Aptar President and CEO, Stephan Tanda, joined Kelly Evans for a live, on-air discussion on CNBC’s The Exchange. Stephan discussed the current tight labor market in the U.S. and the general resiliency of Aptar’s business which serves multiple markets and geographic regions. This was the second time CNBC has featured Stephan, the first was during the fall of 2020 where he discussed the demand for Aptar’s essential products during the pandemic.
News anchor Kelly Evans started the segment by addressing the labor shortage many companies face, especially those in the US. Stephan shared how the pandemic has created a broad desire for local supply from local production. However, companies are hard pressed to meet that demand in the U.S., because there are simply not enough people interested in a career in manufacturing, causing a shortage of entry level and skilled labor such as mechanics, electricians, and process engineers. Stephan explained that Aptar is paying very competitive wages, up some 30% at entry levels, provide excellent benefits and retention incentives. Aptar also brings in skilled labor such as mechanics with temporary work visa’s and is partnering with Tent.org, and organization that connects refugees with corporations. Aptar has also hired several Afghan refugees in the US and is recruiting Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
Stephan concluded the interview by highlighting Aptar’s essential products, used by millions of people around the world, and emphasized the lasting value of Aptar in an ever-changing economy. Stephan explained, “In a recession, Aptar is the kind of company that is much more resilient, people still have breakfast, lunch and dinner, make up their faces and need their medications, even if they don’t buy a new car or a new refrigerator.”
Click here to view the interview on CNBC’s website.
To view Stephan’s interview from September 2020 click here.
