Packaging Culture nº7 - English Version by Marketing ITC

PACKAGING CULTURE No . 7 / 2 01 7

In the medium term, packaging with barrier properties, will be essential Paco Olaso

MARKETING DIRECTOR GRUPO DULCESOL

Packaging & Trends Injection PET SuperClear PP Álvarez Gómez Polasal Coffee Capsules

Inside ITC Quality remains

Introducing...

Change me

José Luis Olmedo

Flexipack 801

How we have changed Pepe Ramírez

PACKAGING

CULTURE

6 The Interview Paco Olaso Dulcesol

Packaging & Trends Injection PET

Inside ITC Quality remains

Packaging & Trends SuperClear PP

Magazine published by: ITC Packaging Polígono Industrial Retiro-Casa Nova C/ Valladolid, nº8. 03440. IBI (Alicante) SPAIN Tel.: +34 966 554 056 mkt@itc-packaging.com www.itc-packaging.com

Introducing... José Luis Olmedo

56 How we have changed Pepe Ramírez

36 Packaging & Trends Álvarez Gómez

46 Summary

Packaging & Trends Polasal

Change me Flexipack 801

Sopelana Ricardo Colina

Packaging & Trends Coffee Capsules

Packaging Report 10 questions you should ask yourself when updating your container

How we have changed Pepe Ramírez

Inside ITC Quality remains

Trending Topic The #TT of Packaging in 2018

Packaging & Trends SuperClear PP

28 ITC Events Events

What’s new on the shelf? News

30 72

Packaging & Trends Álvarez Gómez

We’re a team Attracting and retaining talent at ITC Packaging

Introducing... José Luis Olmedo

Change me Flexipack 801

Investments New logistics center

RSC Socially responsible

Packaging & Trends Polasal

ITC Family New additions

54 Packaging & Trends Coffee Capsules

The Interview Paco Olaso Dulcesol

Packaging & Trends Injection PET

This year we have embarked on a new stage in the ITC group. During 2016 the ITC group has celebrated its 25th anniversary, and in this time it has grown, giving packaging solutions and promotional material to a good number of customers, mainly from the food and cosmetics sector. In 2014 the company acquired a factory in the north of Spain, in the town of Sopelana, to strengthen its capacity, incorporate more talent into the organization and provide a better service to clients located in that area of influence. Since 1991 to the present day, we have achieved very high levels of business growth as well as investment in facilities, and the key to success has been the development of unique projects aimed at our customers,

Beatriz Valls

INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS MANAGER

Javier Gonzรกlez

CEO

within tight deadlines and with a high degree of flexibility and innovation in their implementation; supported by the great human team with whom always and on a day to day basis, we strive for excellence in everything we do. After this first stage, the company has initiated a process of reflection to consolidate its experience and closely examine new customer needs and market demands. Twenty-five years is a long period for any company, and in that time customer requirements and demands, the perception of consumers, the environment and management and communication tools have greatly changed. Moreover, in recent years, we have come to understand that companies not only have to look after their customers and of course their teams, but they also need to take into account other groups and the environment. Relationships with suppliers, for example, are now much more collaborative then in the past. Sustainability and social responsibility are no longer market demands nor a matter of differentiation, they are ethical requirements that are fully within the culture that our company wants to share and carry out in the new phase that has begun this year.

Editorial

Belonging to industrial locations such as Ibi in Alicante and Sopelana in Vizcaya, are good enough incentives to guide our activities and efforts to improve our work and the impact on our environment. We would not be what we are today without the help and the effort of a lot of people from these locations and others very close, where our professionals reside. In order to successfully implement this new stage, we have redefined our objectives and reinforced the teams with people who contribute complementary experiences and who help us to include new points of view and improvement. During 2017, we have restructured our organization to take on board this new stage, we have expanded our strategic vision by reinforcing management and creating an Institutional Relations Management office, and we will continue working towards improving the talent of our professionals. Customer focus remains a key element in our management, but now accompanied with attention to other groups that work with us and over which we have an undeniable social impact. Along with innovation, quality, service and competitiveness that have historically defined us, we must also have an impact

on concepts such as sustainability, the environment and social responsibility. Getting to know the customer better and providing solutions to their needs is the best way to serve them, and it is also necessary to maintain a base of satisfied customers in the medium and long term. Nurturing and promoting the talent of our teams, generating participation and commitment is also decisive in achieving our strategic objectives, which we have defined in four perspectives: 1.- Strengthen our market orientation through effective innovation and better service. 2.-Review internal organization and procedures with the aim of improving quality and forecasts. 3.- Boost the talent of the organization, leadership and team management. 4.- Consolidate the resources available in the company and their return. With the invaluable help of all of you, collaborators, suppliers, clients and nearby institutions, we will be able to fulfil these aims. That is our commitment to the future.

PACKAGING CULTURE

The Interview

Paco Olaso MARKETING DIRECTOR GRUPO DULCESOL

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the medium term, packaging with barrier properties, will be essentialâ&#x20AC;? Paco Olaso is the story of loyalty to a company, a recently graduate in Economics and Business Sciences who joined Dulcesol in 1992 where he has developed his work in different departments ranging from Administration, Sales, Operations or Quality and Development. He is currently the Marketing Director, a role in which he plans and directs the strategies and policies of the different product categories, promotion and advertising of own brands. He is also responsible for the packaging development of new products, this year Dulcesol and ITC Packaging have jointly developed the packaging for Naturcrem creams. A package that stands out for its attractive geometry and for the IML barrier decoration that prolongs its shelf-lifer without the need for refrigeration.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Good morning Paco, thank you for your kindness and for granting us this interview. You have developed your entire working life in Dulcesol in different departments, which has given you an overview of the company. We can´t think of anyone better to explain what Dulcesol is ... Grupo Dulcesol is a food company with a vocation for innovation, internationalization and diversification, these are the three main pillars of the company today. Also in the DNA we have engraved the concept of value for money, we always strive for efficiency. We are a family business that has recently incorporated the third generation and in which, above all, people work.

You have lived, along with Dulcesol, some years of spectacular growth that has placed you among the 20 most highly rated food companies in the Spanish market. That´s right. Dulcesol Group was born in the 50s as a local bakery, in Villalonga, in the 60s it began manufacturing muffins for local distribution, little by little it diversified the types of baked products and started to expand along the Mediterranean coast with a zone of influence that spread from Barcelona to Murcia. From the 80’s company operations reached other areas of the Spanish market such as Asturias, Madrid, Galicia or Andalusia. In the 90s I joined the Dulcesol Group which allowed me to experience the most powerful changes in the Spanish market, distribution changed radically, until then, it was bought in the traditional neighbourhood store and at the end of the 90s the big distribution centres began to disembark and that was one of the great successes of Dulcesol, knowing how to get hooked to that change. Then, life has evolved a lot and at a very fast rate and the Dulcesol Group thanks to diversification has managed to adapt to other major changes, such as the emergence

PACKAGING CULTURE

of DOBs where we are a very important actor. This adaptability has allowed us to manage sufficient volume to be efficient and maintain the value for money concept that we have always pursued.

