LABELS FRATERNITY LAUDS LMAI’S PANEL DISCUSSION

 LABELS FRATERNITY LAUDS LMAI’S PANEL DISCUSSION

 LMAI, the labels Manufacturers association of India organised a panel discussion titled, “Label buyers’ challenges with quality, Sustainability & Innovation” on the 2nd of May 2025 Hotel Radisson Blu, New Delhi. The event was attended by a “house full” of leading label printers and suppliers as sponsors. The distinguished panel consisted of leading brands Nestle, Diageo, Reckitt Benckiser, Amway, Dabur and Sun Pharma. The panel moderated by the author Harveer Sahni, Chairman Weldon Celloplast Limited and member of Board of Director LMAI. The panel on stage consisted of Arijit Mondal(Nestle), Sanjay Ghoshal( Diageo), Naveen Stuart (Reckitt Benckiser), Swati Gupta(Amway), Sidharth Sharma(Dabur) and Mohit Mittal (Sun Pharma). The delivery of responses by panelists to questions by the moderator, left the audience spellbound. Ruma Ghatak head Packaging at Nestle was a special invitee. The program was initiated by the hard-working LMAI secretary Jaideep Singh who had made untiring efforts to organize this amazing event, this was followed by the welcome speech by the LMAI President Rajesh Chadha. 

Pradeep Saroha director label expo updated the audience on the next edition of Labelexpo Europe in Barcelona Spain. Jaideep Singh shared a presentation of the upcoming LMAI biennial conference at Udaipur from 3-6 July 2025. Organising committee member Sandhya Shetty conducted the agenda efficiently. Dinesh Mahajan Vice President LMAI gave the vote of thanks. This was followed by an interactive question and answer session.

Audience

The congregation was highly appreciative of the knowledge delivering panel discussions and their responses to LMAI team and the moderator are as follows. The responses are reproduced here unedited and as received.

Mrs. Kusum Dunglay Director Redunn Labels Gurgaon: A truly impressive and well-executed event. Congratulations to LMAI and the brand owners for putting together such a memorable event.

Manish Hansoti, Founder and Managing Director S.Kumar Group Ahmedabad: Thank you for putting together such an incredible event. Your careful attention to details, from the label printer’s perspectives created an atmosphere that perfectly matched with unanswered questions from label printers to Brand owners. I especially appreciate how you handle without any boring topics. The event's success is a testament to your planning abilities and dedication. I am truly grateful for all your hard work in making this event so special.

Anuj Bhargava, Founder Kumar Labels NOIDA: Well organised event by LMAI. Intriguing questions by Label Pitamah Harveer Ji. Brand owners shared valuable insights. Always good to connect with fellow industry colleagues. Many thanks to LMAI for organising this cosy event.

Rakesh Mahajan, Director Prakash Labels Noida: It is refreshing to see buyers and sellers coming together to address common challenges. This exchange can drive innovation and growth in the label printing sector.

Yoshita Goel from Any Graphics Noida: The LMAI panel discussion held on 2nd May 2025 was a remarkable success and quite knowledgeable. The interactive session among the panelists was intellectual and brainstorming towards the printing and packaging industry.

Yogesh Agarwal Print Pack New Delhi: The event was very well-organized, and the panel discussion was insightful and engaging. Sincere thanks to Harveer Sahni Ji for moderating and conducting such a meaningful and well-curated session.

K M Manoj Director Avery Dennison: It was great to see some of the prominent packaging professionals share their views about pressure sensitive labels. The conversations  around emerging regulations, how labels can be more sustainable and actions to tackle the common challenges were insightful.

Ranesh Bajaj Managing Director Vinsak: Well organised and very informative panel discussion. It was great to hear brand owners sharing details which are critical to the growth of label convertors as they align their future plans.

Bhaumik Mehta Director Flueron Inks: It was a pleasure for us to have sponsored this event for our friends and colleagues in the label industry. The panelist, the moderator and the audience were all in sync on the topic of discussion. It was insightful to see how the brands perceive procurement, supply chain partners and their own responsibility towards sustainable solutions. What struck out was the Q and A which the panelists took their time and put the answers in perspective on the business.

