The retail landscape is changing dramatically. As e-commerce thrives, and online retailers make the experience faster and easier, consumers seem increasingly content to shop from the comfort of their home rather than at a physical store.
To underscore the point, as I write this, Sears Holdings just announced it's closing another 63 stores by September 2018. Sears once seemed the most "all American" of stores. Now, its very survival is in doubt, according to CNN and other media.
All this is quite a boon for the global courier/parcel segment. According to Accenture, the segment is growing about 5 percent year over year, and is expected to reach $343 billion by 2020.
But with that growth comes some new pressure for the corrugated container converters who serve it. The growth in demand is coming with an increase in competition within industrial markets and a wave of consolidation. At the same time, the cost of pulp out of Canada is going up as well, for a range of reasons.
From a corrugated container plant manager’s perspective, it’s a double-edged sword: The pressure to do more with less, controlling costs while increasing production. And in such an environment, additional capital investment is not likely. The plant manager needs to work with what’s already on the shop floor.
The good news is hidden productivity gains may be lurking right under that plant manager’s nose. These gains are perhaps rolled up (literally) in a product relied on every day, but which may not get a lot of consideration.
Specifically in reference to the double-sided adhesive tapes laminated to the corrugated as part of the conversion process.
Time and time again, these adhesive products are thought of as a commodity, and have become almost an afterthought in many plants. Converters are ordering the same SKUs over and over again, from distributors who simply haven’t refreshed their product offering in years.
Would you welcome productivity gains, simply from switching to a new adhesive product? I think most would. So whether you lean on my company, Avery Dennison, or other suppliers, I recommend taking the time to take these three actions.
Click HERE to download the entire feature and learn more about the key three actions that can drive more productivity with your corrugated adhesive tapes.
Market Segment Manager Building & Construction / General Industrial
Quin is passionate about technical building applications since he designed and built his family home back in 2012.
Professionally, Quin held several positions as Product Manager responsible for the product life cycle of many technical applications related to the building environment, namely in adhesives, lighting and plastics.
He joined Performance Tapes Europe as a Market Segment Manager for tape applications in the construction and industrial markets where he teams up with customers and R&D to achieve tape solutions that improve the installation of buildings and related products and processes.
quin.dams@eu.averydennison.com
www.linkedin.com/in/quin-dams