Dulcesol has proven to be a company with a great vision when detecting new market niches they have recently made a break in infant nutrition, functional foods or, as in the case at hand, healthy and ready to eat food Can you tell us about Dulcesol´s process to innovate? We have always been very focused on both the customer and the end consumer, the innovation of the Dulcesol Group arises from active listening of the market. Thanks to this approach we were pioneers in the elimination of hydrogenated fats from industrial baked products. Recently we have been the first and, at the moment, the only ones to make pastries with chlorella. Part of our innovation comes from the ability to industrialize products such as macarons,

The Interview

a French confection which occupies a minority niche in the Spanish market, which we have been successful in introducing to the mass market. We at the Dulcesol Group carry out trend analysis to know where the market is heading. Today, no one can deny that there are trends such as the fact that family units are becoming smaller, single-person households are more common, urban lifestyle prevails and health concerns are growing. They are realities that a food company like us must take into account. For example, talking about Naturcrem soups, one of the main virtues they have is that they are bio, they are organic foods, a concept that in Spain still has a reduced market, but that has experienced a strong growth in countries like Germany, Switzerland or France. This trend is going

to become a reality and Dulcesol is going to be there. We believe and are committed to organic food through this development and we hope to extend this concept to pastries and baked products.

You have over 20 own brands, each one aimed at a different market niche and with a different strategy and planning, talking about packaging. How is this great complexity managed? Yes, and not just our own brands, we work with over 200 brands in total, if we include DOBs. Also, the process of sophistication of the DOB has gone from assessing price as the main factor, that is over, today the large retailer takes great care of its own brand, is much more demanding and needs greater adaptability to be able to launch customized initiatives that are temporary in nature.

We seek the support of ITC Packaging through their know-how, a connecting link, a collaboration.

PACKAGING CULTURE

You are making a strong investment in the creativity and production of a series of very groundbreaking spots. What can you tell us about this marketing strategy?

abreast of innovative developments as well as knowledge about the market through the contact we have with customers and consumers.

The Dulcesol Group has traditionally had a communication strategy focused on packaging and advertising at the point of sale. Of course we have carried out some specific action in the past but it has been now, in 2017, when we have implemented this new development.

In ITC Packaging we are looking for the same thing that we have with Ducplast, the contribution of your know-how, and for there to be a good link for information to flow, in short a collaboration.

The first trials we have done this year with our ‘Soles’ cake range are giving very good results. This good behavior invites us to continue implementing communication in mass media as part of our communication strategy.

The collaboration of ITC Packaging and Dulcesol goes back a long way. What is Dulcesol looking for in a specialized packaging partner? As you know the DulcesolGroup has an internal integration, Ducplast, for the development of flexible packaging, the fact of having it integrated allows us to be kept

PACKAGING CULTURE

Why with ITC Packaging? Because we seek a good product that is reliable in the market, we have to ensure the partner, is not just anybody. Behind developments like Naturcrem, there is a lot of investment in R & D and a key part of its success is the packaging, the Dulcesol Group wants from ITC Packaging what it offers: a product with added value.

Let’s talk about your new range of readyto-eat soups, ‘Naturcrem’. You have branched out into a new veggie world market, of healthy, organic food. A great challenge, right? Yes, it is a great challenge, it is very novel. For us, the world of bread, pastries and cakes

The Interview

An essential part of product success is the packaging, the Dulcesol Group wants from ITC Packaging a packaging with added value.

in mass consumption is very well known. In this case we are targetting new buyers. What do I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing right? In that is a ready-to-eat product, we are talking about individual portions and it is a bio-food product, in addition, some creams provide functionality as in the case of those that incorporate chlorella. What the market tells us is that the product is a safe bet.

One of the main characteristics of this product are its barrier properties that allow it to be sold without the need for refrigeration. 70% of the decision to buy is made in front of the shelf, we often buy on impulse

and that is when the container becomes crucial in the sale. Obviously, the design of the packaging attracts attention. The Naturcrem packaging, in terms of design, is very successful. We think it is very attractive to the consumer. In addition, the fact of being able to apply design to the entire surface of the container and the barrier properties that it offers meet all the requirements. But also the functionality, that is, this product, thanks to the containerÂ´s barrier properties, it will last a year with perfect organoleptic properties. We are

PACKAGING CULTURE

talking about some vegetables without any preservatives, which do not need refrigeration. It is a life facilitator. It is quite an important revolution and our challenge is to pass it on to the consumer.

You also opt for a single portion format. Are the new consumer models taking centre stage? The single serving is another life facilitator. The figures for domestic food waste are alarming. And that is one of the great concerns of the new generations. Millennials seek food that is responsible, and organic food is seen with good eyes. They also want to buy cheaply, like everyone, but are willing to pay more for a product if it complies with their principles and values. And from the Dulcesol Group we believe that this container fulfills these expectations.

70% of the decision to buy is made in front of the shelf, we often buy on impulse and that is when the container becomes crucial in the sale. To finish off we would like to know your view on the future of packaging. The packaging has to adapt to market trends, to what the generations behind us ask us to do. The carbon footprint is a very important element. As far as packaging design is concerned, I think we are moving towards formats that allow the size of the sales unit adapt to the size of the consumer unit, as we mentioned earlier, in response to the changing sizes of households. Another aspect is that the packaging must become a facilitator of consumer life, which I think that the barrier elements in the medium term will be essential because refrigeration shortens product life and prevents the mobility of the consumer unit. With a package like Naturcrem, you can go and spend a day in the mountains and take a picnic along with you.

PACKAGING CULTURE

packaging We THE FAVOURITE PACK OF

Feli Sempere ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE

As a mother, I value the breakthrough the lids plus a spoon for baby milk. When your child wakes up crying in the early hours, every second seems an eternity and, at those moments, being able to have such a practical and clean solution at hand allows you to save the situation in a quick and easy way. For that reason, I have chosen the innovation developed by the ITC Packaging team as my favourite container.

PACKAGING CULTURE

We have managed to inject PET with a thickness of less than 1 mm, with a rectangular footprint and a 360° visibility of the product.

Susana Fernández BACK OFFICE

In ‘Customer service’ I live this type of project from a perspective of closeness to the customer, therefore, it is much more emotional. By taking part in this development I discovered the true meaning of this business and especially the team that I had just joined; ITC Packaging, a team that always strives for excellence and perfection in every project it undertakes. Combining the fulfillment of customer requirements, by overcoming the challenge as a company and the ability to inject any type of container and lid allows us to fulfill their wishes. In this case, the achievement of producing a totally transparent container that adds a premium and artisan touch, so difficult to attain in a bulk product, is truly rewarding.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Packaging & Trends

Ana Buyo

KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER

INJECTION PET

An injection of innovation The year was 1996, in a science class, the teacher cited the definition of an atom: “the smallest part of matter that cannot be decomposed, only in a nuclear power station”, years later I discover that, who was my mentor in childhood, kept something to herself, and that was evolution, the driving force to overcome new challenges. When I arrived at ITC Packaging three years ago, my great companion (in height, heart and wisdom) Pedro Galera, explained to me that thin wall injection molding could only be done in polypropylene, adding a “for now”, allowing a glimpse at the road map of the ITC Packaging, R & D department. But ... where do we go from here? And it is at that moment, in which we join forces so that this route, has a sweet ending, that materializes in a project. The most transparent container on the market, which withstands freezing temperatures, providing a delicate warmth thanks to the great visibility of the craftsmanship in this product. Is transparency a #TrendingTopic? Clearly yes. It is necessary to show the product to the

consumer. The modernization of the world of ice cream, is the new anti-industrial revolution, we are no longer talking about bulk buys, but frozen desserts of artisan elaboration. The application of ice cream presents a packaging challenge, and we can now give warmth to a container that must be robust for the proper preservation of the product. So far we find PET formats but in smaller volumes, an injection like that used for the preforms of any bottle. At ITC Packaging, we have managed to inject PET with a thickness of less than 1 mm, for a rectangular 900 ml container with a 360 degree visibility of the product, providing faceup honesty to the consumer. In addition, it is totally unbreakable, guaranteeing food safety totally necessary for food safety standards and quality that the market demands. We offer the possibility for our customers not only to have a packaged product, but a container that can be reused for DIY decorations. A product you can trust, fully transparent and that doesn´t hide any secret.

