Antalis Packaging is Europe’s’ leading packaging expert. This expertise helps businesses to optimise their packaging process and space, reduce costs, minimise transit damage and enhance the customer experience. Antalis Packaging offers solutions for packing, protecting, storing, dispatching or transporting.

John Garner -Head of Business Development, Antalis Packaging, speaks to Warehouse & Logistics News.

What are your best-known products/solutions/services?

At Antalis Packaging we are renowned for finding packaging solutions to a wide range of challenges whether this is a bespoke pack design, new packaging, or machinery.

We have an unrivalled machinery team and engineers. We also offer a free consultation service where we can identify when machinery can provide improvements.

Our Smart Packaging Centre (SPC) is Antalis’ ‘state-of-the art’ lab. Here we help customers resolve packaging-related issues by coming up with designs and solutions to packaging challenges. We’ve been supporting customers with COVID related challenges and helping them prepare for the forthcoming peak season which will be bigger than ever before.

We are also known for our range of specialist packaging products. From packaging boards, void fill, pallets, tapes, shrink and stretch films and strapping to automated equipment.

Which industry sectors are your customers in and which ones are growing fastest?

We can work with anyone who wants help with packaging. Packaging Solutions for ecommerce has grown significantly in 2020. We have also been supporting industries that have increased because of the pandemic e.g. food and drink, pharma and logistics.

What are your most recent product innovations?

Antalis is developing packaging solutions made from grassboard materials as a sustainable alternative to packaging board made from wood fibres. Grass regrows quickly and remains alive after cutting. The development has recently been shortlisted for 2020’s UK Packaging Awards in the ‘Best New Concept’ category.

A new Business Card box solution designed by Antalis has also been shortlisted in the Packaging Awards for ‘Resource Efficient Pack of the Year’. A drive to reduce its use of plastics prompted the client to seek a more user- and environmentally friendly alternative for its business card boxing. The new recyclable box is made from FSC-certified board and has eliminated use of plastic and secondary packaging materials.

What are the major trends and developments affecting your category and your customers, and how are you responding?

The unexpected surge in online sales generated by the pandemic means that businesses need to take measures to make sure they are ready for what’s coming next – a peak on an unprecedented scale. The answer lies in maximising efficiency, making every part of your operation work hard. It’s not presently possible just to increase capacity by taking on additional workers, so the most efficient way to increase efficiency is automation. At Antalis we can recommend and provide machinery, materials and real solutions. But I can’t stress enough that it’s something you need to do now if you want to cope with a peak like we’ve never seen before.

Can you tell us about any recent customer contracts and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?

Our client Ansell Lighting needed to make improvements to cope with an increase in distribution. Antalis conducted an audit and our recommendations helped them achieve benefits including saving approximately 30% on materials. We introduced new machines, environmentally friendly packaging, customised packing benches, improved workstation efficiency and freed up warehouse space.

Another client was distributing components for the manufacture of equipment – however the packaging was not protecting the goods. It also contained plastic, was labour intensive to construct and was wasteful with materials. By collaborating with Antalis this client achieved sustainable benefits (removing a plastic bag and reducing board) – and overall cost and efficiency savings where achieved.

How does business in 2019 compare to previous years? What’s your strategy for succeeding in the current climate?

2020 has been challenging for us all. For us at Antalis Packaging this has led to new opportunities as clients are coming to us to find solutions for packaging materials, products and services that will help their business improve packaging efficiencies and streamline processes – which ultimately will help them to reduce cost.

What’s the latest news from your company?

Antalis recently announced KPP (Kokusai Pulp & Paper) Group’s successful majority share purchase confirming its worldwide leadership as a distributor in the packaging sector. This enables Antalis to benefit from new resources, strengthening its position and supporting its long-term financial structure.

Antalis launched in 2020, a range of PPE and hygiene solutions to protect people working in offices and warehouses and other commercial environments from COVID-19.

Can you tell us about any areas where you’re currently making technical advances eg safety, sustainability, environment?

We are continuously working on reducing our environment impact as a business as well as helping our customers to minimise theirs. Using the services of our Smart Packaging Centre we carry out a review of any packaging operation and create solutions to improve sustainability.

We are expanding our range of green packaging essentials, such as the new development of grassboard, and our environmental services such as carbon offsetting and waste management.

The rise of carbon offsetting – Antalis announced earlier this year that ALL packaging materials purchased can now be carbon offset.

Are you investing in staff training and skills development?

We are always investing in the training of our employees. We’ve recently taken on two university interns to support the skill development in the Industry.

Antalis Packaging

w: www.antalispackaging.co.uk

Comments are closed.