PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2021

TOP TALK PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 03/21 www.petpla.net 10 Interview with ir. ing. Dirk Wouters, CEO and Co-Owner of CHP A drop that matters by Heike Fischer CHP is an engineering company designing, manufacturing, installing and servicing state- of-the-art lubrication solutions, ranging from small-scale installations up to large turnkey projects. 1,500 production lines are currently operating in 720 factories in 78 countries, run- ning worldwide without jams, while saving energy and lowering costs. Customers such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola and Danone benefit from CHP systems. PETplanet Insider talked to Mr Dirk Wouters who joined CHP as CEO and co-owner in 2020. PETplanet: Dirk, you joined CHP last year with a lot of experience in both the technical and management fields. What first impressions do you have of CHP and what first ideas did you bring with you? Dirk: My first impression of CHP is that it is driven by an experienced, young, excited & dynamic team that has only one goal for all of its clients: excellence. The products that the company manufactures are unique and designed for the future, in order to constantly meet all expectations and rapidly changing requirements in the sector. Not only from a technical point of view, but also in terms of sustainabil- ity, which is a very rare combination. It is my goal to uplift the general level of performance even more by using my expertise in an international business context, combined with my entrepreneurial DNA. This way I hope to further expand our relations and to generate an international business growth. PETplanet: How many of your initial ideas were you able to imple- ment, and how were you able to give positive support to CHP? Dirk: Since the company is built on good foundations, it already offers a wide range of high performing prod- ucts. All key elements for success are already here, which makes it easier for me to continue the great results CHP already established during the last few years. My added value today is mainly to strengthen the structure of the company and to prepare the organisation for further growth and development. The most important KPI’s will still be innovation and cus- tomer satisfaction. PETplanet: Around 80% of your business is in the PET sector. What key business strategies are you fol- lowing to maintain this strong posi- tion? Dirk: We think it is very impor- tant to stay in close contact with our customers in the beverage industry, in particular those who use PET bottles. This gives us the opportunity to keep up with the evolutions and trends in the PET bottling industry, specifically those related to recycling and sus- tainability. CHP is committed to keep on being an ally for the PET industry by coming up with answers to their (rapidly changing) expectations and demands. It is our priority to help them overcome any challenge they may encounter. PETplanet: What are the special- ties in the CHP product range? What are their particular strengths? Dirk: That would be the unique features and benefits of the MicroDry dry lubrication systems that help opti- mise the efficiency of filling lines. The most important challenges for plant managers in the bottling industry are mainly related to line efficiency and controlling costs. When our clients decide to make the initial investment to install the MicroDry system, we see that the line efficiency increases sub- stantially, while the operational costs drop drastically. At the same time, the amount of lubricant (recurring con- sumables) needed, is limited to the bare minimum. As we all know, sustainabil- ity – in this case saving water when lubricating the lines – has gained importance over the years. Many companies already strive to reduce water consumption in their production processes to an absolute minimum, which is of course a very positive evo- lution. Our MicroDry dry lubrication is the perfect solution because it allows our customers to save 100% of water during the lubrication process. This makes an oversised water treatment plant redundant, because there is no more spilled water that needs to be purified or recuperated. A second unique and success- ful product line is the MicroDry Air coating system. Especially in the PET lines, a lot of air conveyors are still transporting empty bottles to the filler. Due to complex layouts, long supply lines and special bottle shapes quite often bottle jams occur. The MicroDry Air system eliminates these jams and guarantees uninterrupted supplies to the filler. Unfortunately, many users still don’t know that there is a perfectly simple solution to this very common problem. We are only a small component in a very complex process, but nonethe- less we still feel privileged to be able to offer this ingenious and efficient solution to our clients. MicroDry Air helps them to increase efficiency and to save money, while improving safety. PETplanet: How has the pan- demic affected your operations and more generally, what has been the impact on after-sales service? Has Mr Dirk Wouters, CEO and Co-Owner of CHP