PACKAGING CULTURE

10 Packaging is a key element when making a successful product, studies show that the vast majority of purchase decisions are made in front of the supermarket shelves. Shelves that have become an increasingly competitive and fragmented environment due to the multiplicity of brands, messages and stimuli. Despite this importance, in many cases the container is relegated to the background and no attention is paid to it. The years pass by, the package has worked on the shelves and we think that this triumph will be eternal, but it is not, your package sends you signals. Signs that indicate that, perhaps, the time has come to change. The time has come to ask yourself some questions.

questions you should ask yourself when updating your container 01. Am I just one more? Uniformity on the shelves is usually the proof that a container is entering a phase of maturity. Competition tends to repeat the formulas that have triumphed in the market, without taking risks. Each category has its codes and messages but when your package is mimicked by other products perhaps the time has come to be disruptive and rethink the packaging.

02. What has changed in other product categories? Supermarkets give us clues. A careful analysis of it can give us a clue about where the market is moving. Market trends are reflected in the type of messages that are launched, concepts such as the readyto-go, easy to eat or the healthy diet that dominate todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lines. Look for those trends, analyze them and if they align with your brand or product, then go for it!

Convenience packaging, differentiation through usability

PACKAGING CULTURE

Packaging Report Differentiation through the shape of the container

03. What do I aspire to? A few years ago, a product was launched aimed at a specific personal profile. A profile that was defined based on the demographic characteristics: age, sex, purchasing power, level of education ... Today this approach does not work. The consumer has changed, is heterogeneous and transversal. The consumer expects a product that meets their aspirations and their way of thinking, not their age or gender. Your product and your packaging should reflect a lifestyle, an ideal, values that represent your brand or product.

04. Do you offer experiences? Go beyond the shelves. The current consumer is a customer, by nature, unfaithful. The permeability towards novelties, the great amount of information that it handles or the great adaptability towards new lifestyles mean that lasting relations between consumer and product are becoming increasingly less common. The packaging can be a key element of loyalty by including elements that allow us to transfer the consumer-product relationship to the online world, offer new content such as recipes, video-tutorials, gamification or augmented reality actions will facilitate an identification between customer and brand that will increase the feeling of belonging.

A different package for a premium category

Differentiation within the cracker segment

05. Do I make it easy? Make life easier for customers. Many packages have collaborated to shoot products to success through small modifications that have revolutionized the market. Containers for upside-down sauces, dispensers, container with strainer sets or spoon caps are life facilitators and thanks to this they have triumphed in the market.

06. Does it suit your client? Lengthening the life of the product in perfect organoleptic conditions is a revolution in the packaging world. Hundreds of products that could not be sold without refrigeration or with a short shelf-life have gone on to expand their presence on shelves, thereby gaining market share.

07. Do you create experiences? New printing techniques allow high customization of the packaging or the use of new thermosensitive or photosensitive inks that allow to create a different experience of usage that is highly appreciated by consumers. Study these advances and look for how to apply them in a different way, creating a true user experience.

User experience PACKAGING CULTURE 17

First container with barrier properties that allows sale out of the refrigerated section

First capsule on the market as a communication support

08. Do you cover a need? Think about why your packaging has the attributes it has. Are they still fulfilling their function? Does that function provide value to the end consumer? Does the client perceive them? Sometimes, we make small changes to the decoration or shape of our packaging that, little by little, slowly distort the initial motivation. Stop. Take a step back, look at your packaging and make the necessary decisions.

09. Are you transparent? Nowadays, it is not enough to say that a product is 100% natural. The consumer must see it reflected in the package information. The ‘clean labels’ are a reality, the consumer wants to know the real composition of the product they will consume and, in addition, with a transparent, accessible and userfriendly language. This concept must also be reflected in the packaging itself, the degrees of transparency and the decrease in thicknesses will allow you to show your product in a more honest way.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Solution that enhances usability and attractiveness of the packaging on the shelf

10. Are you up to speed? The way we consume today has changed dramatically, individual and ready-toeat portions are highly successful in the market. Microwave packages with lid plus spoon or cutlery solutions make life easier and adapt to a wide variety of consumption situations. Rethink your product so that it adapts to these realities.

The packaging is a vital part for many consumer products. You must be attentive to the signals that it sends you. Maybe it’s asking for a tune-up. Analyze the situation, decide the right moment to make the change and do it at the right time and respecting what has made you great. At ITC Packaging we are experts in the development of new packaging concepts. Under the MyPack denomination we include all developments tailored to products that have triumphed in the market thanks to the contribution the packaging´s value to the product. From ITC Packaging we continuously ask ourselves these questions, which are what guide the process of creation of each MyPack container. Our experience in the development, from scratch, of innovative and breakthrough packaging makes us the perfect partner when it comes to an ambitious project such as changing a crucial element as packaging.

packaging We THE FAVOURITE PACK OF

Paqui Sรกnchez MAINTENANCE

Those who know me know that the family gets together for a celebration or family meal I prepare some starters with toasts that I accompany with different toppings, my granddaughter loves them and she helps me prepare them on the grill. Working at ITC Packaging allows you to get to know new products like this one, that, will definitely be gracing our table this Christmas.

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PACKAGING CULTURE

Inside ITC

Quality remains Quality is an intangible element. A value. Something that transcends everything and, in the case of ITC Packaging, is present in all our day to day systems and processes. Hierarchically, our Quality department occupies a central place both within the organizational structure and in our value chain. For ITC Packaging, quality is the nerve center that guides our activity and focuses all our systems and processes.

The ‘Culture of Quality’ of ITC Packaging is based on the idea of never being satisfied, in the constant pursuit of perfection. The ‘almost perfection’ because we know that perfection does not exist that there is always a more efficient way of doing things. This idea, of continuous improvement, is what invites us to take nothing for granted to identify critical problems, develop new techniques and improve our processes.

model that comes from the direction of the company and is focused on meeting the compliance standards agreed with our customers. ITC Packaging’s ‘Culture of Quality’ is a stable ideology over time, part of our corporate identity, which permeates the entire organization and allows us to reengineer processes to improve our packaging through the implementation of continuous improvement policies.

ITC Packaging has a TQM (Total Quality Management) management model, a

PACKAGING CULTURE

Quality Plan The work of our quality department begins every time we face the development of new packaging. From the beginning of the process, the quality department works, hand in hand, with the rest of the departments involved in developing the Quality Plan, a core document in which recommendations are set about the needs for optimum packaging industrialization. The quality plan considers basic aspects such as the materials to be used, logistical aspects to optimize transport, checks to be carried out during the manufacturing process of the product or those problems that the customer may find in service.

PACKAGING CULTURE

After the briefing phase, the Quality Department makes its contributions by detecting and making clear the needs that will have to be covered in order to properly industrialize a container. The quality plan of ITC Packaging also contains a test plan to determine which points of critical quality a specific container can have and set the type of tests which a package will have to undergo in order to offer excellent quality.

The quality plan of ITC Packaging involves advising our clients on the requirements that a container must have, we become consultants since the client, sometimes, does not know which materials are suitable for the manufacturing processes they have to undergo (pasteurization, sterilization), what type of closure is recommended, or if there is the possibility of applying barrier solutions...

