Corrugated packaging is adding value to the supply chain

Corrugated packaging is adding value to the supply chain

The 17th Marketing Congress in Athens organised by the FEFCO saw an increase in the number of participants. More than 145 delegates attended this conference on 4 - 5 October 2007. Mr. Imre Hopka, the chairman of the FEFCO Communication Com­mit­tee commented that every participant returned home with a clearer picture of the priorities and future market challenges for the corrugated industry. Detailed insights were gained on Shelf Ready Packaging (SRP), a topic analysed under different angles and perspectives during this conference. Amongst the speakers were Mr. Petar Stjepanovic and Mr.Sebastian Schauten (Henkel), Ms Lydie Ficheux, (Carrefour Headoffice) and Mr. Olivier La­bas­se (ECR France). They convinced the audience that Corrugated SRP will play an important role in improving store operations and demonstrated that growth will continue, especially if the in­dustry uses the common ap­pro­ach developed by ECR. It is becoming more essential to investigate how to improve the success of the corrugated industry; therefore the second core theme was added-value. Two renowned and outstanding keynote speakers, Professor Frédéric Fréry (ESCP-EAP Paris) and Professor Nimalya Kumar (London Business School) suggested new approaches to the challenge of sustaining market pressures. Professor Kumar gave interesting examples of ways to demonstrate and document value in monetary terms. Dr. Dermot Smurfit, the President of FEFCO explained that FEFCO’s aim was to bring its members useful insights in order to translate some ideas into marketing success; he also mentioned that adding value was all about changing the mindset and behaviour of the industry in order to explore new ideas and new ways of thinking. Many speakers highlighted all the benefits of corrugated as a packaging material. Although some efforts still need to be done communicating better values and potential uses of corrugated alongside the supply chain, Corrugated remains an unbeatable and fantastic packaging material!