Innovation and Sustainability not just in products and services but in growth and prosperity is as much essential for all partners involved and this to me was a fantastic outlook. Cheers to LMAI for hosting this and giving us an opportunity to be a part of this amazing initiative for the industry.

Inderjit Singh Toyo Inks: We are thrilled to have attended the panel discussion on Label buyers’ challenges with focus on quality, sustainability and innovation organized by LMAI (Label Manufacturers Association of India). The discussions reinforced the importance of collaborative efforts to drive sustainability, ensuring regulatory alignment while adopting innovative and sustainable approaches.

The event was an incredible experience, filled with inspiring discussions and I had the pleasure of meeting and connecting with some amazing brand owners and partners. Looking forward to applying these new learnings and continuing the conversations to fulfill the brand owner’s requirements.

Gautam Kothari Managing Director Worldpack: LMAI Event Sheds Light on Label Buyers’ Pressing Challenges. The LMAI event held last evening proved to be a timely and insightful gathering for stakeholders across the label manufacturing ecosystem. With a sharp focus on the challenges faced by label buyers, the panel brought together key voices from FMCG, pharma, and logistics sectors who shared first-hand accounts of the evolving demands and operational bottlenecks in label procurement and usage. Overall, the LMAI event succeeded in bringing buyer concerns to the forefront, sparking necessary dialogue around innovation, transparency, and strategic partnerships in the label industry.

Ashwani Kumar RSM Kurz: The recent LMAI event fostered a productive dialogue between brand owners and industry leaders regarding key challenges and potential solutions in the label manufacturing sector. Discussions highlighted the detrimental impact of price pressures and reverse auction practices on innovation, alongside the complexities of liner recycling. Brand owners underscored their requirements for superior quality, competitive pricing, and dependable partnerships, with Swati emphasizing the role of partners in brand protection. Mr. Naveen (Reckitt) articulated that effective anti-counterfeiting necessitates products being both easily recognizable and difficult to replicate. The increasing significance of track and trace technologies for ensuring product authenticity and enhancing supply chain transparency, as demonstrated by Dabur's application, was also a key takeaway.

Pradeep Saroha Director Labelexpo India: "The LMAI's 'Amazing Brand Owner Evening' was a resounding success! The interactive event brought together numerous brand owners and printers to discuss innovation and sustainability. It was a fantastic platform for networking and exploring new ideas."

The panelists also commented.

L-R: Mohit Mittal, Arijit Mondal, Sanjay Ghoshal, Harveer Sahni, Swati Gupta, Naveen Stuart, Sidharth Sharma

Arijit Mondal Global Packaging Development Lead Nestle: Thank you Harveer ji and panelists for super engaging discussion. It has been a super enriching experience to meet all of u in person and our super capable label fraternity. I am looking forward to another time together in the near future too.

Swati Gupta Senior Manager Open Innovation and Packaging Development Amway: Thank you, Harveer ji and all fellow panelists. Great perspectives and learning!

Sidharth Shankar Sharma DGM-Purchase Dabur: Thanks Everyone for being such a wonderful fellow panelist. Special thanks to Harveer ji for bringing us to such a platform.

Sanjay Ghoshal Head of Packaging Diageo: Thank you very much Harveer ji and the LMAI. It is my honour and privilege to be part of such an elite panel and such an august audience. It is truly a great platform for the exchange of thoughts and wisdom between the demand and Supply side of label/labelling industry.

Naveen Stuart Cluster Packaging manager - Health - SoA Reckitt Benckiser: Thankyou sir and everyone at LMAI. It was a perfectly organised event and an excellent platform to share views.

Mohit Mittal Senior Manager Packaging Development Sun Pharma: The LMAI panel discussion event was a well-organized and insightful event, bringing together key industry stakeholders, innovative technologies, and valuable networking opportunities. The sessions were informative and addressed current challenges and future trends in the label manufacturing sector. Looking forward to more such impactful gatherings in the future.