Inside ITC

8 Disciplines

01 Form a team

Implement and validate solutions

Describe the problem

04 Root cause analysis

Permanent corrective action

Interim containment action

Prevent recurrence

Closure and team celebration

Tackling problems. 8D Methodology. At ITC Packaging, we are pioneers in the implementation of 8D Methodology in the food sector for problem solving. This method, born within the automotive industry, seeks to identify, correct and solve problems that affect the efficiency and profitability of the industrial process. It was in 1987, when the Ford Motor Company improved a system used by the U.S. army in World War II, and began to apply it to combat the frustration generated in the organization through the recurrence, time after time, of the same type of problems year after year. Today, the 8D Model has become a standard of the automotive industry. Thanks to the experience of those comprising our Quality department in the application of this methodology, we have been able to incorporate this problem-solving model to our savoir-faire

8D methodology starts from the basis that all problems have a root cause, an internal glitch that causes a chain of events that makes the symptom clear, that is, the manifestation or sign that makes that problem visible.

8D methodology Success story Push Up Labels. Problem: Label breakage due to incorrect placement. Result: Breakage rate of 0% for this cause.

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Kaizen Improvement Groups

BRC Standard for packaging and packaging materials

The implementation of the Kaizen improvement groups has been led by the ITC Packaging Quality Department. These improvement groups have a fixed structure and are responsible for locating the critical points of underperformance and, after evaluating and analyzing them, move on to the proposal phase of actions. These actions must be simple, specific and effective, after the implementation of the new measures the improvement group returns to the first phase creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.

ECT J O

M E AK

The ultimate goal is of course to manufacture containers, but to do so efficiently.

PRO

PACKAGING CULTURE

C CHE

ITC Packaging holds the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;BRC for Packagingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; certification, a seal that guarantees the safety, legality and quality of the packaging manufactured in our production plants. Through this protocol, ITC Packaging meets the requirements in risk management, personnel, facilities, quality, product safety, process control and products. The BRC (British Retail Consortium) standard for packaging is currently considered the reference framework to guarantee the quality of the packaging used in the food industry and in other industries, being a standard highly demanded by manufacturers of food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Thanks to this certificate we ensure the trust of customers and consumers by offering them greater efficiency in the control of risks for food safety. BRC is a quality brand that has allowed us to access new markets through compliance with the requirements established by the large distribution companies. Every year, we receive a dozen external audits in which the compliance with the requirements for quality control plans (tests, material testing, traceability ...) is certified and that allow us to offer a product with quality standards sustained over time, thanks to the implementation of a structured process in manufacturing and quality.

Inside ITC

The ‘Culture of Quality’ of ITC Packaging is based on the idea of never being satisfied, in the constant pursuit of perfection.

Test Laboratory The most ‘visible’ part of the quality department’s work is the laboratory tests. ITC Packaging has a structure composed of 4 quality shifts that are responsible for conducting in situ controls 24 hours per day 7 days a week. These controls follow inspection routes carried out at the machines themselves, with an exhaustive inspection of parts, laboratory tests and product auditing to detect possible quality faults and thus be able to correct them there and then. We also have laboratory technicians to perform more specific tests, such as approving of materials and new products.

perform the measurements that allow us to collect data about the critical points of each of the containers. For new developments we have the collaboration of prestigious technology centers such as Ainia, Aimplas, Aiju, Itene or other International Institutes.

Our laboratory is equipped with analysis and control systems developed ‘ad hoc’ for each specific case. Once needs are detected, we develop the necessary laboratory tools to

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Accreditation of suppliers/materials The quality of our products also influenced by the raw materials with which we work, therefore our Quality Department carries out an exhaustive task of accrediting suppliers of raw materials (sleeve, flow pack, dyes, labels, among others).

Quality remains An organization that lives under the same concept, total quality, is more efficient. We all remain aligned under a common goal and understand the impact of our actions on the overall result of the company. Quality is a concept that is present in everything we do, a value that is above the company and that transcends all those who form ITC Packaging. Quality is a requirement of our customers, consumers, other organizations, legislators ... but, above all, it is a self-imposed standard of excellence. At ITC Packaging we continue to work hard, learning every day and improving to turn problems into the fuel that ensures we are on the road to continuous improvement.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Only suppliers that pass our validation are accepted as suppliers, and once all batches are validated, they are checked and tested to perform the necessary controls to ensure they meet the quality requirements agreed with the client. In the case of IML labels, for example, we perform extensive sampling of each batch defined according to our quality records. On the other hand, ITC Packaging, is part of the value chain of many companies to whom we supply packaging. In those cases where the quality processes of our clients require validation of our products, our Quality Department will take the necessary steps to align ITC Packaging to customer requirements in order to achieve a beneficial and lasting relationship for both parties.

packaging We THE FAVOURITE PACK OF

Borja Pereira

SOPELANA FACTORY MANAGER

The operation of this container symbolizes the evolution of the Sopelana plant since it was acquired by ITC Packaging, valued in terms of customer satisfaction and internal organization. It is a product launched prior to the acquisition that was experiencing minor repetitive quality problems related to the placement of the IML. The optimization of the new investments along with staff training, promotions and newly incorporated personnel have drastically improved product quality and the client has explicitly recognized the work done by the plantÂ´s entire team.

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With SuperClear PP you show your product without visual barriers, establishing a relationship with the client based on trust.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Packaging & Trends

Alexis Moreno

ACCOUNT MANAGER

SuperClear PP

The trend is clear We as consumers, are each day better informed about the products we buy, we endeavour to know until the last detail about the composition, shape, colour and properties. This trend encourages us to gather all information possible to ensure we make the right decision about our purchase. Faced with this demand, choosing a ‘suitable’ packaging becomes a critical factor. When you show your product without visual barriers you are establishing a relationship with the client based on trust, your product is the best and I am showing it to you as it is. The solution to this growing demand offered by ITC Packaging is SuperClear PP developed in collaboration with Milliken and Verstraete that offers PP packaging with the most transparent injection molding on the market. By using Milliken’s Millad NX800 clarifier you get a highly transparent raw material

that maintains all the advantages of PP (microwaveable, IML decoration, sterilization, pasteurization...) but with transparency properties that until now only PET could offer. But the innovation does not stop here, Verstraete IML label supplier completes the pack with its offer of 100% transparent labels, which can also be printed on both sides, doubling the surface available for marketing and communication actions. SuperClear PP is an innovative concept that allows us to offer highly customizable, stackable and lighter containers. Weight optimization is not a minor issue because the reduction in thickness enables us to control our carbon footprint while offering more attractive packaging that allows our product to speak directly with the consumer.

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new on the shelf ?

No. 3

No. 1

No. 4

No. 2 No. 6

No. 5 1 2 3 4 30

No. 7

Container MyPack. 333 ml with IML for cheese spread. Container Flexipack 380 with IML for yoghurt. Container Flexipack 275 with IML for cheese. Client Socrech. Tub MyPack, Container plus lid with IML for cheese spread.

PACKAGING CULTURE

5 6 7

Container MyPack square shaped with clear lid for cheese cubes. Client Boursin.. Tub MyPack, Container plus lid with IML for cheese spread. Container MyPack with IML for yoghurt. Client Casa Ametller.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new on the shelf ? No. 1

No. 2 No. 3

No. 4

No. 5 No. 6

1 2 3

Container Flexipack 520 with IML for ice cream. Container MyPack 600 ml with IML for ice lollies. Client Froneri. Container 1 litre plus lid with IML for ice cream.

4 5 6

PP container 1 litre with IML for ice cream. Container MyPack 1 litre for ice cream with bi-colour injection. Container PP of 1 litre with IML for ice cream.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new on the shelf ?

