DS Smith receives Nestlé award for being role model supplier

DS Smith has been honoured by Nestlé with its ‘Lighthouse Award’, recognising suppliers that set industry benchmarks and demonstrate role model qualities.

Presented by Nestlé Germany as part of its annual Supplier Awards, the recognition reflects a partnership between supplier and customer that spans more than 35 years.
This is a significant recognition from Nestlé for our long-standing, reliable collaboration and exceptional customer support.

In its laudatory speech, Nestlé highlighted our ability to deliver reliably under tight deadlines whilst managing many parallel projects, describing us as a true ‘MacGyver of displays’. We had managed to produce displays, for which a six-week lead time is the standard, within three weeks following a last-minute adjustment to the delivery schedule.

In a speech, Ksenia Stumpf, Strategic Buyer CoPack & Displays at Nestlé, praised DS Smith's commitment and expertise: “DS Smith has long been far more than just a service provider. It is a reliable partner that supports us with a high level of service commitment and technical expertise, even under tight deadlines and across numerous parallel projects. A partner who takes initiative, thinks ahead and consistently drives projects through to the finish line.”

She went on to say: “Particularly valuable is their role as expert advisers: DS Smith does not just focus on its own scope of services, but always keeps the entire process in view. Through continuous suggestions for optimisation, the team has made a decisive contribution to the ongoing improvement of efficiency and sustainability.”

For Thorbjörn Sagerström, Managing Director Central EMEA at DS Smith, the commitment and solution-oriented approach highlighted by Nestlé are above all a reflection of strong teamwork: “This recognition from Nestlé is, above all, a recognition of our people. It reflects the commitment, expertise and solution-oriented mindset with which our teams support our customers every day. I am proud of this achievement and grateful for the long-standing trust that customers such as Nestlé place in DS Smith.”

André Bernhard, Strategic Account Manager at DS Smith, says: “We are particularly delighted to receive the Lighthouse Award because it recognises not a single project, but the way we work: working closely with the customer, keeping the entire process in view and striving to find the best solution even under pressure. The fact that Nestlé has placed its trust in us for over 35 years is both an incentive and a benchmark.”