“Standing still means falling behind”: An interview with Simone Weyerich of Weber Food Technology

Since April, Simone Weyerich has been on the management team at Weber Food Technology. In this interview with the interpack magazine, the Managing Director talks about her reasons for joining the company, her perspective on the male-dominated packaging industry, sustainability in the sector, and her passion for refereeing football matches.

What drives me is the opportunity to shape and further develop things together with colleagues. For me, standing still means falling behind. And here I can sense that people are truly passionate about Weber. That really convinced me. In addition, we stand for quality and innovation – and at the same time, we have remained a family business: Tobias Weber is now leading the company in the second generation. This is particularly well received internationally, since many of our customers are also family-owned businesses.

More and more customers want everything from a single source. That’s why we offer complete lines and manufacture everything ourselves – from blades to robots. At an industry event earlier this year, we even set a new record with one of our pick robots: the challenge was to beat the previous high of 166 picks per minute – and we succeeded, reaching 187 picks. This makes our wePick robot currently the fastest in its class. It was made possible because we developed the technology ourselves in collaboration with a university.

Automation and AI, without a doubt. On the one hand, customers have fewer skilled workers, so equipment needs to be as easy to operate as possible. On the other, machines today are expected to run with minimal downtime and reduced waste. And of course, sustainability is a huge topic – from recyclable films to new packaging formats.

I don’t expect a revolution, but rather a continuous refinement. AI will play a greater role in services and data management. Customers are also increasingly asking for larger-scale systems. Since many have downsized their engineering departments, they’re looking for partners who can deliver everything from a single source – ideally without interfaces. That’s an area where we are very well positioned.

As a referee, you take responsibility, resolve conflicts, and sometimes have to make unpopular decisions. That has shaped me: stay objective, communicate clearly, and decide fairly. I’ve been doing this on a voluntary basis since I was 15. I enjoy it because it also contributes to society. Especially during the pandemic, we saw how much we miss places of encounter when football or club life comes to a halt. If no one volunteers anymore, society loses something important. And of course: both on the pitch and in business, there are red cards – for example, in cases of serious fouls or compliance violations. In those moments, I am uncompromising.

That’s right, both areas are male-dominated. This is particularly noticeable in communication, which tends to be much more direct. People get to the point faster. But in this context, presence, assertiveness, and expertise are also crucial. And as a woman, you need to be comfortable often being the only female among colleagues.