No. 1 No. 2 No. 3

No. 4 No. 7 No. 5

1 2 3 32

No. 6

Flexipack 801 for baby food. Client Ordesa. Container Flexipack 520 with IML for sauces. Client Benfood. Trays PP with IML for Fifth range products.

PACKAGING CULTURE

4 5 6 7

Container Flexipack 240 PP with IML for meat product. Client Jucarne. Container 365 ml PP with IML for meat product. Client Casino. Flexipack 275 with IML for salt flakes. Client Polasal. Container MyPack 325 ml with IML for potato salad.

What’s new on the shelf ?

No. 1 No. 2

No. 3

No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 1 2 3

Container 620 ml plus fork-spoon for salads. Container MyPack with pentagonal base manufactured in PP with IML and barrier properties. Client Dulcesol. PET pot with sleeve for sugar. Client Azucarera.

4 5 6

Tub MyPack with IML for sauces. Container MyPack with square base plus lid in PP with IML for sauces. Client Sud’n’Sol. Container MyPack mortar type with IML for garlic mayonnaise. Client Salsas Artesanas Gil.

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What’s new on the shelf ?

No. 4 No. 1 No. 5 No. 2

No. 3 No. 6 No. 8 No. 7

1 2 3 4 5 34

Container Flexipack 700 PP with IML for pineapple. Client Fribasa. Container Flexipack 700 PP with IML for pineapple. Client Frujuca. Container Flexipack 700 with IML for fruit. Client Reypama. Container 1 litre PP with IML for confectionery. Container rectangular Flexipack 801 with IML for wafers. Turrones Picó.

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No. 9

6 7 8 9 10

No. 10 Container MyPack with Sleeve for chocolate spread. Container MyPack with IML for mango sauce. Client Frutas Montosa. Container 280 ml with IML for candied fruit. Client Lazaya. Coffee capsules with IML barrier. Client Capsul’in. Containers Flexipack 520 y 115 with IML for chocolate spread.

What’s new on the shelf ?

No. 1 No. 2

No. 4 No. 3 No. 5 No. 6

No. 7

1 2 3

Lid plus spoon 99 mm for food supplements. Client Vegenat. Lid plus spoon 127 mm. Client Hero. Spoon Cap 127 mm with IML. Client Maeil.

4 5 6 7

Lid plus spoon 127 mm. Client Hochdorf. Spoon Cap 127 mm with IML. Client Arla. Spoon Cap 127 mm with IML. Client Analac. PET Containers for cosmetic products. Client Álvarez Gómez.

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A new concept of PET packaging with the refined geometry of a mineral, a gem or a diamond.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Packaging & Trends

Santiago Pastor

ACCOUNT MANAGER · AdvPET

Álvarez Gómez

Packaging with uniqueness and style For the last few years we have branched out into other sectors that we are passionate about, such as hairdressing, cosmetics, mass market and pharmacy fragrances, adapting to the most avant-garde geometries of the moment: mostly stylized, minimalist, cylindrical bottles. This year we have gone a step further innovating to break into the Selective Perfumery sector. This is a sector that refers to our sensations. Sensations provoke emotions in people and aromas contribute largely to it, from the smell of a cologne, perfume, fragrance, etc. For this exciting challenge, the advanced Pet division, has carried out the development of a novel concept of packaging, manufactured from blown injection technology, to transform into glass-like PET material, innovating to be able to provide, in addition of the geometries mentioned, others as rich, refined and inspiring as containers similar to a mineral, a gem or a diamond, with a prism shape, with pronounced edges, geometries and square shapes, hexagonal shapes, etc. always based on a thorough study of our client’s project, on his target market which we will seek to address, to design a suitable injection preform for these geometries. The capacities range from 50 to 500ml with a universal screw top thread of 24/410, manufactured in glass-like PET material as

well as solid and liquid colours, that are able to impress through their shape, colorfulness and exceptional intense sheen. With these shapes we can make a container with large front and rear faces, thus achieving an attractive facing for labeling and / or screen printing, in order to communicate that promise of value that suggests to the person that has a perfume packed in this type of bottle in their hands, to decide to buy it and take it home with them, hoping that it meets their expectations that will convey the desired sensations through a pleasant smell. This year, along with the Álvarez Gómez company, one of the most important firms in the perfumery sector in tradition and prestige in our country, we have launched three models of packaging with hexagonal shape geometry, in three capacities 90, 300 and 450 ml, all with standard thread 24/410 screw tops, which allows the widest range of closure accessories to be applied, both plugs and spray or dosing valves, depending on the type of product to be packaged, either a cologne , a perfumed cream, bath salts, etc. Innovative products for the wide range of aromas that are packaged. Similarly, a new line inspired by these containers with hexagonal geometry is being designed to develop a line of amenities, from a 45ml bottle capacity, destined for rural hotels and city hotels.

PACKAGING CULTURE 37

INTRODUCING...

JoseÂ´ Luis Olmedo

MANAGING DIRECTOR ITC PACKAGING

PACKAGING CULTURE

Introducing...

José Luis Olmedo will contribute his expertise gained in the packaging sector to ITC Packaging, in which he has carried out his work in different stages. His incorporation is part of ITC Packaging’s commitment to achieve sustainable growth, strengthen the human team and implement the business plan that consolidates its privileged position in the market. Affable and friendly, José Luis, reveals his first impressions after landing at ITC Packaging.

The packaging sector is the one that “hooked” me and one of the reasons why I decided to join ITC Packaging Good morning José Luis, it´s a few months since that you joined ITC Packaging, so how are your first impressions? It has been a fantastic feeling. A warm welcome by the whole team. ITC Packaging is a great company with extraordinary talent and remarkable degree of commitment and involvement on the part of all its members.

Reviewing your career we can see that you have held senior management positions in large multinationals. Could you give us a brief overview of your professional background?

My professional career has been in family and multinational environments, covering all links in the value chain; from the final consumer to the processing of raw materials. Specifically, I have worked in the Packaging world twice. From the point of view of adding value and functions, my performance has focused on the implementation of business projects, business development, operations management, talent and multidisciplinary teams, market opening, change management, and optimization of business models. As you can see very diverse and highly rewarding.

PACKAGING CULTURE 39

You have played a role in different departments such as HR, operations, commercial or general management, without a doubt, it will have given you a very value global vision of the companies. Yes, indeed. Looking back, I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to have participated in such diverse projects and assume positions of such caliber and responsibility. As I like to say, “my toolbox” is full thanks to all those ventures and professional experiences.

You also have experience in the packaging sector… Yes, as I mentioned previously I have worked on two professional projects related to the sector. Both very nice and they have taught me a lot and have made me grow as a person and professional. Moreover, I confess that it is the sector that has “hooked” me the most and one of the reasons why I decided to join ITC Packaging.

My contribution will focus on enhancing the strengths of the team, the great talent we have.

PACKAGING CULTURE

After landing, in the months that have elapsed you are bound to already have a defined line of action. Could you give us a few brushstrokes about the general lines that will mark your management at the head of ITC Packaging’s business area? The work that the entire organization has done to make ITC what it is today is worthy of praise. Much has been achieved and today ITC is a benchmark thanks to each and every member of the team. My contribution will focus on turning my experience and modest know-how into empowering the team’s strengths, the great talent we have and ensuring that, the values to which ITC Packaging is committed and for which it is recognized by clients and stakeholders in our environment, remain there. Passion, Honesty, Commitment, Innovation, Service and the constant desire to improve.

