I knew it was time to go home when my taxi pulled into the Toulouse airport and I woke from a badly needed snooze convinced I was back in Paris.
But aside from that little where-the-heck-am-I episode, my Tuesday-Friday jaunt through France has been enlightening to say the least. What did I learn about packaging in my Paris-Reims-Toulouse-Paris swing? I was reminded that innovation trumps all. The remarkable robotics I saw at Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin in Reims was one example. Changeover times at this leading champagne producer have been slashed, ergonomics issues have been neatly addressed, automation has been maximized, and speeds once unimaginable are now being reached on a regular basis. I even got to see, beneath the manufacturing plant, the remarkable caves in which the champagne is turned and aged. Fascinating stuff, I have to tell you. (Yes, that’s me in the snappy white peignoir.)
