BOBST’s Carolin Struller Discusses Sustainability and Being a Woman in the Packaging Industry

The Committee aims to unify and inspire the leadership of women globally in the metallizing, coating and laminating flexible packaging industry. In this interview, Carolin discusses with ARC her experiences, new developments in the industry and provides advice for other women.

Describe your current line of work
At Bobst Manchester, we design and build R2R vacuum metallizers for the packaging industry; however, our R&D work heavily focuses on vacuum process and process solution development, also in combination with other converting processes such as wet coating and laminating. The main application of the materials produced is flexible food packaging. In my role, I absolutely love that I am working at the forefront of developing new high-performing flexible packaging materials and collaborate closely with our customers to get insights into the future targets and needs from brand owners.

What areas of the R2R processing field are the most exciting now and into the future?
Sustainability currently represents one of the biggest market drivers in our industry and will, for sure, also be one in the future with its high priority ranking on every company’s agenda. For us, this means that our R&D work centres around developing sustainable flexible packaging materials that are recyclable but also deliver the performance required to protect food stuffs and enhance shelf life. This work is something I am personally very passionate about, and I am excited when I find such packaging materials on the shelf. Creating new solutions is not easy though, based on the challenges associated with sustainable materials such as paper or polyolefin films which have inferior properties e.g. poor barrier, heat sensitive nature or reduced mechanical stability.

Did/do you have a female role model or mentor in your career and what was this experience like?
I have not been so lucky to have had a female role model in my working career, as I found and still find the vacuum coating industry very much male-dominated. Nevertheless, I have been greatly respected and valued in the company I work for, as well as beyond which has helped me build my career and reputation. Moreover, I am hoping to be a role model myself for other women starting out in their working career, showing that as a woman you can have a career with a leading position and a family; albeit this is a challenge at times. I am currently mentoring a female PhD student as an industrial supervisor which is something very rewarding and enjoyable.

What career advice can you give to women coming into the field to help assure their success?
Firstly, I am a firm believer that if you put in the effort, the reward will follow you. Hence, my advice is to work hard and moreover with passion as this will be recognized. Being passionate about what you do will help you to succeed. And when you have the passion, you enjoy your work. Secondly, don’t be afraid of asking questions, be inquisitive and soak up knowledge from the experienced people you are working with. Thirdly, don’t be afraid of making mistakes, you will only learn, advance and grow from these.

This interview was first published in Converting Quarterly
 

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