ITC Packaging has a multi-site structure, with four production centers in Ibi and Sopelana. Is this an added difficulty when implementing that strategy? Is there a specific approach for each of them? For ITC, it is a competitive advantage to have several production centers. It ensures we reach customers and markets in which we operate better. From the management point of view, we promote the transfer of knowledge between them, marking common guidelines, with respect and support to local teams and the contribution of talent from each group.

There is a sector of the productive market that considers packaging as a mere accessory. What would you say to those who think that packaging has no strategic value in product development?

Introducing...

I would say “Trust your senses” which is our motto and summarizes my answer. Each day the consumer has more information and their level of demand and knowledge is greater. The need to attract him with a quality product and image is greater. You just have to visit one of our usual points of sale, supermarket, department store, and we can see how the focus on attracting attention and standing out is maximum. That is where packaging plays a major role.

Innovation is one of the main pillars on which the growth of ITC Packaging has rested. Where do you think the strategy of this strategic area should lead? Innovation is one of ITC´s pillars. We work on this day by day and strive to anticipate the needs and opportunities of consumers and the market. Opportunities will come from a close collaboration with our clients considered as “partners” for their market

knowledge and with our capacity for creation and industrialization we will be able to make those needs a reality.

The information society has proven to be a powerful driving force of change, do you think that the of e-commerce phenomenon will transform the packaging industry as it has done in other aspects of life? Definitely. I believe that there is no business that can be sustainable over time without Technology or Information. The information available to the consumer and to us as producers helps us and requires us to manage more smoothly and helps us to be more efficient. The impact on the supply chain and logistics is a clear example of the influence of E-Commerce.

PACKAGING CULTURE 41

INVESTMENTS

We have opened a new logistics center This new opening is part of the company’s growth strategy and its purpose is to improve storage capacity and service to customers.

During 2017 ITC Packaging has incorporated a new logistics center, the new platform occupies an area of 14,000 m2 and is also located in the Alicante town of Ibi. With this new ITC Packaging installation, its storage capacity will be increased by 12,000 pallets. The new center allows a greater rationalization of the logistics process, the centralization of the

PACKAGING CULTURE

shipment of goods and a general improvement of the service offered to our customers. The new plant is structured with a storage system that optimizes the available space to the maximum. It is also equipped with state-ofthe-art machinery including an articulated boom lift machine and the computerization of the entire location process.

Investments

PACKAGING CULTURE 43

Investments 2017 ITC IBI 580tn injection machine + new IML system + inspection system. 700tn injection machine + new IML system + inspection system. Changing room extensions to cater for increase in staff. Improvement of access to the raw materials area with double synchronized door SAS (Safety Access System) for access of operators to the plant. New filtration and water treatment system. Pallet Fork-Lift stacker. New Logistics Center. Increase electrical power output.

ADVPET Increase capacity and quality of compressed air. Preform automatic loaders. Productive.

ITC BILBAO Air cooler. Improvement in energy efficiency. Production transfers.

3,5 million â&#x201A;Ź

PACKAGING CULTURE

packaging We THE FAVOURITE PACK OF

Dulce y Miguel Ángel Vicedo H.R. & FINANCIAL CONTROL

We have chosen this container since it is very representative of a promotional item, it brings back good memories as, in our student days we used to spend summers working on the assembly of products like this also represent the origins of the company in relation to the toy industry, typical of the town of Ibi. Also, we think the Lacasitos showcase is cheerful, fun and... Who doesn´t like what´s inside?

PACKAGING CULTURE 45

Bras del Port has become the only Spanish company to produce Sea Salt Flakes, a product that is marketed in 4 varieties.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Packaging & Trends

JoséJuan Sevilla ACCOUNT MANAGER

POLASAL

The salt of life Bras del Port is a different company, an industry located in the center of the Natural Park of Santa Pola salt flats. For more than 100 years the work of man has coexisted harmoniously with the flamingos, herons, gulls and other inhabitants that populate the immense lagoons that, slowly but inexorably, offer the treasure hidden by the sea: sea salt. Despite its long history dating back to 1900, Bras del Port has managed to reinvent a centenary exploitation to adapt to new markets. Classic table salt as we know it has now been joined by new proposals aimed at the ‘gourmet’ segment. If something unites Bras del Port and ITC Packaging, it is the firm commitment of

both organizations to invest in R+D+i. Thanks to this commitment, Bras del Port has become the only Spanish company to produce Sea Salt in Flakes, a product that is marketed in 4 varieties. In addition, they are pioneers in the creation of Sea Salt Foam, a low-density salt unique in the world and that also comes in different varieties. Bras del Port could not have found a better partner than ITC Packaging, our Flexipack 275, with IML both in the container and in the lid, will be the new packaging for flaked sea salt that will soon be appearing on Spanish supermarket shelves under the brand name Polasal.

PACKAGING CULTURE 47

Change me

STANDARD ITC PACKAGING RANGE

Our Flexipack containers dress, day by day, thousands of new products, products that are the result of the hopes, dreams and hard work of our customers. For them we have developed our standard range, Flexipack, a series of versatile containers that allows a great variety of customization to adapt, perfectly, to the specific purpose of each product. Today we would like to introduce you to Flexipack 801, a set consisting of a container and lid that has become one of the must-haves for those companies that seek to differentiate themselves by means of a look & feel that makes them stand out and attracts the attention on the catwalk of supermarket shelves. Thanks to its original geometry, finished off at the corners by smooth curves, giving it a modern, trendy and current image, a far cry from other standard ranges with less personality. In addition, Flexipack 801, allows a high level of customization thanks to endless complements (pigments and IML decoration) that will allow you to succeed on all occasions, from the most informal situations to the most sophisticated events. Get to know the main looks that Flexipack 801 has chosen in recent years, one of the standard packaging options preferred by our customers.

PACKAGING CULTURE

Artisan Wafers Sánchez Mira opted for an elegant but casual look, the selection of earthy tones combine perfectly with the transparencies of the cap that hint at the secret contained in the packaging: delicious artisan wafers. Mediteranean Salt Carmencita stands out thanks to the choice of Mediterranean shades, the combination of matt white with a blue gloss lid enhances the values of this premium salt that has found in Flexipack 801 its ideal packaging. Traditional Chocolates Gorrotxategi opts for a more serious look, with 100% IML decoration that covers both the container and the lid. Ice cream with a ‘British’ touch Mullins gives a ‘British’ touch, resorting to the diplomatic stripe to dress their range of premium ice cream. A classic that never goes out of fashion but with a current ‘staging’ thanks to the combination of white, off-white, and anthracite. Noir wafers Turrones Picó opts for a ‘noir’ look, a touch of elegance for these premium wafers by combining the matte of IML with the sheen of the lid. Flours with a touch of pattern Santa Rita has decided to opt for a modern look, with a commitment to prints that seek to differentiate their flours on supermarket shelves in a simple but daring way.

La Rica Cocinera opts for a traditional look, white base packaging with a touch of decoration that appeals to the traditional character of the product.

Snacks with transparencies Chicharricos, has decided to dress their traditional pork scratchings with a daring ensemble that opts for transparencies.

Fries. SFA BV fights off the cold with yellowish tones with IML both on the lid and container that allow these fries to stand out in the most demanding freezer compartments.

10.

Blevit Cereals opts for pastel tones, the blue and orange hues are joined by a gradient that serves as the basis for an IML completed with very tasteful photographs.