Jaideep Singh Director Zodiac Reprographics Hyderabad: Thank you each one of you to add immense value to the panel discussion event with your insights on the perspective of labels in each of your industries .We  as label printers feel reassured labels will play an important part of your brand perception and create an impact  and value perception which is important to grow your industry through the value our labels will be able to provide.

Deepanshu Goel, Founder & Managing Director Creative Graphics Noida: This was an ensemble of renowned packaging development specialists. Great learning!

Amol Naval, National Manager, Maxcess India: We had a wonderful experience at the LMAI event. It was both interactive and informative for all attendees, offering a valuable platform for close engagement and networking with existing and potential customers. Thanks to the LMAI team for organizing such an insightful gathering that brought together end users, label manufacturers, and solution providers under one roof.

Raman Anandchahl Neovation Graphics Private Limited Gurgaon: It was a pleasure to attend such a well-conducted event. The entire session was highly informative, especially for someone like me who is always eager to learn. This event was also particularly special for me, as my elder daughter, Nitya Anandchahl, who joined our business just last month, was introduced to the industry for the first time here. She interacted with the panelists and many other industry stalwarts throughout the day. I was truly happy to see how warmly everyone welcomed her and wished her success in the future. Seeing the next generation step in with such enthusiasm makes me feel assured that the future of our beautiful label industry is in safe hands.

 More Images from the event:

Harveer Sahni, Pardeep-Avery Dennison, Gautam Kothari, Chenga Reddy

Registration

Rajesh Chadha President LMAI

Ranesh Bajaj Vinsak

KD Sahni wit Rajesh Nema

Jaideep Singh

Sandhya Shetty

Pradeep Saroha-Labelexpo

Aditya Chadha -Questions time

Chenga Reddy- Hyderabad at Q&A

Bhaumik Mehta Flueron Inks at Q&A

Raman Anandchahl felicitating Manoy-Avery Dennison

Jaideep Sing felicitating Ruma Ghatak Head Pkg Nestle

Dinesh Mahajan felicitating Pinkesh Kothari-Pulisi

Vote of thanks by Dinesh Mahajan

Conference, Fun & Fellowship at GOA: A preview!

LMAI Conference 2011

 Two years ago, the LMAI (Label Manufacturers Association of India) conference was held at Hotel Park Hyatt Goa. That time in a preview of the conference I wrote in this blog “History is being created”. The 2011 conference titled “Innovations Unlimited” was an immense success. A progressive Indian label fraternity was elated by the presence of suppliers and media from destinations around the world. The conference venue was good and the content of presentations was thought provoking. Delegates were seen sitting glued to their seats in rapt attention throughout the presentations. All work and no fun would have made it a mediocre event. The LMAI organizing team had put together programs along with, to liven up the moods of label printers gathered there. There was learning, there was entertainment, there was dancing, there were glasses being clicked and there was a lot of fun. The memories of a wonderful event lingered on and one wondered if the event would be recreated.

 



Hotel Grand Hyat, Goa

Two years have gone by and now the new LMAI team lead by the continuing president Vivek Kapoor has put together the second LMAI conference “Print Innovation” to be held yet again, in Goa on the 26^th and 27^th of July 2013. However this time it will be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel due to the need for a venue which has bigger halls to accommodate a larger number of happy and colorful printers. The LMAI team has, with nostalgic memories of the last event, endeavored to create a bigger and better event. The experience of having organized the previous conference helped them copy the success of what was appreciated and improve upon it, as also to ease out the shortcomings of an otherwise perfect last event. They are now ready to roll out a content and fun-filled conference and look forward for the members of this label association to get together and strike new friendships and alliances at Goa. It is interesting that two months later the global label event Labelexpo Europe is to be held in Brussels, it will be an opportunity to renew and strengthen the friendships made at Goa.

