From Industrial Mechanic to Packaging Enthusiast – Why Carsten Peters Has Been Passionate About the Industry for Nearly 40 Years

Nearly four decades in the industry – and his enthusiasm remains as strong as ever. Carsten Peters has witnessed the packaging industry’s evolution from the mechanically driven machinery world of the 1980s to today’s era of digitalization and artificial intelligence. In this interview, the OPTIMA Sales Engineer looks back on his first interpack in 1988, explains why packaging has never lost its fascination for him, and shares why he believes the industry offers outstanding opportunities for young talent.

When Carsten Peters began his apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic in 1980, he could hardly have imagined that the packaging industry would accompany him throughout his entire professional life. He later qualified as an industrial clerk and business administrator, worked in engineering, sales, product management, and marketing – and remained loyal to one field throughout: packaging.

His first encounter with the industry came at Breitner. “At first, I had no real idea what the packaging industry was all about,” he remembers. “I simply enjoyed the work and felt that I was making a difference.” What started as a first job soon turned into a passion.

Positions at companies such as Windmöller & Hölscher and Schubert followed, and to this day Peters remains firmly embedded in the “packaging bubble” – now at OPTIMA, where he has returned once again. “Once you become part of this world, an incredible range of opportunities opens up,” he says. It is precisely this diversity that continues to fascinate him after nearly four decades in the industry.

In 1988, Carsten Peters stepped into the exhibition halls of interpack in Düsseldorf for the very first time. Since then, he has not missed a single edition of the trade fair – 15 in total. Add to that countless visits to drupa and K, and he has long since lost track of how many major industry events he has attended.

Yet the memories of that first interpack remain vivid. “Back then, the industry was far more mechanical in nature. Innovations were immediately visible, and machine functions were tangible and easy to understand,” he recalls. “Today, interpack has grown tremendously – not only in terms of exhibition space, but also in the breadth and depth of innovation on display,” says Peters.

But it is not only the trade fair itself that has changed. The pace of innovation has accelerated dramatically. “What is considered new today is often outdated just three years later.”

Whereas interpack once served primarily as a platform for making new contacts, preparing for the event has become far more intensive. Digital channels now enable networking and exchange long before the exhibition doors open. “Today, you need to engage people well in advance so that you can then meet them here,” Peters says, describing the new reality of trade-fair networking.

For Peters, the industry's appeal lies above all in its ability to solve challenges that affect virtually everyone – often without people even noticing. How does powdered product get safely into a container? How are baby diapers packaged hygienically? How does a coffee capsule stay fresh? How is sterility ensured in pharmaceutical products? Behind seemingly everyday items are highly complex processes that must be continuously optimized and refined.

“You constantly have to adapt to new challenges,” says the Sales Engineer. It is precisely this combination of technology, creativity, and problem-solving that continues to make the industry so exciting for him.

When Peters looks back on the past four decades, even he is amazed by the pace of technological change. “In the mid to late 1980s, we got our first PCs in the office. The technology was still relatively basic back then.”

The contrast to today could hardly be greater. Digitalization now shapes virtually every aspect of the packaging industry. Machines can support operators through voice-guided assistance, provide information in multiple languages, and use artificial intelligence to deliver qualified answers.

At the same time, the demands on the industry continue to grow. Product life cycles are becoming shorter, hygiene standards more stringent, and process control increasingly complex. New regulatory requirements, such as the PPWR, are adding further challenges for companies. “I would never have imagined how quickly this development would progress,” says Peters. Yet it is precisely this constant pace of change that keeps the industry exciting. For him, the need to continuously adapt and innovate is one of the reasons why the packaging sector never becomes boring.

Despite all the technological change, there is one factor that has remained constant throughout Carsten Peters’ career: the people. “The spirit of collaboration and mutual support is incredibly rewarding,” he says. That special sense of community was once again clearly visible at interpack this year. “Everyone radiated enthusiasm and genuine enjoyment.”

Compared with many other sectors, the packaging industry is relatively small. People know each other, meet again and again throughout their careers, and often work together to solve challenges. The focus is not initially on costs or competition, but on finding technical solutions and overcoming complex problems.

Peters describes it with a smile: “We’re all big kids at heart.” The enthusiasm for developing the best possible solution together, he believes, is one of the defining characteristics of both mechanical engineering and the packaging industry as a whole.

Anyone listening to Carsten Peters quickly realizes that his enthusiasm for the industry remains undiminished, even after decades in the business. That is why he has a clear message for the next generation: “The packaging industry offers young people an incredible range of opportunities. You can make a real difference.”

What he particularly values is the culture of mutual respect and collaboration. It does not matter whether someone brings 15 years of professional experience or has just graduated from university. “People value one another. That is something truly special. We learn from each other.”

For Peters, this is one of the industry's greatest strengths: the combination of technological progress, exciting challenges, and a community that brings people together. It is an environment where innovation thrives, knowledge is shared, and people at every stage of their careers have the opportunity to contribute, develop, and grow.