09 Sep 2015 12:27 (London Time)

Innovation delivered: we don't rely on luck

Gareth Jenkins, Managing Director for DS Smith’s UK Packaging Division, explains why 2015 and beyond are seminal years for the business

At DS Smith we know success takes more than just luck and that’s why we talk of ‘innovation delivered’.

Across the UK packaging division we are rolling out a series of industry firsts, new services and products, and even higher quality control processes as we support our customers operating in fiercely competitive markets.

Some of these developments have been years in the making; some are the result of unprecedented levels of investment in our business. Here, we discuss three of these developments.

Firstly, our bespoke HP T400 Simplex Color Inkjet Web Press – developed in collaboration with HP – arrived in March. The narrow-width press precedes the delivery of a wide-web machine which will support the high-volume, fast-moving consumer goods market.

This investment will enable us to deliver products to market faster, customise batches to support brand and marketing initiatives, deliver more flexible print run lengths and ensure consistent print quality.

For many years, the retail and manufacturing industries have been trying to combat the problem of poor on-shelf availability, which brings me on to our second development. In June this year, we launched an innovative new packaging system that addresses this problem by continually pushing products to the front of the shelf, which avoids the need for on-shelf apparatus and manual ‘facing up’ processes.

After three years of testing and development, this SalesFront pack incorporates a specially engineered band into a retail-ready corrugated pack, which smoothly moves the contents forward as each item is sold.

Not just a pack design, SalesFront is a packaging system and we have developed a range of equipment to assist the assembly and filling process. When the pack is erected, the band is stretched and the product is loaded on the customer’s specially adapted packing lines.

Thirdly, we have made a significant investment in our Sheetfeeding business this year with a new state-of-the-art corrugator and materials handling technology now installed at our Blunham site, following a complete refurbishment of the premises.

The new machinery will deliver more consistent quality at the shortest of lead times. In addition, it will deliver a greater range of board grades to the benefit of our customers and will support our UK-wide integrated Sheet Plant network for many years to come.

Finally, the hard work, vision and innovation of our teams has been repeatedly recognised in a series of award wins in 2015. At the UK Packaging Awards we won gold in both the online retail and RRP/POS categories, which was fantastic recognition.

Other great wins came in the form of Worldstar Design Awards and FESPA (Independent Federation of European Screen Printing Associations) Awards.

In summary, we recognise our customers are under more pressure than ever before to increase sales, reduce waste and manage risk. This comes at a time when competition has intensified due to the uptake and accessibility of technology and the increasing globalisation of markets.

This fierce marketplace means the modern supply chain is integral to a business’ strategy and ultimately its bottom line.

We know that our commitment to innovation and best practice provides our customers with a crucial competitive edge that can mean the difference between success and failure.

As early adopters of technology and new ways of thinking, we drive change and best practice across the global packaging industry every single day.

We know it takes innovation to deliver results, not lucky charms.

Innovation delivered: we don't rely on luck

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