italy in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. It and its designers had to spend weeks in quarantine before it could be set up and put into operation. That was a huge organizational feat of which nobody initially knew how it would turn out. It was also courageous that we kept three times more stock during the pandemic than before the pandemic. This was the only way we could ensure deliveries to our customers despite interrupted supply chains.

Another example is the investment in three printing presses, primarily for printing blister foils, which are actually designed for label printing. Compared to conventional flexographic printing machines, they offer clear advantages in terms of ergonomics, particularly from the operator's point of view. Adapting cooling and drying and compressing the machine was not easy to implement. But we persistently pursued the idea in collaboration with our partner. The colleagues who work on these machines are very satisfied because they are easier to operate and faster. So our courage was rewarded.

You took over the company that your father founded. Was this a difficult decision for you or was it a matter of course?

I found the decision difficult at first because I still lacked the necessary self-confidence. The packaging industry is still dominated by men. And it was completely clear to me from the start that taking over would also mean a change in management style. But my family, colleagues, customers, and suppliers told me that they believed in me – and somewhere deep inside me, I probably also felt the strength it would take. So, I accepted the challenge. I am now what you would call a full-blooded entrepreneur. I live what I love and have developed my company into the largest owner-managed and independent UV flexo print shop in Europe.

Is it a special role for you – as a woman at the top?

No, because I was aware of my role model function right from the start. I only expect from others what I bring to the table myself: performance, commitment, and enjoyment of the work. With these prerequisites, the position is almost irrelevant.

Should women be promoted more in the packaging industry?

In my opinion, we should broaden the radius and not reduce it to the packaging industry. I am very involved on a voluntary basis and I promote the visibility of female industrial entrepreneurs in all committees. As a federal board member of the Association of German Women Entrepreneurs (VdU e.V.), for example, I am a strong advocate for female business successors. And of course I also promote women in my own company. At 45 percent, the proportion of women in management positions is above average, especially when you consider that only 23 percent of the Schulz Flexgroup workforce is female.

Everyone is talking about sustainability, what does this mean for your company?

We always have a large product portfolio of sustainable films available. Our printing inks meet the requirements of being mineral oil-free and comply with the EuPIA guideline (guideline of the European Printing Ink Association). We have invested almost 1 million euros in photovoltaic systems at both sites in Baden-Baden and Roth near Nuremberg and 800,000 euros in efficient building technology.

But our DNA is social sustainability. We see ourselves as a provider of opportunities for people who fall through the cracks elsewhere. We are multinational and employ many career changers. Our team benefits from numerous measures to promote health in the workplace. And we have many examples of internal careers because entrepreneurship is so extremely important to me. Recognizing talent and offering them the space in which they can prosper – that is my goal as a “woman in packaging.”

You work a lot with the pharmaceutical industry. How does packaging development work there?

The regulations in the pharmaceutical industry are particularly restrictive – this also applies to suppliers. Primary packaging is considered a component of the medicinal product. They are subject to strict legal requirements and are part of the respective drug approval. Therefore, every packaging material, every production facility, and all manufacturing processes undergo extensive laboratory tests and are subject to close controls. If even one parameter is changed, a supplier is replaced or a packaging material is substituted, the time-consuming and resource-intensive regulations, such as stability tests, must be repeated. They can take up to three years. Nevertheless, the trend in this area is also clearly towards greater sustainability through more environmentally friendly materials, biodegradable plastics, and models for the circular economy.

In any case, we are receiving an increasing number of inquiries for pharmaceutical-compliant, recyclable packaging films, for example in the form of recyclable mono-material blister packs. We are constantly adapting our range to new developments and currently have eight recyclable films in stock.