Industry meeting with vision

The Euroblock Forum is one of the largest industry meetings of the pallet industry in Europe. Every three years, Euroblock-Verpackungsholz GmbH, the market leader for press blocks, invites to this two-day event. In total 220 participants from 16 nations in Europe, Asia and the USA, followed the call to the new location at the Courtyard by Marriott in Munich-Garching. The hosts Michael Pfeifer (Managing Director Pfeifer Holding GmbH) and Leonhard Scherer (Managing Director Euroblock) were pleased about the lively interest:

Impulses from business, society and politics

The meeting was particularly relevant in view of the slowed down economic development and clouded mood in various sectors as a result of the Russian war on Ukraine. The packaging industry has also recently recorded a decline in demand of up to 20 percent. The customers and business partners of Euroblock as well as representatives of the associations followed the statements of the invited experts the more eagerly. The thematic range was wide and up-to-date. Some key messages: Marcel Fratzscher, scientist, author and president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) warned against oversleeping ecological and digital transformation and losing global competitiveness. The former German ambassador in Moscow and Russia expert Rüdiger von Fritsch also found clear words about the world in the geopolitical upheaval: ”While Russia is doing well economically despite sanctions and continues to undermine the leading currency status of the US dollar with the other BRICS countries, Germany is one of the losers.“

Wood market and sustainability

Matthias Dieter, Head of the Institute for International Forestry and Forest Economics at the Thünen Institute, addressed the lack of availability of wood as one of the biggest challenges in the industry. Increased exports from Germany, forest damage, bans on use and war-related supply failures are responsible for the crisis mood. By showing options for action for politicians and companies as well as estimating the effects of relocation, Dieter was able to provide valuable food for thought. Appropriately, Silvia Melegari, Secretary General of the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), spoke about the EU Timber Trade Regulation, Biodiversity Strategy and the Forest Protection Act. Stefan Merl from Deloitte Austria explained the requirements resulting from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the Taxonomy Regulation for all large corporations in the EU area. In addition, he gave an overview of the current status of the European supply chain act as well as recommendations for action for the companies concerned. Why we have hardly been acting in a sustainable manner for decades, discussed Christian Berg in his lecture ”Is sustainability utopian?“ The physicist, philosopher, theologian and engineer outlined which barriers we encounter on the way to sustainability and how these can be overcome.

Digitalization and Innovation

”Is this the future or can it go away?“, asked the entrepreneur, scientist and speaker Maximilian Lude. He took a look on the exponential development of technologies in the last ten years and presented trends such as NFTs, metaversum, robotics, AI competently and contextually. His thesis: Companies must constantly adapt themselves and their business model to change and pursue innovation through tradition and customer orientation.