C-Suite Interview with Knapp’s Josef Mentzer: MODEX 2024 eclipses expectations

Josef Mentzer, President & CEO, KNAPP

MMH: What is your number one takeaway from MODEX 2024?

Mentzer: MODEX 2024 eclipsed our expectations at KNAPP. Our booth was very busy beginning first thing Monday morning and stayed that way throughout most of the show, so we directly felt that we benefited from this year’s record-breaking MODEX attendance.

From existing customers to prospects, suppliers and competitors, the general reaction was that accelerated growth was returning to our industry. Major e-commerce companies are restarting some of the projects they put on hold a few years ago and many other companies are also planning on increased investments. As a result, industry suppliers including KNAPP are preparing for more growth.

MMH: What are the three key market trends from your perspective?  

Mentzer: At the top of the C-Level wish list remains the challenge of achieving agility and resiliency, yet if you dig a little deeper you discover that the top issues are related to acquiring, management and the retention of labor, together with the associated data and analytics to ensure that the underlying technology will perform at a high level. Projects are also becoming more complex as customers become aware of the importance of automation technology, software, and AI, and how they can work together.

Companies are also becoming increasingly aware of the benefit of having a value chain technology partner that can provide much more than a single subsystem but instead can provide a broad product portfolio of leading-edge technologies with the advantage of embedded intelligence across their entire value chain.

Industry suppliers who invested in R&D, and specifically developing new technology instead of investing in growth via acquisition, are thriving in a world that has these more complex projects and higher customer expectations. It’s also the combination of these leading-edge technologies, experienced teams, and strong partnerships—with tenured leadership—that differentiate KNAPP from the rest of the market.

MMH: How is KNAPP responding to these market trends?

Mentzer: KNAPP is ready for the next industry growth spurt with expanded manufacturing and delivery capabilities which also includes significant employee growth over the last few years. We also continue to develop new, innovative products inclusive of both mechanization and software. 

These developments, totaling almost $80 million annually, add to our already broad product portfolio and include leading-edge, best-in-class technologies that give our customers a competitive advantage in their industries.