Pregis is a leading international protective packaging brand which provides innovative packaging materials and systems.
European MD at Pregis
Our exceptional team of packaging professionals are trained to help you select the right protective packaging solutions for your specific application requirements. Our products and systems can be found in virtually every consumer and industrial sector, supported by comprehensive sales, customer service, technical service and distribution networks.
Our goal is to provide you with the highest quality packaging solutions and service and to ensure that your packaging operations are the best that they can be.
What does your day to day role as MD involve these days?
The MD’s role is very simple to summarise: Create direction for the organisation, motivate the team, give them the tools and get out of their way. If one wonders what activities this all entails; well, that is what I ask myself sometimes too as there is a great variety of activities all aimed at enabling the team and staying the course.
Do you go to see clients personally and come up with solutions for them?
Yes, I go to see clients as that is where our business happens. In “Lean” they say: “Go to the Gemba.” As MD I need to understand what is going on in the market, what issues our customers, or better, business partners are facing, so that our organisation can come up with the best solutions for them. The best solutions from the point of functionality, costings and environmental impact.
What other roles are in the senior team with you?
We now have a dedicated European team leading the Pregis activities which are spread across four Specialist Centres. These four centres, where production and product development take place, service the entire European market with different solutions via one centralised sales and service organisation. This new structure ensures that we always go for the optimal solution, so that our customers/business partners will be successful. If they are successful, then so are we!
Looking at your website, you’ve had a busy few months! Easypack rebranded as Pregis Ltd last year. Also in 2018 Pregis bought FP International, who then began trading as Pregis International.
What have the changes been at Pregis Ltd as a result of this restructuring, in terms of changes to your team, your products and solutions and what are the benefits of all this to UK customers?
I like to believe that we, as an organisation, are able to offer more value to our partners as we are not limited to always the same single product solution, like some of our competitors – we are always able to offer the right solution, i.e. product type and if needed an integration solution, for our customers. Because of this combined approach we have now also combined the service functions of the previously independent companies. They now build on each other’s strengths to offer the best customer service and field service and to design the best integrated solutions for our customers.
In addition, we have recently opened a brand new Paper Specialist Centre in Stevenage. This, fully refurbished office and production plant is complete with state of the art, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, motion sensitive PIR LED lighting throughout as well as electric car charging points. We have also incorporated a customer centre where visitors can see our showcased solutions and get hands-on with the machines. We are very excited about the opportunities this site will bring.
What are your bestselling packaging products and systems?
Actually I don’t like to talk about products, I focus more on the solutions. In particular I see that we have great success with responding to customers’ needs and integrating our systems, seamlessly into their fulfilment centres or production lines.
What are the current trends in packaging for e-fulfilment and how are you addressing them with packaging products and systems?
We are aware that dimensional weight is a consideration for more and more of our customers, however, our products are specifically designed to be on-demand meaning that the material is converted on-site to create high volumes of lightweight packaging. This can then be used freely, without the concern of increasing the in-box weight unnecessarily.
What new product and systems innovations have you made recently?
Plenty: In our Paper range we have introduced fanfold-paper solutions which, in addition to the solutions from the rolls, now ensure that we cover the whole paper range. Additionally we launched the Bio Loose Fill a few years ago, but we have not promoted this solution clearly enough, so we have work to do.
Three other new introductions will be announced shortly, which we will do as soon as we are in a position to also supply these Europe wide into the market because our supply and service lines are fully up to speed – so plenty more to look forward to!
Which market sectors are your customers in? Can you tell us about the solutions you provide for them?
Our customers range across pretty much every industry from fashion and homeware, to automotive manufacturers and OEMS. The versatility of our portfolio means that there really is a solution for every industry. Delicate and breakable goods through to bulky and heavy manufactured components and everything in between.
How biodegradable is the Pregis range of packaging? How sustainably is it produced?
Sustainability and the environment is at the heart of everything we do – our mission statement revolves around it. The products we manufacture are environmentally-friendly by design:
a. LooseFill Bio, a 100% starch based void fill solution, so environmentally extremely sound. This in addition to the functional and environmentally conscious LooseFill Green which we make from 100% recycled styrene and the traditional 100% recyclable and reusable Loose Fill which is still made from virgin styrene. LooseFill as an integrated solution for packaging lines is also a very labour efficient solution.
b. In addition we have the various recycled paper solutions; being the first supplier to exclusively use 100% recycled paper, whereas other suppliers are still having to cut trees and consume massive amounts of energy and chemicals during the paper production as they offer virgin paper for their systems.
c. And our offer is completed with the Air-systems, which offer protection by using air as cushion material captured by thin poly-ethylene airbags. From a carbon footprint point of view this is the very best solution (diminishing global warming impact) and as the airbags are 100% recyclable we are now working hard to ensure mechanical recycling is not only possible, but is also happening, resulting in incorporation of recycled material in our films. This with the aim that our products won’t contribute to the plastic soup. To this end we, as a corporation, have also joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.
Where can people test your products?
As part of our newly developed Paper Specialist Centre in Stevenage, we have incorporated a dedicated Customer Centre where prospects and customers alike can get hands-on with our solutions, try them for themselves and really put them through their paces, as well as offering a training area. Of course, we are also happy to come to you, and our expert Account Managers will conduct an on-site audit or users can simply book a free trial!
You’ve won various Queen’s Awards over the years. Any more award wins in the pipeline?
Who knows, we continue to grow our business, develop our product portfolio and address customer needs. We just try and continue to develop new innovations to help solve our customers’ challenges, while being as environmentally conscious in our approach as possible. If that leads to recognition or awards that’s great, but we’re just doing what we know best.
Pregis Europe
01438 740649
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