“Sponsors who pitched in to support the last event were a satisfied lot” says Vivek

Vivek Kapoor

Kapoor, President LMAI, he further adds, “After the last conference most of the sponsors called back to express their satisfaction that the audience was totally committed and sat attentively to presentations being made, till the very end”. Taking inspiration from these sentiments, Vivek’s team has taken upon themselves to engineer and create an LMAI event that will be held every alternate year on an ongoing basis. An event, their members and suppliers to the industry, will look forward to. It will be a platform that will provide information, entertainment and networking opportunities in abundance.  That according to Vivek has been the basis on which this year’s LMAI conference 2013 has been structured. “The event is receiving an overwhelming response!” says a beaming Amit Sheth Honorary Secretary LMAI; he is one of the founders of the association. According to him most of the rooms have been taken at the hotel and they have had to requisition more rooms. He says we are requesting the printers at large to hurry up with their decisions to be in Goa as later it will not be possible to accommodate them. Gururaj Ballarwad of Wintek Bangalore an ITW group company has been the driving force behind getting the right sponsors and putting together the right content for the presentations to be made. The total participation in the event is expected to go way past the last events number of 270. This, if achieved is definitely credible and from my experience I can state that if managed well and also if it is handled with sensitivity, this event could well grow to be one of the most important global label events, given the size of our country.

Success of any conference lies in the quality of presentations, the satisfaction of the presenters and a diverse geographical spread of delegates who understand and are yearning for the more information. LMAI has endeavored to motivate their members in all zones through dedicated associate members to create a delegate profile that is pan national. Efforts of young Nalin Sharma of Global Graphics are laudable! Since this is a member’s only event, Nalin not only enrolled existing members as delegates from North India but also registered a lot of new members to add to the strength of this association.

 

The conference programme is rather tightly packed and it will be imperative for presenters to stick to deadlines of time allocated to them. The conference is slated to begin at around 4pm in the evening of 26th July 2013, with a welcome speech from Vivek Kapoor. The opening presentations will come from Lindsay Rice of DuPont and Peter Henderson of Esko. Amit Ahuja the only Indian press manufacturer who has excelled and exhibited his technical capabilities globally, will be making a presentation on his experience as an Indian machine building entrepreneur trying to succeed both in domestic and international markets against established and accepted brands. Christina Nilsson, Head of Trelleborg NW, Technical Centre, Sweden, will speak on the sleeve technology for flexographic printing followed by a presentation by leading Indian Labelstock manufacturer Ajay Mehta of SMI. The evening’s last speaker will be Kishore Sarkar, Vice President-Sales, East & South Asia, Daetwyler Swiss Tec AG talking on doctor blades.

Ranesh Bajaj of Creed Engineers will initiate the deliberations for the next day i.e. 27^th July2013 followed by presentation from Carmen Chua of Avery Dennison. Impressive presentations are expected from leading press manufacturers which include the illustrious Ruesch Ferdinand - Owner & Vice Chairman Gallus/Samir Patkar also from Gallus, Federico d'Annunzio of Gidue, Paolo Grasso Sales Manager of OMET, Allan Baretto Managing Director Nilpeter India, Mary Sullivan of Mark Andy  and Spring Xu of Weigang. Renowned foil manufacturer Kurz will deliver presentations through Wolfgang Burkard, Head of International Product Management and Brend Danglemeyr, Head of International Marketing & Sales. In today’s time no print event is complete without deliberation on the digital print technologies. Even though the technology has not really established a foothold in the Indian label industry, yet it is a technology that cannot be ignored. It is a matter of time that this technology will evolve to become affordable and technically feasible justifying widespread adaptation. A panel discussion is slotted with following speakers; Appa Durai from HP, Josep Roca from Xeikon, Ramprasad from Epson and Mark Huisman from SPG Prints-Stovec. It is a bouquet of very diverse subjects that will help label printers derive information from. Press manufacturers are expected to deliver the information on new innovations that make label printing more cost-effective and technically superior helping them in these times of intense competition.



