Sebastian Thies is the third generation to manufacture shoes. Actually, this would not be worth mentioning, but his company "nat2footwear", which specializes in trendy shoe fashion, is constantly experimenting with unusual materials that have not previously been used in shoe production. For his models with metal, stone and wood, Sebastian Thies has therefore already received many awards, including as a culture and creative pilot of the German government.
Culture and creative industries as an important partner
But what can a creative entrepreneur like Sebastian Thies do for the Bavarian paper industry? "Plenty!" finds Dr. Andrea Niedzela-Schmutte. "Often, traditional companies reach their limits with business management approaches. The creative industries can reveal potentials and solution approaches that remain undiscovered by classic methods," says Dr. Niedzela-Schmutte, who heads the Department for Cultural and Creative Industries , Design at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. "The cultural and creative industries are an important partner for the introduction of innovations and the development of problem-solving skills. The challenges of digitization in particular can be better met by involving cultural and creative professionals."
Ideenlabor.Bayern
The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs aims to provide the appropriate impetus with the "Ideenlabor.Bayern," a series of events held quarterly outside the major metropolitan areas in all Bavarian regions. At the Ideas Labs, an interdisciplinary group of participants develops strategies for solving current and future challenges facing an industry. In the process, participants work together to develop new perspectives, learn new approaches and creativity techniques, and establish contacts with other idea generators for possible new collaborations.
Idea Lab "Future Trade"
After kicking off with the "Future Trade" idea lab in Aschaffenburg in September 2017, bayernkreativ and Bayern Innovativ held a new event on 8. November 2017, in close cooperation with the economic development agencies of the cities of Neu-Ulm and Ulm, the Swabian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Ulm Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as well as the regional business association Club der Industrie, organized the second Ideas Lab of 2017, entitled "Future Paper". The host was the Neu-Ulm logistics service provider HARDERlogistics - a company that actually only has indirect links with the paper industry. As the host of the ideas lab, HARDER logistics primarily wanted to provide an impetus so that new business ideas and models are also discussed in a completely unconventional way for once in the cross-border economic area of Neu-Ulm/Zlm.
"One of our focal points is file management. Therefore we are naturally also very interested in ideas around the paper", so managing director Marcello Danieli. The entrepreneur personally appreciates the value of the cultural and creative industries. He likes to tell us that the first major investment when he founded his company was deliberately not in the vehicle fleet, but in corporate identity. This would have paid off in the long run, because thanks to their eye-catching design, the logistics service provider's vehicles, boxes and equipment clearly stand out from the competition. "We really like anything that has to do with creativity and we push that," Danieli emphasizes.
One of the company's warehouses, which had been specially redesigned for the occasion, provided the stimulating space for the workshop, in which entrepreneurs and technology experts from around the paper industry were asked to consciously break the rules of their industry with designers, communications specialists, game developers and artists.
Google and MacGuyver
Workshop moderator Rainer Mayer skillfully guided the participants through the idea lab, constantly setting new incentives: "How would nature, Google, MacGuyver or Scrooge McDuck approach the task?" was the assignment for a creative sprint. What seemed astonishing at first glance produced astonishing results. After four hours of brainstorming, thinking outside the box and exchanging ideas between the four working groups, impressive solutions emerged with and from paper. From project management for growth companies to digital business models for logistics companies, intelligent packaging boxes for the food industry and modular housing solutions. The prototypes were built from Lego - in a very creative way!
The paper industry is changing
Germany is the fourth largest paper producer in the world. In a European comparison, the industry even ranks first with an annual paper, cardboard and paperboard production of 22.9 million. While the sales of the entire industry have been relatively stable since 2007 (2007: 15.02 billion euros, 2017: 14.69 billion euros), the number of employees is declining. While 42,030 people were employed in the German pulp and paper industry in 2009, the figure was only 40,150 in 2017. The number of companies involved in the production of paper, board and merchandise has also declined slightly: It fell from 657 to 636 companies between 2006 and 2016. (Sources statista, vdp)
