President's Column - November 2025
Hello Members and Industry Friends,
It’s often said that time flies, also always followed up with, the older we get, the more quickly it goes. I can confirm. I’m convinced it’s true and not just my perception. Everywhere I look, there are signs that time isn’t just passing, it’s accelerating.
The traditional signals are always there, such as realizing what grade your kids are going into. You seem to underestimate because they can’t possibly be going into that year! You look at the family pics hanging on the wall, then look at the kids in the room and realize just how fast time is going. You keep asking whose shoes are on the floor because they are way too big to be any of theirs, but they are. And of course, realizing they are getting too big to pick up. For others I imagine its other milestones like graduating college or them getting married, kids of their own. Things that catch you off guard that are “happening already!”
Another clear sign I’ve noticed; not recognizing how long it’s been since you last saw someone. At a recent trade show, I ran into a former colleague I used to see every so often at the big industry events. I asked him how he liked his “new” gig. He smiled and reminded me he’d been in the role for three years. Three years! To me it felt like we’d only spoken a few months ago.
But I don’t think it’s just perception. Business itself seems to be moving faster. Timeframes are shorter, planning is more compressed and budgets drafted earlier each year. We’re already well into budget season at work, this is late September activity, not August. That used to be the unofficial signal the year is winding down. Now it’s creeping further and further into the summer months. How do we plan all of next year when this year is only half over?
It’s the same at home. Have you tried to book summer camp for your kids lately? You practically need a crystal ball and a 12-month calendar. What used to be a springtime decision now needs to be locked in the year before. The same applies to many family activities. Spontaneity, it seems, has been squeezed out of our schedules.
Patience is shorter too. Everything has to be instant, from the driver behind you at a red light, who honks the second it turns green, to the time it takes for an online order to arrive. I’m a big sports guy, it might be even worse there, coaches and GMs are expected to turn a franchise around in two or three years. Rookie players are branded “busts” if they’re not All-Stars right out of the gate. The clock ticks louder everywhere.
Ironically, while we automate more and more tasks to “save” time, we rarely slow down enough to savor the time we’ve freed up. We don’t seem to value time as much as we crave speed. We’re perpetually racing ahead, but not always toward something meaningful.
I don’t have any sage advice or secret to fix this. In truth, I’m caught up in the same hustle as everyone else. My move and new location have for sure helped but as we settle in, grow some roots, things to do and people to see come along with that. We’re actively guarding to keep a balance. This column may well be my first “rant” as I try to keep pace.
The good news is that part of my current craziness is to plan and prep for a long weekend of camping. We are big campers, and it will be the first time since the move that we’re doing it. Camping seems to be my factory reset. No budgets. No email. No schedules beyond sunrise and sunset. My biggest stress will be finding enough wood to keep the campfire going. With no screen to check, or places to be, time seems to stretch again. An hour around the fire feels like, well, an hour. I’m one of those people who can stare into a fire for ages, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.
I’d love to say I’ll come back “relaxed, refreshed, refocused and ready to tackle the challenges ahead!” but reality is that its more likely a quick break, just time to take a deep breath and jump back in the deep end.
So, as we all navigate our busy calendars, and ever-accelerating schedules, I invite you to find your own “factory reset.” Even if that’s just something that let’s you stop and smell the roses campfire for a minute.
Rob has 27 years of experience at Bobst, one of the world’s leading suppliers of substrate processing, printing and converting equipment and services for the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries. He currently serves as Tooling Director.
Rob is based in Switzerland, with his wife Monica and their children, Leo and Manuela. His older son, Khai is engaged and remains living in New Jersey. Rob enjoys camping and cooking as well as being a full time chauffer to hockey and swimming practices.
He is proof that being one of those “take it apart and see how it works” kind of guys can lead you to a wonderful career, meeting new people and experiencing the world.
The President's Column appears in The Cutting Edge, the IADD's monthly magazine.
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