May I warmly welcome you Smurfit Kappa UK and I hope you find our website to be both informative and enlightening. Throughout the site you’ll find much information on our vast array of products and services including conventional corrugated packaging as well as our specialist businesses providing Composite Tubes, Lokfast Divisions, Machine Systems, Stationery Products, Packaging Solutions, Heavy Duty/XXL Products, Preprinted Liner and Point of Sale Displays.
Irrespective of which Smurfit Kappa business you have contact with; we pride ourselves on having the same approach to handling our customer relationships. We aim to “live in our customers world” in order to better understand their packaging needs, maintain the highest service levels and continually delivery superior value.
It is this approach that has allowed us to build close supplier relationships with some of the countries leading companies and brands, of that we are very proud.
With approximately 70% of our product being displayed within the retail environment it is crucial that Smurfit Kappa remains at the forefront of retail ready packaging in terms of print and innovative pack designs. Having undertaken a night-fill session at ASDA myself, I am aware of the importance of getting product on shelf with minimal input from the shelf stacker, whilst also maximising the products on-shelf presence.
As so many of our customers are mainly driven by the retailer, we have developed a flagship 'Retail Ready Centre' located at our Yate site (Nr Bristol). This facility has been purpose built allowing us to demonstrate the good and bad aspects of retail ready designs, and illustrate how your solutions will work within a replica retail environment. Such is the importance of these facilities for our customers; we will throughout 2008 be creating similar retail environments at a number of our key integrated packaging plants.
Smurfit Kappa UK is also focusing on developing a culture where everyone has a duty of care to their fellow colleagues and they work in an accident free environment. We are morally obliged to support everyone in enjoying a “zero harm workplace”.
We are also committed towards enhancing skill levels and the development of its employees. There are programmes in place at all levels within our organisation where individuals can enhance and develop their skills. An additional initiative this year is the creation of a Graduate In-Take Programme.
Under-pinning the above is a simple and direct focus on key business drivers and controls, ensuring everyone is committed towards constant improvement and a determination to offer our customers the greatest satisfaction.
Clive Bowers
Chief Executive Officer – Smurfit Kappa UK