PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2011

PET TOP TALK 12 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 05/11 www.petpla.net PETplanet: What would you like to do if you were not managing a company? Otto Hofstetter: I like travel- ling. Getting to know people and new cultures. I find this just as exciting as technologies. Adopting the attitude of a blinkered specialist just makes you blind. The world is full of beautiful and interesting things. PETplanet: You are attracted by India, it’s at the top of your list of pri- vate projects. India’s ancient culture and the mentality of her people - what is it that a Swiss businessman finds so fascinating about India? Does India also provide you with a stimulus for the way you manage your business in Switzerland? Otto Hofstetter: Our first encoun- ter with India was a shock both for my wife and for me. We thought we were well prepared but you have to go there and see it for yourself. Look, then go back and take another look; immerse yourself in it. As Europeans we either succumb to the foreignness of it all or we don’t go there again. Things are similar at a corporate level: watch, be patient, keep watch- ing patiently and in the end you will find that things are moving forward slowly but surely. Business in India is a difficult matter. Our western mental- ity does not sit easily with the Indian mentality – we know that. We have to learn to live with the Indian mentality. PETplanet: Despite this – or per- haps even because of this – you have committed yourself doing business in India? Otto Hofstetter: We have made this commitment because we can see that our Indian friends are forging ahead and that they are very interested in steering a joint course with us. There is a belief in authority, which is not the style which we ourselves cultivate. However, there is a sizeable popular commitment, sometimes greater than that shown by people here in Switzer- land. On product and production PETplanet: Everyone in the PET market is familiar with Otto Hofstetter products. Can you give us a resumé? Otto Hofstetter: In the PET sector we build moulds ranging from 2 cavi- ties to 144 cavities. In addition, we have a design for a 192-cavity mould that we can build to order. In Europe we sell around 60% of the moulds we manufacture. Most of our moulds – from 48 to 128 cavities – are capable of running on a 350t injection mould- ing machine. We have developed this platform together with Netstal. The mould with 128 cavities on a 350 t machine represents an advantage over our competitors and is unparal- leled. PETplanet: Is that one of the unique selling points that you cite? Stefan Zatti: “Maximum cavitation at minimum clamp force“: this is right at the top of the specification for our development staff. PETplanet: Ever since clocks were invented, Switzerland has been renowned for precision, quality and reliability. Does this sum up your phi- losophy in relation to your products? Otto Hofstetter: Mould precision plus reliability in terms of produc- tion and delivery schedules – these we rate pretty highly. In addition, we expect our moulds to make an impres- sion due to their lengthy service life. PETplanet: Mr. Hofstetter, in your plant we see evidence of a spectacu- lar development. Would you like to say a few words on the investments that you have made in the factory lately? Otto Hofstetter: Mr. Zatti and I have come up through production and manufacturing is our first love. We see the potential and the possibilities of better, more cost-effective produc- tion using new operating resources to respond to the challenges of the market place, which includes in partic- ular the implementation of short deliv- ery times. Lack of ability to deliver at short notice means that we lose orders. Often, it is not simply a matter of price but more of “are you able to deliver or not? ” This is what prompts us to reinvest 90% of our earned profit in production resources. We think this is the right way forward. PETplanet: What is noticeable is a harmonised flow of materials, then the automation in relation to the machine tools, plus the additional production area which means that everything is under one roof. Otto Hofstetter: Yes, that’s cor- rect. We used to have various loca- tions that we found it difficult to keep tabs on with our small management crew. We have merged these loca- tions and optimised the work func- tions. Luckily we still had a land bank and were able to build. PETplanet: That’s an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time. You now have no space left for further expansion. Otto Hofstetter: You’re right there. But what it also means is that we shall be compelled to build a new plant at a different location or coop- erate with a partner company or buy a similarly inclined business with matching aspirations – whatever is presumed to be the best option at the time. Otto Hofstetter: “The most important factor in achieving sustainable success is our production equipment, something which is constantly in need of replacement.”