With Klaus Freese, Managing Director di DESMA, we take stock of the technology situation and the market. The House Fair has been announced for September 2022
Every company, in every sector, has had to face these last years of crisis following the pandemic by applying strategies that would allow them to continue along their planned business path. We caught up with Klaus Freese, Managing Director of DESMA, at SIMAC 2021 and asked him which path Desma has taken. “We used the extra time available to us during the various lockdowns (when it wasn’t possible to travel and visit customers) to optimise our work and develop improvements that would be of real benefit to our customers: making the machines faster, more flexible, and with more options available to those who have to use them. We focused on details that would improve the performance of our systems for the production of sustainable footwear, while respecting resources and the environment. We focused on customising mass production by perfecting our solutions such as the Multi-Section-Injection (MSI) technology, rapid colour change and the combination of different materials. Innovations that practically break all limits to the range of designs, colours and shapes that can be achieved. We have perfected a safer injection process by controlling the flow of incoming material and improving the distribution of the material inside the mould. We have studied new materials for the sports world, developed new solutions for injecting soles onto knitted uppers, for bottoms that cover and reinforce certain uppers intended for the technical sports world. In short, many small technological improvements that can provide our customers with new functional and design opportunities.”
What can we expect in the coming months in terms of technological innovation? “Next September, we are again planning to organise our House Fair 2022, where, as usual, we will present our best technological innovations. For now, we prefer to find solutions that can help the market stabilise following the shocks that many companies have suffered in the last two years.”
You have been in your new headquarters for some time now. Are you satisfied with it? “Very. It was a successful challenge. We started building it just before the pandemic and finished it right in the middle of it. I would say that it completed our way of presenting our machines in the best possible way. Previously, visitors to our company were impressed by the technology and the level of innovation of our machines, but much less so by the location, but now they find consonance between the product offer and the place where they can test them. What’s more, our new offices have made the staff’s work even more pleasant, providing a beautiful, modern environment in which to work.”
How would you assess the market situation? “The situation is very fluid and diverse. We can be satisfied with what is happening in Europe, where all our customers have survived and are in good health, and are also willing to invest. The US is recovering quite well, and Russia is waking up. The biggest concerns come from India and Asian countries. Vietnam, China and Japan do not seem to want to invest in new projects.”
Many complain of problems in the supply chain… “As far as we are concerned, the supply chain has remained fairly stable in terms of delivery times and has allowed us to meet all the deadlines. This is due to the fact that we do not need to receive the goods in too short a time. We can plan a little more comfortably that in other sectors. We have also reaped the benefits of having established positive, long-term relationships with our suppliers, most of whom remain close to our headquarters. Of course, we are not equally satisfied with prices. The cost problem is undoubtedly the most worrying.