The eleventh edition of the traditional appointment with the European and international tissue market took place in Spring, in Nice, France: the Tissue World show, held from 5 to 7 April.
Perini Journal
This was a very important edition, rich in expectations, and saw the presence of over 172 exhibitors coming from the world over and distributed on a 10,000 square meter exhibition area. On April 4th, the conference cycle entitled “The Tissue Marketplace of the future: Where are we going?”, began. A very enticing title which aroused great curiosity among the over 375 delegates who, during the 4-day show, were able to delve in-depth into topics relative to papermaking, process control, logistics, printing, chemical treatments and to get to know the latest innovations in the fields of converting and packaging. The great novelty with respect to previous editions was the presence of speakers who dealt with marketing and communication policies carried out by different companies.
TODAY, STAYING IN THE MARKET MEANS FINDING OPTIMAL SOLUTIONS BETWEEN PRODUCTION AND PRODUCT INNOVATION.
The requirement in a context of fierce competition and a situation of over capacity now becomes a marketing approach oriented towards the introduction of new solutions for the product range – whether this be the toilet roll, the table napkin or the kitchen towel – with greater attention to advertising and communication. The need to invest in brand and in product differentiation was also the subject of the speech held by James M. Lafferty, Vice President Family Care Western Europe Division of Procter & Gamble. He underscored how important it is that tissue products not be reduced to mere shelf references where price becomes the discriminating factor in purchasing trends.
CONFERRING ADDED VALUE TO THE SECTOR AND CONSEQUENTLY TO THE PRODUCTS depends on the decision-makers working in the field of tissue. A school of thought supported also by presentation by Philippe Boutand – CEO of Santher, one of Brazil’s largest tissue producers – who, in his speech entitled “How to create added value in an unsophisticated, price and product, toilet paper market”, illustrated the positive results of the marketing and communications policy actuated by his company in the past two years. The start-off point of the work carried out by Santher was supplied by an attentive analysis of the Brazilian market that compiled a precise identikit of the tissue products consumer segment. A scenario characterized by low-cost products, by a decrease – in terms of image and consumption – of branded products, negligible and/or absent product differentiation both in terms of marketing and technology, and characterized also by a low perception of the difference between one- and two-ply products. A real-life situation in which the consumer employed just 5 seconds to choose the product and preferred the low-cost product categories.
ON THE BASIS OF THIS SITUATION, THE BRAZILIAN COMPANY’S ADVENTURE BEGAN: AN ADVENTURE AIMED AT REVOLUTIONIZING CONSUMER HABITS AND CHANGING THE PERCEPTION OF THE HYGIENIC PRODUCT from mere commodity to higher category product where added value makes the difference.
From here, the restyling of the Personal brand, with interventions on its packaging and innovative advertising actions, operations aimed at expanding consumer targets and segmenting the one- and two-ply product categories.
The introduction of the so-called cosmetic appeal – vanilla, green apple and peach fragrances – constituted the second step of the strategy, and allowed to change the perception of the toilet roll, definitively allocating it as a high-added-value product. The innovation process carried out by Santher has allowed the company to revolutionize the Brazilian market, creating the bases for further developments in the tissue products category, guaranteeing greater visibility and greater brand recognition. A different approach that testifies as to how in the world of tissue, too, things have changed and producers operating in the field have different production needs and are looking for continuous innovation.
For this reason, keeping ahead of the times and continually offering new solutions represents a fundamental must for machine builders, as re-iterated by Neil Murdoch, sales Director of Fabio Perini SpA.
IN HIS SPEECH ENTITLED “HOW TO WIN TIME THROUGH PERFECT WINDING”, HE HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED TO PROPOSE NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO THE CONVERTING INDUSTRY, both in terms of winding as well as packaging. Converters ask to reduce costs, to attain high speeds for low-density windings, or to reduce the number of sheets by 15-20% – at established diameters of finished product – or even to produce low density rolls at 85% production efficiency. Thanks to the development of new technologies in converting, all this is now possible.
The new TIME winding technology now sheds light on these points: an innovative system that guarantees perfect winding. The TIME concept, introduced in Lucca during the days following the Tissue World show, is not limited to the winding system, but is rather a philosophy that extends to all the components of the line, up to packaging.
INNOVATION ALSO FOR KPL PACKAGING SPA: with its speech entitled “Innovation at Your Service”, the company presented the latest novelties for packaging in terms of product change and greater production efficiency.
The asset of the market is also changing, and the presence of companies coming from Eastern Europe and the Middle East lets one perceive how these countries can represent development platforms for the consumption of the disposable products range. For example, in the Middle Eastern countries, the greatest driving force in the increase of tissue products is given by facial tissue, that covers 70% and in some cases even 85% of production. Toilet rolls cover a 17% share, while kitchen towels arrive at a 6% share. The consumption of table napkins is still negligible at 5%, as well as consumption of AFH, at 3%. Cultural and religious habits represent two factors effecting the increase in consumption, but at the same time they can, in the future, guarantee a gradual and easily controllable increase.
Within the Middle Eastern countries, there are some where, thanks to the growth of tourism and to a higher quality of life (Turkey, Israel, Cyprus, for example) the per capita consumption is at 10 kg. These data testify how the borders are widening today more than ever and how companies, tissue companies included, will have to adapt to this new reality, answering with flexibility and innovation to the challenges that this new economic scenario entails.
The marketplace of the future is surely difficult to identify, considering the present adverse economic conditions, but the participation at this show of over 2200 operators coming from 88 countries represents a positive auspice for the future of the sector.
So, see you then in March 2007 for a new edition of Tissue World! •
“Innovation, TIME after TIME”
Over 300 visitors coming from 20 countries participated on April 8th at the event called “Innovation, TIME after TIME”, organized in Lucca by Fabio Perini SpA and KPL Packaging SpA to present the latest technologies in converting and packaging. In the showroom set up for the occasion in the assembly halls of Fabio Perini SpA, the new TIME line demonstrated its reliability in actual production conditions. A technological convention where the companies belonging to the Tissue System division of Körber PaperLink presented a new philosophy for tissue operators. At the heart of the line is the new TIME700 rewinder: an innovative concept designed for the high speed production of soft rolls. A new winding system capable of guaranteeing high production performance, the machine guarantees the production of 45 logs/min with “punzoncini” and 60 logs/min without “punzoncini” for toilet rolls and kitchen towels. Record results were reached during the demonstration: 60 logs/min for toilet rolls and 76 logs/min for kitchen towels.
The new TIME concept represents a philosophy applied to all the components of the line, conceived to optimize production times, starting from the unwind backstand, able to carry out a reel change automatically, up to the log saw, veritable trait d’union with the downstream packaging machines. An integrated system where the concept of time was the generating element of the entire line. Reduced times also for sleeve change: just 8 minutes!
An extraordinary result that catalyzed the attention of the participants, establishing a new record for the converting industry. Downstream of the converting line, KPL Packaging illustrated the top in packaging technology with the wrapper model CMW 425 and the bundler model S35. The latter, a veritable revolution in packaging, capable of reaching a speed of 35 bundles per minute, gave the final touch to a technological convention made in Italy.