NEWS: 75 years in business!

We strive to embrace technology, innovation and best business practice. We are proud of two major achievements on this front over the last year:

• We implemented an enterprise resource planning (or ERP) system, SAP Business One, which we hope will boost our efficiency, as well as our customer service.
• We started two robots on our production line – an exciting development for us all. Check out these cute little guys in action in the video!

Surmounting unprecedented difficulties

These complicated, time-consuming implementations took place in the context of many day to day difficulties last year. The following are two of the biggest challenges 2021 presented:

• A rare, double-digit increase in the cost of raw materials – over 100 per cent increase for our main raw materials, in fact.
• Covid-related absenteeism made the simple act of fulfilling orders a monumental achievement, every week.

Other news

Alongside these two major achievements and two major challenges, there were the intricacies of “business-as-usual”.

Sustainability

Closely related to the business innovations (and challenges) described above is an over-arching focus on keeping our business sustainable. This implies actions in all sorts of areas.

One of the first areas people think of in relation to sustainability is environmental friendliness. We have been tuned in to this since the day we opened our doors: the very first products Industrial Packaging manufactured and which remain our flagship products – our fibre drums – are made from renewable materials, with low carbon and water footprints.

As a small local employer, we have also always been very aware of the other aspects of being a sustainable business. But we have not always talked a lot about this, externally. We have now put down on (virtual) paper some of our key our actions in product and other areas, within a dedicated Sustainability page.

Key new hires

We have continued to invest in qualified new hires in specialist areas like production, account management and engineering. To profile just one of our new colleagues – the one who are customers are perhaps most likely to meet in the coming months:

• Aisling Reynolds joined us near the end of 2021, to support our industrial containers customers in an account management role. Aisling has extensive experience in client relationship management, as well as strong operations, training and technology skills, which have helped her get up to speed on our business and those of our customers very quickly. She looks forward to getting to know you all.

Continuous development of our product offerings

We are always on the look-out for ways to complete our product offering with solutions that may make life easier for our customers.

• We have just added a small, 300 litre IBC to our industrial containers product line. This smaller tank saves space, compared to a 1000l IBC. It’s also easier to handle and to recondition and reuse, compared to a 200l drum. It is food-use approved and UN certified. Find out more about the compact IBC.
• We have also recently created information pages for two fibre drum products that have existed for a long time but that we have not promoted: bespoke fibre drums and bitumen drums. We are committed to doing more to promote the great sustainable options open to companies for the storage and transport of their products.
• Our FORMAROUND tubes are gaining in popularity every year, as concrete moulds for building circular columns on construction projects. Over the last few months, we created a new brochure showcasing some of the recent, beautiful constructions built using these extra-large cardboard tubes. The brochure also includes updated width and height possibilities for these column forms and detail on the many benefits they offer, in comparison to using traditional shuttering. Download the FORMAROUND brochure.

We are conscious we would not be here – talking proudly about the continuity of our business – without our customers and staff. Thank you for your continued support.