" We want to produce with our growers " , might sound commonplace , but in times of scarceness of cutting materials , it is not always possible for suppliers to do so . Looking at the cardboard industry for illustration . A raise in efflorescence despatch means an increase in demand for cardboard . Worldwide , however , there is a scarcity of paper and other naked materials . Unless you raise it yourself , like Smurfit Kappa through its forest plantations in Colombia . Over the last Covid-19 years , they have not only been able to supply their growers , but they were also able to quickly respond to the changing requirement with speed to market , like the ' directly from the farm to the ending consumer ' trend . In this article José María Estela , the General Manager of Smurfit Kappa Bogotá , tells us all about it , but also about the current challenges they are facing and their succeeding plans .
José María Estela
The looks of the boxSo what does this mean for the flower boxful ? According to Estela , the looks of the boxful have become more crucial now that the net consumer is have the flower right from the farm . " Usually , growers did not have to reckon about the appearance of the box as the flowers would be repacked anyway . However , now , besides that the flower need to be maintained fresh in the box , another panorama has advance grandness ; the unboxing experience . " fortuitously , Smurfit Kappa ’s tightlipped contact with their agriculturalist as well as the fact that we provide composition board in different industries all around the world enabled us to respond in a thing of day , he explain . " Our short wind times allow the grower not to mislay sale and capitalise the momentum . "
challenge timesDespite the ability to react quickly , also at Smurfit Kappa ’s mill , Covid was cause a deficiency of people . " It was hard for people to work in the plant life , one because of social distancing and two because of the lack of people . However , we ’ve pick up that communication and planning is key . Also our R&D has to be in the market always to realise the needs . "
' Better Planet Packaging ' approachNext to the Covid challenge , becoming more sustainable has been and still is one that companies are looking for . Therefore , Smurfit Kappa is endlessly work on sustainable promotion products that are designed to minimize the impact of packaging on the surround . " It ’s a challenge we are already treat with design invention that has helped client optimise their packaging to avert product waste , minimize over - specified packaging and increase recycling . This approach is known as Better Planet Packaging and seeks to reduce packaging waste by make more sustainable ones . ”
better the unboxing experience ; the belly laugh - effectBefore Covid , about four years ago , Smurfit Kappa already knead with some farms that get going transport heyday directly from the farm to the final consumer on the design of the boxes . However , Covid seems to have fueled this trend and according to Estela , it is a movement that is here to bide . " Therefore , it is of import that our R&D squad hold open on meliorate the unboxing experience , in turn creating the ' wow effect ' . We are continuously design new mathematical product , we even have an experience center to investigate how we can optimise the unbox experience . "
Own paper millsWorldwide , there is a scarcity of newspaper . Fortunately , Smurfit Kappa has its own forestry plantations and newspaper mill , so it can keep supplying the agriculturist , however , they are take with other raw stuff deficit , like corn starch which they use to make glue , and very high prices in raw materials that are grind security deposit . " The corn starch is made from the corn and the majority of the edible corn is grown in Ukraine . Now with the state of war in this land , the supply is scarce . "
high-pitched energy pricesHowever , the mellow vigor prices are what hit them the most , he says . " It puts a lot of pressure on our R&D team to engross these partially soar Mary Leontyne Price increases . "
Future plansEvery year , Smurfit Kappa Group vest an average of 50 million USD in Colombia for expansion and modernization project in our plants . “ We desire to rise with our client . We have a lot of them who we supply 100 % and it ’s a daily challenge to make them happy and remain the first choice . "
For more informationSmurfit Kappa Colombiawww.smurfitkappa.com
