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Florian Stockert: «The challenge is to keep our customers one step ahead in this dynamic field»
26 февраля 2018 в 02:02 47577
If we are talking about a global group of companies that has been successfully operating for more than 50 years and consistently produces high-quality pulp-and-paper and packaging products, holding lead positions from year to year - then we are talking about Mondi. It is necessary to pay tribute to the management and employees of the Mondi company for their constant striving for perfection and the desire to "keep up with the times."
In the interview for the Internet magazine "Informupak", Mondi Florian Stocker, Director of Packaging Cardboard Sales, spoke about the new electronic online platform for the company's customers, activities under the Green Energy program, investment projects and relationships with foreign colleagues.
What do you think about the place of Mondi in the global market? What do you think about the place of Mondi in the global market? How much do you feel the competition? How do you assess the state of pulp and paper industry overall?
Mondi is one of the world’s leading packaging and paper companies, employing around 25,000 people across more than 30 countries. It ranks among the top international suppliers of virgin and recycled containerboard. Additionally, we hold a leading position in the fields of white top kraftliner.
For how long have you been working in your current position? What challenges do you face working with the white cardboard segment?
I have been with Mondi for more than 15 years now in my current position as sales director Containerboard.
Well, we live in a very fast-moving consumer market that constantly challenges corrugated packaging solutions. The challenge is to keep our customers one step ahead in this dynamic field. Therefore, we work closely together with customers to optimise and innovate our products. We constantly innovate, and modernise both our state-of-the-art paper machines and product portfolio – like our white top kraftliner grade ProVantage Komiwhite from our Syktyvkar mill in Russia.
Please tell about the recent investment projects were aimed at the improving of the product quality. To what extent did it affect white top-liner?
Mondi Containerboard has been driving improvements in its Appearance portfolio over the last years. With modernisations to paper machine PM21 at our Syktyvkar mill in Russia in 2015, we enhanced the quality of the ProVantage Komiwhite grade in terms of strength, runnability, printability and overall appearance.
Alongside the corrugators, the end-user as well can profit from our upgrades to ProVantage Komiwhite through stronger box performance, lighter weight, and enhanced branding possibilities that can make their products more visible and set them apart from their competitors. Final packaging performance depends not only on the packaging design but also on the paper grades used during production. To achieve excellent performance, top-quality paper grades must be used.
In Russia, 2017 is declared the Year of Ecology. What significant environmental improvement programs of Mondi Syktyvkar JSC you can mention? And what are the indicators of the already existing global "green energy" project for the current year?
First, I would like to mention that Mondi Syktyvkar is making good progress towards minimising its environmental impact. The mill is upgrading production facilities and it delivers results. For example, reduction of air emissions was achieved by revamping of the fiberline and a switch to elementary chlorine-free bleaching, installation of carbon filters for absorption of sulfur-containing substances and other steps. As a result Mondi Syktyvkar significantly improved its environmental performance which was appreciated by international experts. In 2017, the mill started to upgrade the Power Plant. It is a major investment project that will improve energy efficiency of the mil. The share of green energy after implementation of this project will exceed 42 percent.
In addition, the mill launched the second stage of its Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrade project. This strategic environmental project t will improve the functioning of the whole city`s wastewaters which are treated by Mondi Syktyvkar.
You probably have travel a lot across the world. What foreign partners made the most impression on you? What are your impressions of working with your Russian colleagues?
Well, working in sales and within a global company like Mondi you indeed get to travel around the world meeting people from different cultures, getting to know different customers and market needs. It is always exciting to cooperate with our Russian partners. Having met many people in Russia I am left only with a positive impression. As for our colleagues, the Syktyvkar mill stands out for its strong company culture. The Mondi Syktyvkar team aspires to produce worldclass goods, and this is appreciated by our customers, particularly in Russia and CIS. Our Syktyvkar colleagues are truly competent professionals, and the company is proud of the production achievements, which they demonstrate and improve on year-by-year.
In which country is white top kraftliner used the most? And for what purposes is the use of the top liner a priority?
In general, our customers can benefit from a broad containerboard portfolio for diverse industries and end-uses. Our white top kraftliner grades ProVantage Komiwhite and ProVantage Baywhite are mainly used for packaging delicate goods like food and beverages, where hygiene, strength and high-class printability are required. Our mills offer 100% virgin fibre grades which are certified for food contact and meet or exceed recognised food hygiene standards. The market share of white top kraftliner is pretty much the same all over the world – depending on the economies of the countries.
What is the most profitable part of Mondi products? What is the share of white cardboard? How much did it affect the top liner?
As mentioned, we are a leading international player with virgin and recycled containerboard. We are the number one containerboard supplier within emerging Europe and additionally number one in the European kraft top market. In addition, we are very well positioned in the white top kraftliner market. This enables Mondi Containerboard to be a reliable, fast and global partner for our customers.
What transactions, investment projects and partnership agreements on the sale of white cardboard in the last period you can to highlight? Share with us plans for the near future on the introduction of the upper liner in Russia and the rest of the world.
In October 2017, we launched a brand new and exclusive online platform named “Corrugated Paper Expert”. With this platform, we are breaking new ground in technical sales service, by providing our technical expertise online and 24/7 for our customers only.
The Corrugated Paper Expert platform provides articles about a variety of interesting paper topics and is a hub for sharing know-how and challenges. Our customers can read about thermo-visual audits and the impact of weather on corrugated board quality. Furthermore, we share knowledge and guidance in categories such as paper parameters, paper profiles, runnability on corrugators, and corrugated board defects, to mention just a few. Using the comment function below each article, users can easily and quickly put questions to Mondi’s Technical Sales Service team.
This new service offer is the next step in supporting our containerboard customers with their everyday challenges and rounds off our customer-focused technical sales service approach, from knowledge exchange and seminars, to on-site consultancies.
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