According to Iggesund, the main aim of the Taiwan facility is to shorten lead times to give Asian customers better service, while also offering local sheeting from a service point to minimise lead times.
“We are continuously evolving together with our customers’ needs. We have therefore set up a sheeting and warehousing capability in Taiwan, which will be operationally ready by the end of July 2015,” says Ivan Chong, business area director G&P, Asia Pacific.
The company will also keep Invercote in stock, a niche product for customers who are looking for high quality material that attracts attention on the store shelf and encourages purchase.
“Unlike all SBB paperboard made in Asia, Invercote has a multi-layer construction, which means it does not crack along the creases. This is a huge advantage, supported, of course, by its' strong environmental and economic sustainability properties,” Arvid Sundblad, Vice President Sales and Marketing, explains.
Strengthening its delivery service outside Europe...
The plan for an enhanced service in Asia is part of Iggesund's efforts to become more global by strengthening its delivery service outside Europe.
The packaging specialist is recruiting staff to reinforce its sales efforts and has launched a broader service concept to inform its customers of the resources and support functions available to them.
'Care by Iggesund' includes the quick and easy ordering of samples and material, the provision of product safety information and certificates, and access to the analytical services of its' accredited Laboratory of Sensory and Chemical Analyses.
Extensive environmental documentation is also part of the service offering, not least as a guarantee that customers will not encounter any unpleasant surprises due to the origin of the forest raw material used in their paperboard.
“All our documentation, together with our team of technicians, who are out in the local markets and who have experience from projects and operations similar to those of our customers, exists to ensure this," says Sundblad.
"Some of this support we have had for a long time but we haven’t been clear enough to our customers in general that all this service exists,” he concludes.