Q: How will the Industrial Revolution 4.0 materially change the entire value chain in our industry?
Norbert Varga: The Industrial Revolution 4.0 will have a profound impact in the coming years and especially on the labor market. Even if you are already a graduate, an extra specialization is timely, especially if it is in the digital or the IT field that are so much sought after today.
Industry 4.0 involves integrating robots and computerized programs into products and services. The technological transformation is inevitable. Just by investing in updating production and laboratory technologies we can meet the challenges, driven by market dynamics and the product quality demanded today by our customers.
Q: How do you capitalize on the trends derived from the Industrial Revolution 4.0? What are the implications for your customers?
Norbert Varga: I think the Industrial Revolution 4.0 helps us on the other hand to make informed decisions and to build strategies based on real-time information. The data we have access to and the analysis processes that undergoes from this data will certainly increase the quality of decision making.
Technology offers many advantages that you absolutely need to use to become a more effective, competitive partner compared to the other players in the market. Only in this way we can deliver performance in our operations, in accordance with market and customer demands, to the highest standards.
Q: Your business generates mountains of data, from production and distribution to sales and customer feed-back. How do you use this data for business decisions?
Norbert Varga: Indeed, mountains of data are generated. We process them internally, representing the basis of the company’s decision-making process. Every time we prefer to look at each aspect before making a final decision, both in the acquisition and sales processes.
Q: What is the meaning of a technology-driven company in your industry?
Norbert Varga: From the very beginning, we have realized that technologies are the engine of our business. To create, diversify the range of products and services that are the subject of our business, we need to have state-of-the-art technologies. Of course, they also attract qualified and valuable employees. It is a dynamic industry in which both new challenges and development opportunities always arise.
Q: For people who haven’t met Alconor’s products yet, would you please in explain what is Alconor all about? Who are your customers in 2018?
Norbert Varga: Alconor .... started as a family business and gradually developed sufficiently to be recognized and appreciated today as a consolidated business.
The energy and the performance of the company have been remarkable since the beginning, 19 years ago, and have succeeded in gaining the trust of our partners, both our customers and our suppliers.
Our product range is diversified, including the well-known bottled water, Apuseana, which has been present in our product portfolio for over 12 years. We have various categories of carbonated soft drinks, with or without fruit, sugar or sweeteners, in pet packs or aluminum doses, according to the needs and tastes of our consumers and our customers. It is also acknowledged that Alconor provides branded bottling services.
Q: Which has been Alconor’s biggest achievement in 2018? Which has been the biggest achievement in your industry in 2018?
Norbert Varga: In 2018 we invested in technology, in the acquisition of technological lines, which we expect to turn in the following years in turnover and profit. For this reason, we have sped up the construction of a new production hall and storage facility.
Q: From an economic point of view, what has worked and what hasn’t for Alconor in the market in 2018?
Norbert Varga: In 2018, we have a very good portfolio of orders, both in terms of value and in diversity. To further grow the business, we will need to increase production capacity according to the demand.
Q: Have the developments in the year 2018 met your expectations in terms of meeting customer need? How long do you expect to last the constant demand in the market you are in?
Norbert Varga: We believe that this year we have managed to rise to the standards demanded by our customers. Their main need is, in my opinion, to meet their expectations, and to surprise them at times, of course in a pleasant way.
So far, the feedback has been a positive one. I could not say an exact period for a steady increase in demand. The market in Romania is still under the influence of the European market but, personally, I think that in our country the changes occur very slowly.
Q: What are your thoughts for the year 2019, when Alconor will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company?
Norbert Varga: At this anniversary hour, I would like to say that we are happy with what we have been able to build all these years.
I am confident in the future of Alconor, relying on the fact that the people in our company are outstanding professionals. Because Alconor is a young company, only 20 years old, we have prepared it well along the way, picking up the pace on the go while understanding the market trends. This gives me the hope that over the next 20 years, Alconor will be on the same level as it is now, a well-established brand on the market, a trusted, flexible partner and a company always ready to respond to the demands of our customers. When I say, “demands of our customers”, I mean both those from Romania and from other countries, even if these will be at the level of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 or 5.0.
