IFFA 2013

Multivac claims to buck packaging decline

By Ed Bedington

- Last updated on GMT

Mutlivac launched new packaging designs at IFFA
Mutlivac launched new packaging designs at IFFA

Related tags Packaging equipment & materials Processing equipment & plant design

A global player in the packaging sector said it was bucking the general trend and reporting solid growth and was now expanding operations out of its traditional heartland, its leaders informed visitors to the IFFA trade fair in Frankfurt.

Multivac chief executive Hans-Joachim Boeksteggers said that while the international packaging industry had shown an overall decline of around 5%, his company was managing to report a growth of 10%. This success was reflected in a recent €9m investment in a new packaging and innovation centre in Germany to mark the company’s 50th anniversary, as well as expanding its production facilities.

He reported that the company’s turnover was up 12.1% on the previous year and now stood at €677.8m, while its market share in the thermoforming packaging sector stood at more than 50%.

That success and growth was reflected in Multivac’s international expansion, and Boeksteggers said the company was now active in over 115 countries, with new offices opening in Uruguay, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Namibia and Thailand.

Cutting, slicing, dicing

The company is also moving up the processing line into the cutting, slicing and dicing arena, with a number of partnerships with companies which include Risco and Laska said UK marketing manager Andrew Stark.

“There’s an opportunity to move into other areas with existing customers. Around 80% of our thermoformers are sold into the meat sector, so why aren’t we looking further up the line as well?”

Phil Crozier, Multivac’s business unit manager – processing, said: “We’ve gone out to look for partners in the same vein as Multivac, we don’t want a big long list of suppliers, but want to work closely with three or four suppliers. They’re all privately owned and all very similar kind of business to us and are fantastic to deal with.”

He said the move into processing had been greeted very positively by customers with good feedback.

Innovations

Other innovations on the Multivac stand at IFFA included improved efficiencies to the company’s packaging equipment, which Stark said was able to save on film use by up to 7%.

It was also showcasing its HPP system, which uses high-pressure water treatment to kill bacteria. Stark said: “It uses water at a pressure of 6,000bar, and basically offers a way of pasteurising the product without using heat.”

The company also revealed a new book-style cooked meat pack, which effectively combined two packs of product into one, folding in a similar way to a paperback book.

Stark said the concept had been adopted in the German market and offered retailers an opportunity to present promotional products, such as buy one get one free, in a new dynamic format while also taking up less space on the shelf.

Related topics Meat

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