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The $450-billion global packaging industry must transform itself from being viewed simply as a supplier of packaging products to a supplier of rapidly-changing customers' demands, says Sonoco chairman, president and CEO Harris E. DeLoach Jr, during his keynote address at Pack Expo International 2006.
DeLoach offered a number of "stalking horse" suggestions on how the packaging industry might better add value and help avoid "being perceived as a commodity to be purchased solely on the basis of lowest price." Those suggestions included:
- Moving toward customers' demand for seeking suppliers capable of providing full-service packaging solutions across their entire packaging supply chain on a global basis.
- Developing relationships with customers outside of normal purchasing channels, by becoming a partner that is able to reduce costs and increase productivity by offering expanded services.
- Providing one supplier face to the customer rather than forcing them to deal with multiple representatives for different products and services
provided by the same supplier.
- Increasing customers' speed-to-market by improving the full packaging supply chain from conception to rollout.
- Developing new avenues to grow customers' sales by applying new packaging technologies, market differentiating designs and targeted marketing applications, such as retail point-of-purchase displays.
DeLoach cited increasing consumer environmental awareness, with a growing preference for reduced and recycled packaging, as a key issue in which the packaging industry must provide leadership.
"Consumers want to do business with companies which have embraced sustainability as an operating objective. Packaging companies can either be lightening rods or white knights as consumer product goods companies are looking to packaging to help them meet retailers' expectations," explains DeLoach. "Each of us carries a responsibility to our customers, to our industry,
and to our communities to assume a leadership role in helping to maximize a more sustainable global society for all."
DeLoach offered a number of "stalking horse" suggestions on how the packaging industry might better add value and help avoid "being perceived as a commodity to be purchased solely on the basis of lowest price." Those suggestions included:
- Moving toward customers' demand for seeking suppliers capable of providing full-service packaging solutions across their entire packaging supply chain on a global basis.
- Developing relationships with customers outside of normal purchasing channels, by becoming a partner that is able to reduce costs and increase productivity by offering expanded services.
- Providing one supplier face to the customer rather than forcing them to deal with multiple representatives for different products and services
provided by the same supplier.
- Increasing customers' speed-to-market by improving the full packaging supply chain from conception to rollout.
- Developing new avenues to grow customers' sales by applying new packaging technologies, market differentiating designs and targeted marketing applications, such as retail point-of-purchase displays.
DeLoach cited increasing consumer environmental awareness, with a growing preference for reduced and recycled packaging, as a key issue in which the packaging industry must provide leadership.
"Consumers want to do business with companies which have embraced sustainability as an operating objective. Packaging companies can either be lightening rods or white knights as consumer product goods companies are looking to packaging to help them meet retailers' expectations," explains DeLoach. "Each of us carries a responsibility to our customers, to our industry,
and to our communities to assume a leadership role in helping to maximize a more sustainable global society for all."
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