The dance floor is busy

The conference would not be complete without the fun part being meticulously planned and incorporated into the schedule. All work would definitely make it a dull event and so after each day's hard work, events have been planned for delegates to unwind, relax and enjoy. Time has been provided for entertaining performances, cocktails and networking dinners.  I am sure like last time once the event is in its last leg the dance floor will come alive with music blaring and printers dancing till the vee hours of a Goan Sunday morning. I am sure most of the printers and delegates will come prepared with a late evening flight back home so as to have nursed the euphoria of an indulgent evening. It is now time to look forward to a well knit Indian label fraternity getting together at Goa for fun, fellowship after some serious conferencing. Cheers!

Written by Harveer Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi, India July 2013

 

 

Helmut Schreiner; Adversity to prosperity via innovation!

World War II from 1939 to 1945 was a global war that spelt widespread devastation. A war that lasted six years, involved over a 100 million people in 30 countries with use of nuclear warfare resulting in over 50 million casualties. It was, by far the deadliest war in the history of mankind. In the aftermath of World War II, sometime in 1952, on the streets of Dusseldorf in a war torn Germany, a poor young boy, barely into his teens, stood on the road side watching children going to school, barefoot! While his father was trying to show him historical monuments in the city, this boy was instead more interested to see the factory workers enter their workplaces. Pensive in his thoughts, he was wondering that while the children like he himself, got to eat just one meal a day and the workers he was watching, slogged hard in the factories, the owners of these factories were rich men with elaborate lifestyles. They drove big cars and wore expensive clothes. Even though life was extremely difficult in those trying times, this poor destitute boy silently wished and resolutely committed to his destiny that one day soon in the future he will become the owner of a big factory. That defining moment in his life and the adversities of life post World War II taught this poor boy that all his life he has to be careful with money and save it. With passing years it dawned on him to be firm and not solve problems with just the use of money but to solve them with innovative ideas. That poor young boy standing on the roadside and dreaming of a prosperous future was none other than Helmut Schreiner, the mentor and owner of 130 million Euro, Schreiner Group.

Theodore Schreiner was a prisoner of war in Russia while his family suffered in Germany during the war. His son Helmut was born in 1939 at the start of World War II, and had an initial childhood wrapped in difficulties of the times prevailing then. At the end of the war, Theodore returned home tired, shattered and with health problems. There was no money or work and he did not know what to do to survive and support his family in such distressing times. While in army, Theodore worked as an engineer for “reference and logistics”. The technical knowledge and capabilities was his only wealth at that time and it implored him to explore possibilities into manufacturing something. A close friend, who was an engraver, suggested a business to him and said, “I make the plates, and you make the labels and sell”. These words made sense to Theodore. Poverty and hardship had even made him to consider leaving everything, including his homeland and immigrate elsewhere in search for a better future for himself and his family. However in 1951, his technical abilities lead him to initiate his startup venture named after his wife Margarete, “Margarete Schreiner-Spezialfabrik fur gepragte Siegelmarken und Etiketten” to produce embossed labels in a 45 square meter garage, which was their first factory. His 12 year old son Helmut was the only help that he had at that time. Both father and son duo actually carried stones to the garage to lay the flooring of their first factory.   Just one year down, Theodore bought his first 3 inch single colour flatbed label press. With Helmut as an apprentice, they started to print wet glue labels for stockings, bread, garments, etc. That was thebeginning.

As is always the case in a maiden start-up venture, the initial years were the most difficult and memorable ones. Memorable because one looks back and learns from the experience of having tackled distressing situations. There was not enough money, space and orders. Whenever an order came by, it had to be managed from the existing capabilities. A four colour job had to be done in four passes through the same press. The wet labels had to be laid carefully in card board boxes to dry. They worked hard to make both ends meet, Helmut’s sister also pitched in to help in the manufacturing. Helmut reminisces about the difficulties like pulling a handcart himself for 20 kms for either bringing the paper in or for delivering the parcels to the postoffice for dispatch to customers. In 1955 the Schreiners bought their second 6 inch two colour press and started to make their own special printing plates by doing the etching process in their bathroom. They would also undertake dying and colouring the fabric garment tags for their customers in their kitchen. The family made tremendous compromises in the initial years of their struggle for survival. The space was so short that Helmut would spread his bed each night on the kitchen floor and fold it in the morning to commence another days cooking and production work. Every young child also needs schooling and education to be able to face up to the challenges and diversities of modern day life. Helmut Schreiner had become a boy scout and one day while interacting with friends he realized that he was not educated. He was so motivated that he started reading on his own and in due course of time he adjusted his time such that he would work during the day and attend school in the evening. He got so engrossed in acquiring knowledge that books and cassettes became his regular and immediate companions. On another front, his heritage coming from a parent with engineering background inspired him to start working one day every week as a printer apprentice with a printing company without any remuneration. He was a quick learner and was judged the best in his class. However still, Helmut maintains that most of his learning came from his mentor and father Theodore Schreiner. His father taught him how to manage and reach goals.

