The global fan base for beverage cans continues to expand, as beverage makers and consumers increasingly value their recyclability and lightweight design. With an eye on innovation, Austria’s Top Cap Holding GmbH aims to enhance the versatility of beverage cans with a resealable can end. The company has appointed two seasoned executives to spearhead the final stages of developing and marketing the “click cap”—a scalable solution positioned to set the standard for the future of food and drink packaging. Robert Jansen takes the helm as CEO, while Valerie Auer steps in as CMO, igniting renewed energy in bringing this innovative closure technology to market.
This management transition marks a strategic pivot for Top Cap Holding: rather than license the technology, the company is prioritizing its own manufacturing and development capabilities for the mass production of the patented closure system. With their combined industry insights and consumer knowledge, Robert Jansen and Valerie Auer are poised to make significant advancements in food and drink sustainable packaging.
Robert Jansen – Driving Innovation with Business Acumen and Extensive Recycling Expertise
Renowned in the beverage packaging sector, Robert Jansen boasts nearly thirty years of experience leading technological advancements as a production technology engineer and managing director at prominent companies. As an advocate for innovation, he fosters a culture of collaboration and exchange. During his tenure at Ball Packaging Europe, Jansen successfully brought the resealable can end (BRE) to market and contributed to the development of tactile coatings, thermochromic colors, and the upscale “Sleek Can.”
As the former long-standing Managing Director of Deutsche Pfandsystem GmbH, Robert Jansen is also an authority on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), having played a crucial role in developing technologies for fraud prevention.
Jansen articulates his enthusiasm for leading Top Cap Holding: “The resealable beverage can end has long been regarded as the ultimate challenge in the industry. When we bring this key innovation to production, it will mark a major milestone in the evolution of how drinks are packaged. Ultimately, this development has the potential to open up new beverage segments for the can,” he states. “With its agile structures and swift decision-making processes, Top Cap Holding provides the ideal environment for such disruptions to thrive.” Notably, the resealable can end utilizes less plastic than existing solutions, opens intuitively, and facilitates efficient filling.
Valerie Auer – Specialist in Consumer-Centric Marketing and Brand Strategy
Valerie Auer, as Chief Marketing Officer, collaborates with Robert Jansen to strategize the successful launch of the “click cap” technology while also managing brand development. Previously, she served as Head of Marketing for the D-A-CH and Nordics regions at “Innocent” drinks, amassing over 15 years of experience in various marketing roles across both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage brands.
Auer possesses an in-depth understanding of the unique requirements within the complex beverage industry. “Our strategy must resonate with can manufacturers, beverage producers, contract fillers, and consumers, demonstrating the advantages of the ‘click cap’,” she emphasizes. “The ‘click cap’ addresses an existing consumer issue and expands the possibilities for beverage can use. We are enacting meaningful change in an industry that has seen minimal disruption for decades, which presents an exciting challenge.”
Through this leadership change, Top Cap Holding reaffirms its dedication to making the “click cap” commercially viable. Together with a team of experienced developers, Robert Jansen and Valerie Auer are advancing the “click cap” in their dedicated R&D laboratory.
For further information: theclickcap.com
