DS Smith named "Best Supplier" by Nestlé

DS Smith has maintained #1 position in Nestlé’s annual Supplier Assessment in 2013, beating over 22 corrugated suppliers once again.

best supplier by nestléIn 2006, DS Smith developed a plan to become a strategic business partner to Nestlé by adding substantiated value to Nestlé’s business through co-development of innovative solutions that improve the efficiency of their operations. By helping Nestlé achieve their top line corporate business goals and growing their existing business, DS Smith Packaging has secured the status of strategic business partner. The accomplishment was acknowledged during the annual 2013 European Procurement Summit in Budapest on May 22nd.

"This is an excellent achievement, especially considering that this was a transition year in which DS Smith completed a major acquisition. We have managed to improve our score every year since 2006," says Francesco van Westrenen, Strategic Account Director Europe, responsible for the Nestlé account.

This assessment takes into account 16 parameters, and places DS Smith Packaging’s performance at the top of the Pyramid Classification. DS Smith Packaging beat 24 corrugated packaging suppliers to the top-spot, by satisfying all quantitative & qualitative criteria, as well as adding value to Nestlé’s brands. "Our efforts to improve our score every year form an integral part of the agreed value drivers, in the Joint Operational Plan set-up with Nestlé", adds van Westrenen.

"DS Smith Packaging’s team can be proud, as with a global score of 4.5 out of a maximum of 5 points, you are ranked as Nestlé’s Best Corrugated Supplier" added Thibaut Barbaras, European Lead buyer for Nestlé.

As a follow-up to the strategic review meeting held in January 2013, our companies have mutually mapped out a desired state and laid down a plan to optimise the execution of joint objectives and goals. DS Smith Packaging is the first supplier that Nestlé has chosen to develop what they call a "Joint Operational Master Plan" (OMP), as part of Nestlé’s direction-setting process called the ‘Goal Alignment’ program.

Intended to achieve results, the Goal Alignment program is an integrated approach empowering both parties to deliver business results, both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. The plan helps to achieve the following attributes:

  • Creates long term vision of business
  • Provides visible communication of intent, activities and progress
  • Provides greater ownership of results though the involvement of key people on both sides
  • Articulates difference between Priorities, Drivers and Measures (KPI’s)
  • Deploys activity amongst all levels of the business
  • Aligns all business activities to common aims
  • Establishes good review and feedback processes (monthly)
  • Encourages transfer of best practice

"I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making this happen," says van Westrenen. "Ultimately, it is about raising the ‘performance-bar’ on both sides (DS Smith Packaging & Nestlé) …with the ultimate pay-off for DS Smith Packaging in terms of market share growth."