 

As Helmut progressed towards the end of his teens, he became restless and ambitious yearning for growth into wider avenues. Towards the end of 50’s in 1958 a USA based company approached them with a 50 meter sample roll for pressure sensitive labels. Theodore Schreiner was not interested in the product but young Helmut saw the new opportunities and wished to move ahead to take up the challenge. With some modifications he could print and produce both wet glue and pressure sensitive adhesive labels with sprocket holes on his flat bed press. It was an invention at that time. This was a game changing moment for them. Helmut could also improve the speed of his press to drive in larger profits. It was their first big moment! Out of teens, the ambitious young man, 20 year old Helmut aspired to sharpen his skills, in 1960 he left the active work in the company and for six years he went to study printing technology and economics. To fund his endeavors he would work on week-ends in a big offset printing company. This way he was acquiring theoretical knowledge as well as practical experience.  After completing his studies he joined yet another large offset printing company printing maps and brochures on big format printing machines like Roland and Heidelberg. Helmut was leaving no stone unturned to acquire knowledge and art of printing. Meanwhile in 1961 his father’s company name was changed to, “Etiketten Schreiner-Spezialfabrik fur Haft, Präge-und Anhänge-Etiketten” (meaning special factory for embossed labels and tags). The small 45 square meter garage and further rooms in the house was falling too short in space for them even to move within. So in 1965 they rented a bigger place measuring 400 square meters. A move from just 100 square meters to 400 square meters was a dramatic move for those times!

In 1970 Helmut was trained and competent to take up responsibilities in his father’s company which by that time had reached a sales turnover of 600.000 DM an equivalent of 300.000 Euros. He rejoined business and 4 years later by 1974 Helmut Schreiner was in the driving seat. The name of the company was this time changed to “Etiketten Schreiner”. In these four years Helmut Schreiner had steered the company to a turnover of 2.50 Million DM or 1.25 Million Euros. Thereafter there has been no looking back. In 1986, as the company grew into the self-adhesive or pressure sensitive label production, the name was again changed to “Etiketten Schreiner und Selbstklebetechnik”. The company’s sales had started doubling up every five years to reach a figure of 130 million Euros now. Restructuring the growth and providing the right impetus to newly segregated growth areas the company was registered in 2002 as “Schreiner Group GmbH & Co.KG subdivided into the following;

1. Schreiner Protech

2. Schreiner Medipharm

3. Schreiner ProSecure

4. Schreiner LogiData

5. Schreiner Variolight

6. Schreiner Etiketten und Selbstklebetechnik

The Group now operates out of a total workspace of 60,000 square meters with over 800 employees. A walk through the Schreiner manufacturing facility is an experience and an eye opener. One witnesses the extent of passion this company has in their products and innovation. The company exports 60 % of their turnover and have a backup unit in the State of New York with 50 employees. 55% of the total group turnover comes from Medipharm catering to medical applications, 35% from Protech catering to automotive and technical fields and 10% from Printrust catering to security applications. Prosecure is a sensitive data & Technology maintenance and competence centre, in simpler terms it is the R&D centre. LogiData is the R&D centre for RFID. Helmut Schreiner seems to have lost count of the number of printing equipments in his company, “maybe 70 or more he shrugs” The company has presses of various makes in specialized departments spread over the vast production areas in five multistoried buildings.

