Georg Heberer has been President of AIBI since 2022. In an interview with baking+biscuit international, he talks about the development of the European bakery markets during his term in office as well as the goals and future of the International Association of Plant Bakers.
bbi: Mr. Heberer, in May 2024, the AIBI Congress in Hamburg will mark the end of your two-year term as AIBI President. It has been a challenging time economically, politically and socially for almost everyone in Europe. What were the biggest or most important problems that AIBI and you as its President had to overcome?
Georg Heberer: The successive crises and the unstable geopolitical context have seriously jeopardized the socio-economic sustainability of the sector. Many operators are unprofitable, sometimes for long periods of time, and have been forced to reduce or close their capacities. The COVID crisis and the war in Ukraine have raised different, but equally difficult issues. The key parameters of these situations are access to raw materials, access to affordable energy, the workforce and its development, and the regulatory constraints that weigh on companies’ equipment and operations. Our industry has had to develop its resilience and constantly learn to work in a changing environment. Volatility is an important part of our business today.
