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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
N E W S L E T T E R
MM Group as a magnet:
Interpack Dusseldorf
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Among 2.700 exhibitors from 60 countries and 174.000 square
meters, the booth of the MM Group was a meeting point for old
and new business contacts and the interested public.
According to organisers and visitors, the Interpack
2011 was the most successful one in the passed
53 years: A walk through the completely booked
halls gave an optimistic image of the industry
and presented besides important business and
environmental information a broadly scaled view
on creative designs, that displayed functional
robots and industrial facilities from an often
unusual angle. Cartonboard was shown not only
as a promoted market item but also as a versatile
decoration material.
Machines produced shampoo samples and tissue
boxes, publications and other information material
was carried in an almost unlimited range of
inventive bags.
Many exhibitors tried to demonstrate their efforts
for the grown demand for a better environmental
protection and sustainable development. So the
dominating motto among the presenting companies
was “environment and sustainability”, also
among the producers of plastic materials, aluminium
packaging and manufacturers of chemical
ECR - congress in Brussels
“Meeting the future together“ – MMK takes part in a discussion with
700 other members of the supply chain industry in Brussels.
ECR is an acronym for Effi cient Consumer Response,
an initiative of all industries involved in the
supply chain, in order to respond to consumer demands
much better and quicker. Founded by market
giants such as WalMart and Procter & Gamble,
it is now represented in 27 countries and committed
to a stronger collaboration between industry
and commerce. The mission is “working together
to fulfi l consumer wishes better, faster and at less
cost”.
Facing the fact of a rapid decrease of resources,
more demanding consumers and changed communication
channels, the last gathering put a special
focus on these present challenges.
Joanne Denney-Finch (IGD – Institute of Grocery
Distribution) referred on her opening speech to
the digital revolution, where more and more webbased
mobile phones require more transparency
and stronger communication from companies. “Already
42 percent of English customers claim their
willingness to change to products that can be completely
traced. They want information about ingredients,
production methods and ethical standards
(…). They are aware of global challenges. They ex-
pect more from the companies: they change the
basic rules.”
In three panel discussion and six workshops, new
tasks for the modern times were discussed: Aging
of the world population, urbanisation, growth of
developing and emerging markets, running out of
fossil energies and raw materials such as water
and wood, and the effects of climate change. Additionally,
consumers expect a “brand dialogue”,
not a “monologue”, thanks to improved technologies
and new ways of interaction.
components. They tried to simulate “natural
environments” to emphasise their orientation. For
the MM Group, these topics belong to our core
business, and our experience and competence
were the most convincing arguments.
Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton
and Cartonboard manufacturers and a partner organisation
of MM Group, dedicated its fair design
completely to the importance of this material –
cartonboards everywhere. An initiative has been
launched recently to emphasise that paper and
board are the most sustainable packaging materials
and, as face of the brand, promotes sales.
Especially food safety – mineral oil migration in
particular – was another very important issue of
Interpack and in the focus of several companies.
A solution was demanded by many – only MM
Karton gave a complete answer with FOODBOARD
(see article on p.1). The booth on this fair provided
a great forum for this topic, and many professional
visitors were highly content to fi nd competent
experts to respond to their urgent questions.
Pro Carton, one of the partners of the congress,
concludes its position with the following statement:
“The folding box is one of the best media
in order to send the brand message to the consumer
and encourage the dialogue with him or her.
Its resource effi ciency
is unique and unmatched
(…) Cartonboard
is made like almost
no other packaging
material to communicate
with consumers
through a strong visuals
but also QR
codes (quick response
codes, bar codes
that can be read with
smart-phones).
Due to these rapid
developments, packaging
will gain more importance. Cartonboard
and folding boxes have perfect characteristics for
these changes: They are the most sustainable packaging
material and are perfect to connect with
the new, digital world.”
Unlike the previous ECR congress, which was
over-shadowed by the economic crises, the April
reunion was clearly ruled by the joint desire to
face these new challenges “within enterprises,
in collaboration with partners and together with
consumers.”
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