 

Diverse printing technologies like flexo, offset, rotary screen, flat screen, etc. and custom

converting processes are employed to produce innovative and state of art label products some of which are patented. Most of the leading brands in label presses and custom converting equipments are obvious by their presence at Schreiner manufacturing facilities. During my visit many production areas had been cordoned off even for general company employees for reasons of high security printing jobs for specific customers. The entire unit is under surveillance and monitored by CCTV cameras. Sensitive production areas are fully sanitized due to medical requirements. The finishing department has the best inspection system a large presence of the NIKKA defect detection systems is quite visible. Extreme care is taken right up to final packaging. Each roll of labels produced after inspection is shrink packed in strong corrugated carton and multiples of these cartons go into master cartons with special paper based cushioning being produced in the cushioning machines in their packing department. Every package is labeled, bar-coded and entered into a computer which provides information to various courier companies and transport companies on the packages ready for shipment. I was really impressed by the huge 1050 square meter computerized and fully automated raw material warehouse which is 14.3 meters high, has three levels for storage and three lanes. The warehouse can store 3624 pallets and can automatically deposit and retrieve reels or pallets of material on computer generated commands. As for innovations in labels; whether it was the labels with built in hang tags for intravenous drug delivery applications or the labels for disposable syringes with a device inbuilt to dispose off the needle safely so that it does not accidentally scratch anyone causing spread of infection. The uniqueness of their products is amazing.

When I asked Helmut Schreiner about the new label technologies impacting PS labels, his reply was, “All technologies will coexist. The customer today is very knowledgeable and knows about the increasing number of options available. Labels are a necessary decoration for any product, innovation is the need of the hour. For example one can design a label such that if you touch a label, it plays music.” He adds, “I am a fan of innovation. If everyone sells tomatoes, I would like to sell peaches!” Adding a word of caution, “Printing directly on products is dangerous, it reduces cost and could decrease the demand of labels”. Helmut believes his company has to respond to customer needs and innovate to deliver good performing labels whether it is for security, pharmaceuticals or other applications. His opinion on digital printing is that it is a fantastic technology along with laser die-cutting and once it evolves to perfection it will change the printer’s life. One could not imagine reading a newspaper digitally on the phone! On RFID, he feels it is a wonderful technology but on the business side it is not very lucrative. It changes too fast.

Helmut’s wife Ulrike has been by his side as a solid support ever since their marriage in 1966. She still contributes in the business by supporting in the human resources development in this way she is the “soul” of the family business.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have two children, son Roland and daughter Carina who is married and is a coach, mentor and motivator for young people. She is a qualified economist and psychologist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helmut Schreiner is now 73 years old and believes in the capabilities of the next generation. In September 2012, he had already handed over the reigns of the Schreiner Group to his only son 43 year old son Roland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roland completed his studies in printing technology, finance and management before proceeding to USA. While in America, Roland worked in two different label companies for two years before returning home in 2000 to join his father. When I asked Helmut where he sees the Group five years from now, he feels that it is not the size that really matters. It is important for this enterprise to be healthy and consistently deliver to the customers what is needed. Roland wanted to lead the company on his own and Helmut has given that opportunity to his next generation and it is now for him to find the right direction. He feels he has an excellent advisory board.

 

 

 

 

 

Having more time on his hands, Helmut founded a new company “Schreiner Innovation GmbH & Co. KG”. Here he is interested in developing partnerships with other companies as well as dealing real estate. He is also now devoting a substantial part of his time to social activities and charities. He lives his philosophy, to be honest and true to himself and to his people and this has evolved from personal experiences in his life. His philosophy for his company and his people has been clear and value oriented. The values were innovation, quality, performance and joy! This clear positioning was always the bases for his personal happiness and business success.

 

The above article was first published in “Narrow Web Tech” magazine published by G&K TechMedia GmbH, Am Stollen 6/1, 79261 Gutach-Bleibach, Deutschland e-Mail: info@flexo.de

“Unauthorized use or publishing of this article is prohibited”

 

Written by Harveer Singh Sahni, Managing Director, Weldon Celloplast Limited, New Delhi, India April 2013