“We’re back at the 2008 level. Last year was a landmark year in terms of cardboard production,” Remus Craciun, Ecopack general manager told ZF in an interview.
“The main reason is the increase in consumer spending. The development is also because of the retail structure.”
The increase of modern retail to more than 50% of the total retail, producers’ investments in packaging that allows them to stand out in the fiercer and fiercer competition over customers are slowly and steadily changing the retail market.
“Modern retail share of the market is on the rise and producers on this segment ‘talk’ in packages. (…),” says Remus Craciun, who has been working for Ecopack for ten years.
Ecopack’s general manager says that even though the regular cardboard packaging accounts for 80% of the plant’s production, more and more customers are asking for personalized packaging. This means manufacturers have to make packaging that sports a more complex design.
The trend started with modern retail discount stores, which sell products like fruit and vegetables in the packaging the supplier shipped them in.
Ecopack’s local customers include Coca-Cola, Heineken, Starbev, Tuborg, Metro, Lidl, Carrefour, REWE, Mega Image, Caroli and Hochland.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)