Change me 1

Characteristics: 211x94x126 mm Capacity 800 ml Safe content system (tamper evident) Decorations IML/PML Colours, full range

PACKAGING CULTURE 49

Ricardo Colina: past, present and future If we look back not so long ago, exactly a year ago, we would find an article in this same magazine written by Ricardo Colina, entitled “Sopela: past, present and future” and, after the event we held last November 10 in Getxo on the occasion of his well-deserved professional retirement after 43 years in the same company, he really did could not have found a better headline to summarize what

PACKAGING CULTURE

had happened in the same, an afternoon full of history, future, emotions and above all, people, concepts, all those that embody ITC Packaging and, in particular, the man to whom we paid tribute that day: Ricardo Colina. And for all those who were unable to share that small tribute with us “in situ”, the chronicle follows below:

Sopelana

Marta Galarza

MANAGEMENT CONTROL SOPELANA

It was about 7.30 pm on Friday, November 10 when the first guests were arriving and going to the room where we would wait for Ricardo, who was not aware in those first days free of workload of what we had waiting for him… the aforementioned had to be persuaded and arrived “deceived” by Carmen, his wife, at around 8:15 pm where we were waiting for some people from the Sopelana plant making him believe that we had prepared a team dinner... and from there… we led him to the place of the celebration, not without raising his suspicions that something strange was happening, especially when the background murmur got louder and louder and he noticed that his brother was there… finally he stood at the door of the room where we were all gathered and after 43 years of service to this company, he received the warm applause of his current

Tribute to Ricardo Colina and former colleagues and his family, all in unison in recognition of his long career and a job well done throughout so many years, nothing less. I leave the reader to interpret his face of amazement on seeing the photos of the moment. The rest was plain sailing after the initial nerves, we spent a very relaxed and enjoyable time, very enjoyable, in fact, We had the chance to see video moments of his time at the company as well as listen to the messages sent to him from Ibi, we had photos taken in the photocalls prepared to mark the occasion. For a few hours the chemistry was special and the union and interconnection between all the people was great, whether they were from Sopelana or Ibi, current or former staff, family or not ... we were all gathered together for the same reason, the same person ... and going back to

PACKAGING CULTURE

Sopelana

the beginning of the text, the past, present and future moment of ITC Packaging was united, and Ricardo in his essence will always represent that in this company, by the wake that he has left behind: past, present ... and with what he has impressed upon each of those that continue on this ship will undoubtedly become part of the future of this company. On a personal level, and I believe that, on behalf of many of our staff, I can only thank everything I have learned and lived with Ricardo at the time when our work paths have gone hand in hand.

Now it´s Ricardo´s turn to enjoy! And everyone else … Here´s to 43!

PACKAGING CULTURE

Therefore, and for all the above, it gives me great pleasure, and with the great collaboration of so many who have done their part, we have been able to celebrate the commemoration of this event, which is very unlikely to be repeated… but which gives us all a fine example of success at both a professional and personal level.

packaging We THE FAVOURITE PACK OF

Nuria Esther Montecino COST CONTROL

My favourite fruit has always been pineapple. But it has a great disadvantage: it is very awkward to peel. Since I discovered packed natural pineapple I have “reconciled” with this fruit. It comes perfectly prepared to eat straight from the container and you don´t have to eat it all at once, since it will last a couple of days without the fruit oxidizing thanks to its preservation capacity. Now, at home, there´s always pineapple. My daughter also likes it. So there´s often not much left to use on another occasion, but I always keep the container to recycle with another product that needs to be stored in an airtight container.

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« Everyone knew it was impossible to do, but one day someone showed up who didn´t know and did it » Winston Churchill

PACKAGING CULTURE

Packaging & Trends

Christophe Crochet BUSINESS MANAGER FRANCE

COFFEE CAPSULES

Welcome to the future In 2016 we faced the immense technical challenge that involved the implementation of a complete production line of a 48 cavity mold with an IML robot. Moreover, the process was complemented with the sealing process of the lidstock, controlled by artificial vision cameras and closing process by introducing a stacker which allows placement of the capsules in cardboard boxes and, later, on pallets. And we did it! But ITC Packaging does not stop at that. We committed to the IML capsule and, therefore, we are in the process of implementing a second production line that will increase our productivity, reaching an increase of 200 million units per year compared to our first line. The prospects are encouraging, the improvement of the productive capacity

and the quality standards of our capsules allow us to occupy a privileged position. We are witnessing the birth of a new segment: the consumption of single dose hot and cold drinks. Not surprisingly, prospecting studies suggest that the South American and Asian markets are only at 1% capacity. The new challenge that opens up before us is the design and development of the capsule of tomorrow: a tea capsule, white coffee, flavored water, fruit juices, beer, soft drinks, soups and why not? medicines. Our R+D department will be responsible for creating this capsule of the future, which will link the EVOH barrier, co-injection, ecoresponsibility and IML decoration. Welcome to ITC Packaging. Welcome to the future.

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HOW WE HAVE CHANGED

Pepe RamĂrez

BUSINESS MANAGER AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR 1999-2012

From an auxiliary company to an industry The history of most of the local companies that today make up the industrial cluster of this town, and perhaps others nearby, have had similar life experiences. Without going into the greater or lesser success achieved, the base of the industrial fabric of the area is configured by auxiliary companies that, taking advantage of knowledge and structure, their new generations have sought products to acquire their own personality, and then they have had to adjust such structures based on the different needs and problems that arose along the way. Perhaps with little planning but with great determination.

PACKAGING CULTURE

A company is a living entity, with a body formed by the structure that supports it, a multiple heart made up of all of its workers, or should we say internal collaborators?, and by a soul, the one provided by the people who think, struggle, suffer and manage to bring projects to light. Our company, the parent company of what is now ITC, was born from the initiative of Carlos Valls and a group of collaborators, most of them relatives, who wanted, at a time of economic growth, to put creativity and ingenuity at the service of a community and a common aim. The toy sector, particularly dolls would become their field of action.

How we have changed

And also their learning, they learned to create, they learned to manufacture, they learned a market philosophy, they learned to turn dreams into tangible products that were also highly valued in the field.

crises were the breeding ground of a new company that, curiously, was born as a result of several attempts and projects: ice cream, toy assembly, wires, promotional products, etc.

Like many of those industries: ITC, as a subsidiary branch of MinisĂłn, started from scratch, in terms of commercial projection. It had the wealth of experience and knowledge that it had inherited, and consequently bore the virtues and defects of its managers. The emergence of cheaper products from Eastern countries, the fiascos of Feber and others that forced to bring about a change, as well as the successive

From all this and widespread insecurity, the idea of ITC emerged, more than an idea it was an enlightening reflection made by Rafael Valls: If in the local environment it is becoming increasingly difficult to do new things and also are too many that we are alert to what the competitor does, to copy it, why donÂ´t I look outside and in other sectors, and since I am looking outside, why not in the best companies.

PACKAGING CULTURE 57

And the subsequent revelation: accessing a large company was neither more nor less expensive nor complicated than doing it to one of the conventional companies that they had dealt with up until then, it was all about offering something that interested them and showing that they were capable of carrying it out.

Hence the promotional product for large companies, a lot of creativity and great service, as well as lunch boxes, selling the product with added value, with something that could then be reused at home, which thanks to Dulcesol and others who knew how to make it fashionable, and almost all the brands in the sector had their line of lunch boxes. Finally, confectionery came along, a product which likewise became fashionable served in rigid plastic containers, this time with specific characteristics, which ITC was able to develop and market.

So, the next step was to turn a familybased powerful auxiliary company, into an industrial company that would develop more professionally and with a solid commercial base, since at that time, we had little more than twenty customers on our books.

