The Metal Pack Pod

Introducing Larry Churchwell, President of DRT Holdings. Larry has held a number of senior management positions across the packaging sector, including as Global Marketing Manager for the Beverage Segment at Valspar, and Marketing and Portfolio Leader for its Equipment and Automation Division at Sealed Air Corporation. DRT Holdings is the pioneer in the development of the easy-open beverage and food packaging sector and has become a major supplier of easy-open systems, parts and tooling. Today, DRT consists of three divisions operating ten facilities in the US and Germany that employ over 600 people and serves a diverse range of markets. During this episode, Larry outlines the exciting new developments at DRT following acquisition, what sets DRT apart in the metal packaging sphere and he introduces its new strategic partnership with Meadow, which promises to bring true innovation into the personal care market.

In this latest episode of The Metal Pack Pod, we welcome Robert Nagtzaam onto the show!Robert speaks with us about Intralox's newly formed Consumer Packaged Goods team and the direction it's heading in, the origins of Intralox and its innovative technology and how Intralox has prepared for Metpack 2023.Before leading Intralox’s newly formed Global Consumer Packaged Goods team, Robert headed the Intralox Global Canmaking team for 6 years.Robert holds double bachelor’s and double master’s degrees in both International Business as well as in Law & Finance. He completed his studies at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.

In this episode of The Metal Pack Pod we are joined by Christina Kleinpaß, Head of Project Metpack and Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen, as we discuss the return of Metpack on 2-6 May after a 3 year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Oliver P. Kuhrt has been CEO of Messe Essen since January 2014. The proven marketing and trade fair expert previously held various executive positions at the Cologne exhibition centre for over ten years and can look back on many years of management experience in the international tourism and luxury hospitality industry.Christina Kleinpaß, a qualified advertising manager, has been part of the Messe Essen team since 1986. Initially, she worked as a project assistant for various trade and public fairs. From 1994, she was in charge of international B2B trade fairs as a project officer, including METPACK since 2010. In 2015, Christina Kleinpaß finally took over the project management of the world's leading trade fair. She has a great deal of industry know-how and is excellently networked within the metal packaging sector.

For this episode of The Metal Pack Pod, we welcome Luc Brantjes, Tata Steel’s packaging division director of sales, who is also APEAL’s new President.Elected unanimously by the Board and General Assembly of APEAL, Luc succeeds Viliam Gašpar of U.S. Steel Košice. His role as the 13th President of APEAL has been effective as of 1 January 2023During the episode, we discuss Luc’s ambitions for the role, and the challenges ahead for the association and the steel industry as a whole.

Joining the podcast is the Global Beverage Segment Manager for PPG Packaging Coatings, Dr. Robyn McMillan. Robyn brings a unique perspective to the packaging coatings business. Joining PPG in 1988 and working as a polymer research chemist for the first half of her career, she brings that scientific expertise to her current role, where she is responsible for growth, strategic planning, and brand owner outreach for the global beverage coatings segment. During the episode, we discuss the rapid evolution and innovation surrounding 2-piece beverage cans, and dive into Robyn’s thoughts on trends surrounding the metal packaging landscape.