#schongenial: If there are such things as success factors for international market development, what would you name?
Jörg Rosegger: A key success factor is our global sales team, complemented by a strong partner network. International trade fairs play an important role for us, as they not only serve as a platform for customer acquisition, but also for presenting our technologies to a wide audience. We are regularly represented at trade fairs in Europe and the USA. We are also increasingly focussing on digital media in order to reach our target groups and achieve sustainable growth.
#schongenial: Binder+Co AG currently employs a total of almost 400 people. Are you currently also training apprentices?
Martin Pfeffer: We currently have twelve apprentices in training. We are particularly proud of our new training workshop, which we invested in in 2022 and which was further expanded in 2023. Our training programmes aim to promote not only technical skills, but also social and communication skills. Our apprentices are regularly honoured by the Chamber of Commerce as "Stars of Styria" for their excellent apprenticeship qualifications.
#schongenial: How important is the use of resources to your company, especially in the context of the circular economy?
Jörg Rosegger: The responsible use of resources is a top priority for us. We will cover our entire energy requirements from renewable sources by 2025. In 2024, we completed the installation of our photovoltaic system with 1,700 kWp at our company headquarters. Our subsidiary Statec Binder has already put a photovoltaic system into operation in 2023.
#schongenial: What new technologies in the field of circular economy is Binder+Co focussing on in research and development?
Martin Pfeffer: We rely on sensor-based sorting systems, including our fully automated LIBS sorting system and AI technologies that enable precise classification of even visually similar materials. We have also developed b-connected, a digital platform that offers our customers centralised access to their data. We draw our innovative strength from close collaboration with research facilities such as TU Graz and institutes, as well as from trend scouting and customer feedback.
#schongenial: How does your company live the values of mindfulness, recognition, respect and appreciation? Can you give specific examples?
Jörg Rosegger: These values are central to us. We work in partnership with our employees, as they are the foundation of our success. This is reflected, for example, in fair remuneration, individual training opportunities and regular team events. We celebrate successful project completions, apprenticeships and anniversaries - such as 10, 20 or even 45 years with the company - together. Our low staff turnover and the length of service of many employees speak for themselves.
#schongenial: To what extent does Binder+Co AG fulfil its ESG reporting obligations? What specific measures are you implementing in the "S" area?
Martin Pfeffer: We will be subject to ESG reporting requirements from 2026. We are already ensuring a good balance in our teams, both in terms of gender and age structure. We continuously promote skills development and attach great importance to health and safety in the workplace. One of our key objectives is to minimise accidents at work, and our low accident figures compared to the industry average show that we are on the right track.
#schongenial: Thank you very much for the interesting insights.