The New Home Of Converting And Flextronics Professionals

The Voice of Converting | Lena Lührmann (Consultant at Visionsalive)
In this episode of The Voice of Converting, we talk to Lena Lührmann, strategy consultant for medium-sized companies specialising in "innovation and securing the future". Securing the future Lührmann says: "Securing the future is actually a general term for the fact that, in my opinion, companies should know their expiry date. In other words, what threatens me, which technologies, which future regulations or political developments will influence and perhaps jeopardise my business area in the future? And that you always push this date of your own obsolescence as far away from you as possible. Securing the future is therefore actually necessary for all areas of the company: Personnel, skilled workers, business model, products, services, digitalisation, etc. Innovation is only a small part of safeguarding the future, but it is not enough to push this expiry date further away and always anticipate what could affect your company next." Image and reality of GenZ Another focus point of our interview: the perception and image of GenZ in the German economy. Lührmann states clearly: "SMEs have everything that GenZ needs and wants. SMEs are actually predestined to see people for what they are, to remain loyal to them, to give them security and variety. But this is simply not yet being used strategically. Conversely, GenZ also needs to understand that adaptation is not a one-way street."

The Voice of Converting | Michael Welsch (AI expert at Octopus Digital GmbH)
In this episode of The Voice of Converting, we talked to AI expert Michael Welsch, who brings generative models such as ChatGPT to the production lines of the converting industry with his company Octopus Digital GmbH. From mechanical engineering to artificial intelligence Welsch started out his career as a mechanical engineer. Then, in 2016, when he was working on his PhD, he met a colleague who had just returned from a conference in Las Vegas. He found the conference itself boring, but there was a hackathon on machine learning at the same hotel. At first, Welsch laughed out loud and wondered what that was supposed to be. This colleague then showed him what it was all about. And overnight he decided to drop everything. "I‘m joining in now! Back then, we already knew where the journey was heading, but we weren‘t quite ready to call it AI yet." Bringing analytical AI into production lines Welsch then founded his first company in 2018 to bring analytical AI into very broadly diversified production lines. Two years ago, the topic of generative AI came up – and now he is working on industry-specific solutions in this area. These primarily include printing, converting and coating machines, which Welsch believes are perfect for AI integration! In our Podcast, Welsch showcases the enormous possibilities of artificial intelligence within the converting sector. And he is certain: "AI is one of the most powerful tools mankind has ever created!"