At this point, the reflection of ITCs Director was that, probably, the emerging markets with with virtually slave labor, and trends, made the product that had served to lay the foundation of our company fragile. And of course, respect for human values, in a dehumanized environment, was not going to prevent those factors from being modified.

And that is the point where Rafael Valls thought of me, just at the time when the new and modern facilities of the company were being inaugurated. I had been involved in the beginnings of Minisรณn, the parent company, and my profession had been in sales, and dealing with clients of course, and I think my loyalty to the project was more than guaranteed.

PACKAGING CULTURE

How we have changed

The next step was to turn a family-based powerful auxiliary company, into an industrial company that would develop more professionally and with a solid commercial base.

What could a cardboard salesman contribute to a company with a vocation for greatness apart from the courage and desire to grow? The development of a company as a community life project, is always directly proportional to the personal development of the individuals that form part of it. An idea becomes a product and an illusion in a reality if inspiration finds you working, according to the well-known phrase. So, we had to get down to work.

The initial approach was to retain regular customers and capture new ones, for the product that was being made at the time, and little more, and in the future the search for that new product that taking advantage of the structures and the knowledge acquired, would allow us to take the qualitative leap. And why not: quantitative as well. Our collaboration was based on the fact that Rafael Valls continued with the management from an industrial angle, basically maintaining a high level of contact with the creation and development of new products for certain large companies: NestlĂŠ, Menorquina, Nutrexpa, Pierre Gourmand, through the connection with a great friend and partner Josep Llorach, and I would take on management at a worldwide level. But the future, I do not know if fortunate, but mercilessly, today, and in the business world, is increasingly moved by a sense of urgency, it is more peremptory, and gives less opportunities to hesitation. Considering a new course for our company was almost immediate, and then what we call the â&#x20AC;&#x153;truncated coneâ&#x20AC;? container arose, a common shape and appearance, with a range of capabilities and multiple

PACKAGING CULTURE 59

Selling packaging is a unique experience for the seller, exciting, that requires ongoing training.

possibilities, which perhaps appeared earlier in our collection thanks to a very special collaboration with Rafael Ruiz de Málaga, customer, distributor and great friend of the company and a person dear to me. The first time this container was placed on the table before those, at that time, shareholders of the company and members of the Board of Directors, more than one reservation was raised, given the investment path required to obtain a competitive showcase. The participation of the delegate, who was appointed in Madrid: Oscar Alcaide, who initially covered a large area of Spain, and my own in all other territories, gradually made this new product start to gather momentum, although perhaps not excessively, in our turnover. What made it easier for us was the attrition of multinationals who were manufacturing the same product in Spain, their lack of sensitivity in the day to day dealings with their clients. This contributed in a decisive way to the expansion of our portfolio. In nearby territories an agent was appointed from the factory to carry

PACKAGING CULTURE

out the same work: Salvador Martínez, and the entry into different markets such as food or painting opened new fields in this new branch of activity. Rafael Ruiz himself became practically the most significant customer of the product at the time. After a tentative trial of a couple of years, and I say this because our projection was held back, first, by the lack of other capacities in the containers that we were producing to raise the quality of the customers we were accessing, who required us to be able to supply their entire catalogue; having containers that have a wide range of capacities and shapes, but that also fulfill the different specificities so we could opt to cover a wider range of sectors; the need to take a technological leap to customize packaging; the need for specialization of our sales force so they do not have a peremptory dependence on the “commodity” in this activity, and enter into the competitive development of “turnkey” products, and above all create the additional structure in technicians and skilled personnel; the essential outsourcing that was started timidly but explicitly; optimization of products with own technology that will improve the qualities of others in the market in terms of weight, productivity, airtightness and mechanical response; the adaptation of our administrative structures, and the appropriate “staff” to handle a new situation which they wanted to access. This was none other than the task to turn our auxiliary company into a reliable company with a reliable product. Exit the comfortable niche of what we previously called: “base”, and create a solid company, with a solid and future product: industrial packaging. And that is what we did.

With the invaluable help of clients such as Nestlé, who vouched for us, with the knowledge acquired, we set to work to provide effective training for our operators, without skimping means, acquisition of new high performance, top quality injectors, as well as the most sophisticated equipment and robotics available on the market, establish areas of collaboration with suppliers of a sound reputation so that a healthy exchange of knowledge could arise. And above all, a lot of courage and desire to do things as well as possible. The sales team gradually adapted to this new situation, since the standard product in this type of company is a buttress, but not a source of profitability and future, you only need to see the projections of many other companies that started at the same time as we did: those who committed to technology and creativity have grown, while the others remain in semi-comfortable mediocrity.

This meant we were able to sell the “customized” product, or “turnkey”, with efficiency, which means that a customer’s need had to be converted into an effective development, or a problem had to become a creative solution and be equally effective, that was how we got contracts. The prestige that is acquired with this type of preparation does guarantee the company´s future, the development of packaging that improves others´ specifications also guarantees the future, the sale of a “commodity” product to the highest bidder guarantees what we could call: active indolence, if you allow me this kind of oxymoron, but it has opened the doors to what ITC is today. Selling packaging is a unique experience for the salesman, exciting, which requires ongoing training, he must know the qualities of the collection and that of others, but above all he should

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know enough about the market and the possibilities of application of their sample, based on an observation of the sales criteria of the product to be promoted, in order to carry out its mission, expressed in the principle: “in the end it is about not going away empty-handed.” When you get the chance of the first interview, do not limit yourself to an exposition of the company´s virtues, offer things that may interest him or that may promote the idea that we are qualified to do things that are relevant to him, basically prepare the ground for a fertile exchange of information that is the basis of the following meeting. A first meeting only has one aim: achieving the second one. And then growth came along, new faces

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PACKAGING CULTURE

in the company, at all levels almost 400 clients of different sizes from the initial 20 or so were the baggage, sometimes one wants to think that is due to work well done, new approaches, a new brand presence, new marketing tools. And the need to professionalize all areas of the company, but this is another story, and at least not the part of the story I am most familiar with. What I mean to say is that it was a shared heartbeat of hundreds of souls, and that I am happy to have lived in ITC. Today, I´ve returned to ITC, not as a manager, but as part of an idea, an illusion and a project that has meant a lot to me, and of which I am proud to have been part of.

packaging We THE FAVOURITE PACK OF

Joseba Barrueta SOPELANA MOLDS

I have chosen the Mini Trio container of Burgo de Arias cheese since it is a flagship product at our production plant in Sopelana. With it I have experienced the evolution of this container from the previous design, the usual one with ridges to one with a much more attractive shape, thanks to its rounded edges and the heartshaped insert in its base. We consume this product at home, and it is a great satisfaction knowing that you have been part of such a special project.

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#NewSensations #CleanLabel The clean label is the result of

Textures are the ultimate tool to connect with the senses and offer new experiences to the consumer through touch.

consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; growing concern about the food they eat. This trend will require product labelling to contain formulations with familiar, recognizable and pronounceable ingredients.

#B2Me From B2C we turn to B2Me. The consumer seeks that brands connect with him as an individual, not as a member of a group with similar characteristics. In this

#Conectivity

environment, personalized, customized or co-created packaging will continue to take up the first page.

New technologies such as NFC have been integrated into the new iterations of Android and IOS, allowing greater interactivity with consumers without the need to download third-party applications. A field full of possibilities to exploit for the world of packaging, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s make way for IoT and Augmented and Virtual Reality.

#Individualism The size of households has changed and with it consumption patterns. We will see how the size of the consumption units will vary until it is equal to the unit of sale.

PACKAGING CULTURE