We are financially stable, a long-term partner, very healthy and stronger than before

Learn more about Patrick Walczak, the Vice President of Global Mill Sales at BW Papersystems. His team consisting of 9 sales executives is responsible for providing paper mills with solutions to their sheeting and packaging needs. Patrick is in charge as a Sales Executive for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 

Please explain the difference mill sales and non-mill sales.

With the merger of the MarquipWardUnited Sales Team and the Will-Pemco Sales Team, we had two very experienced sales teams with different focuses. Obviously the Will-Pemco Sales Team is very experienced covering the mills whereas the MarquipWardUnited sales team was covering mainly non-mills and folding carton business. This was a perfect fit and we decided to keep the focuses. The sales team dedicated to the paper mill customers (mills are defined as customers which produce their own paper on site, and can have a paper or a board machine), typically sells cut-size sheeters and inline packaging for copy paper production, whereas the sales team dedicated to converters (defined as printers, merchants, smaller converting shops) can offer solutions for customers that handle paper, but do not produce paper.

What is your main focus right now?

We want to utilize all of our global manufacturing capacity to the benefit of our team members and our customers. Which means, we want to keep all our team members busy in Hamburg, Germany; Sheboygan & Phillips, WI, Baltimore, MD USA; and Lodi, Italy. The key focus for the past three months was working with several customers in the cut-size sheeter business. After a lot of work, we were able to grab one big order which gave a lot of work for Sheboygan and Hamburg.  The folio sheeting product line that BW Papersystems is able to offer to paper mills, positions our company to give smaller, regional mills a broader product portfolio. For instance, we have the eCon Sheeter, which for sure, will be a great offering at an economical price for folio sheeting. Furthermore, Relocation projects and Rebuild projects paired with new equipment are a new trend in more saturated markets like Europe and South Africa.

Which products keep you excited, where do you see most potential in your area?

I am very curious to present the eCon to the market. I am also excited about the options we have with the GRL with all the flexibility and potential we have with this product. Of course, cut-size is always exciting, because that has been our bread and butter in Hamburg and in Sheboygan for many years and is still a large scale product, where we offer not only a machine, but a complete solution. What really gets me excited these days is the still unknown potential on digital sheeting and packaging. It’s exciting to watch the industry trends and discuss with our Research & Development teams. We know that customers in China, South East Asia and Europe are looking for solutions and we will work with them to capture their niche.

What is the perception of BW Papersystems in the market?

We are financially stable, we will be a long-term partner, we are very healthy and we are stronger than before. Our sales prove- we have trust with our customers.  

What makes Will-Pemco & BW Papersystems special for you?

It feels great to work with your family, and I would consider BW Papersystems people as family. We have such a solid financial structure and, within the Barry-Wehmiller group, great product lines aside from BW Papersystems such as packaging equipment, tissue converting machines and our engineering services group which makes me feel very secure. This allows us to fully focus on developing products that not only positions us well in the market but first of all provides value for our customers.

What do you really like about your position at BW Papersystems?

Communication and team work is valued, which makes me feel like I am a part of everything. Of course, Sales has been my passion for many, many years. I work closely with customers, but I am also a partner for all the different departments and value streams and people. It just feels great to network, to work together with the people at all locations and to stay involved with every day being different. 

Is there anything you would like to share with our followers on Social Media?

It is also great to stay connected not only on a company basis, but also on a personal basis. I would like to invite you to take the opportunity to get in touch with our sales people also via Social Media. We are all around the world I would say almost everywhere in the world you can reach some local contacts from us. Stay tuned!