Customers take centre stage at Smurfit Kappa’s Innovation Event

Packaging Solutions

Packaging giant Smurfit Kappa explored all the possibilities of ‘Packaging in a Digital World’ with over 150 customers at a recent event dedicated to the future of packaging.

Using the latest technology, Smurfit Kappa illustrated the opportunities and challenges facing packaging in a dynamic and engaging way. The event was a feast for the senses with interactive exhibitions, a range of virtual reality experiences and a purpose built store of the future.

The event featured a line up of varied and interesting speakers. Patrick Dixon, the founder and chairman of Global Change Ltd, shared insights on the future of supply chain. Shopper and consumer behaviourist Ken Hughes enlightened the group on the changing needs of the digital consumer while Rik Vera, CEO of Nexxworks, spoke about how to connect and engage individuals in a digital world.

The event also showcased the crème de la crème of Smurfit Kappa’s innovations in design and sustainability, featuring a diverse array of products and services, which qualified for inclusion in the global Innovation and Sustainability Awards after triumphing at national competitions throughout the last 24 months.

On the day, two juries made up of customers and other external stakeholders from a range of sectors met to deliberate over and choose the two overall winners. The overall winner of the Design Innovation category was the ‘SoFruPak’ product which transports fruit punnets securely to keep them fresh and unspoilt.

The ‘Pallet Management’ service, which cleverly optimises the logistics of transporting CHEP pallets between the customer and Smurfit Kappa, came out top in the Sustainability Innovation category.

Arco Berkenbosch, vice president of Innovation and Development, said: ‘The discussion with our customers on the future of packaging in a digital world presents many interesting opportunities. The state of the art interactive store and the products and services for e-commerce triggered a lively debate.

‘During the event we celebrated the most creative products and solutions that our teams have created and implemented over the last two years. We are always exploring how our products and services can do more – particularly against the rapidly changing landscape of shopper marketing.’