How important is the packaging industry for our world? How does it influence the rest of the industries? And where is it heading in the near future? We asked these important questions and we received the answer from one of the professionals working in this industry: Mr. Sorin Mitrea, co-founder and manager at Logistic Packaging.
1. What is the role of a packaging company in our current economy?
The most important role of packaging companies is maximizing the potential for innovation which creates an impact on the supply chains and flows. This, in turn, leads to an increased efficiency and the minimizing of idle time. Packaging companies must help their clients reduce their logistic costs, this is their key role. Also, they must contribute to environmental protection by creating recyclable packaging materials, reducing packaging wastes and the overall impact on the environment.
2. What is the current level of knowledge and education among your customers? And what are you doing to improve it?
The knowledge level varies from one industry to another. Definitely, our mission is to inform and educate our clients on the best methods for increasing the efficiency of their logistic flows and to show them the numbers that demonstrate the way in which they can save money.
If I were to make a hierarchy of the industries, then definitely the most knowledgeable ones are the auto industry and the electronics, because the necessity for optimization is built in their business concept. However, I am very happy to note that more and more industries borrow the best practices of the auto and electronics industry and implement them by choosing reusable packaging materials, such as plastic pallets, box pallets, stackable and nestable containers and space saving large containers.
3. You are defining your company as a provider of packaging and logistic solutions. Can you go more in depth with the idea of logistic solutions? What does it mean?
Our work is mainly to offer consultancy. The first thing we are doing when we start a new project is to listen to our clients’ needs and the project requirements so that, once we have a deep understanding of the aspects which need improvement, we can propose an adequate logistic solution. Of course, this proposal will always result in physical products, but what really matters is that we will be able to recommend only the exact type of product which fully complies with the requirements. For instance, sometimes we can replace one-way wooden pallets with reusable plastic pallets, or expensive load securing accessories with a sturdy and reliable plastic container with dividers.
4. And what is the role of a logistic expert in the relationship between a client and your company?
First of all, our mission is to keep our customers informed of all new developments in our industry. We are trend setters in our industry and each of our consultants promotes and shares our values, which are at the core of our business. The consultant is that good friend in need; a friend who is permanently assisting the customer, even if after the project was implemented.
5. Do you have a specific project that you are proud of? Can you give us further details?
Certainly, we take pride in all our successful projects and they have certainly been complex challenges for us, which we dealt with professionally and which are still present in our memory as milestones along our path towards success. I remember that around 2 years ago, I was sitting at the same table with the logistics manager of a large European car manufacturer. He was telling me that he is facing a serious problem whenever the car parts do not fit in standard packaging materials. Alternative packaging materials were not a solution, while the development of special molds for injection specifically for those products was simply not financially feasible. This was the beginning of a collaboration which is already 2 years old, where Logistic Packaging is the main supplier of corrugated light duty and Triplex/cellular plastic heavy duty boxes for that car manufacturer.
6. Please tell us what are the top qualities of a good packaging and logistics specialist. How do you identify the best people to work for your company?
Definitely, they must be good listeners, patient, and pay close attention to details. I have always tried to develop our people’s technical skills and the ability of being problem solvers by understanding very quickly the logistic processes of each industry, so that they can offer efficient solutions.
7. Finally, how do you see the development of the packaging and logistics industry in the near future?
It is no longer a secret the fact that all work processes are automated. Idle time is eliminated, new technologies and concepts such as lean manufacturing and just in time are emerging and most certainly the packaging industry must be one of the main promoters and supporters of this change. It is our mission to bring substantial improvements to the current packaging materials, to seek new raw materials and new manufacturing technologies with a reduced impact on the environment.
Products such as the dolly transfer pallet, for instance, improve productivity by eliminating idle time which takes place during the transfer of certain products from the suppliers’ packaging to other packaging materials used in production. Faster, more efficient, less costly – these are the core values which helped the packaging industry grow.