P
lastic packaging specialist companies Smart Flow and Gamma Wopla are both owned by the same family and together they offer customers across Europe a complete range of logistics solutions in plastic. Smart Flow is focused on the production of plastic pallets and Gamma Wopla offers plastic boxes and crates, with Gamma Wopla the longer-established of the two brands. Account manager Michael Cibois spoke to Packaging Europe to explain how the two brands together provide a complete portfolio of reusable plastic packaging for various types of logistics applications. He said, “We operate two state-of-the-art plants in the same area of Belgium, with the two companies operating separately financially but owned by the same family. We share a number of sales and support functions and are able to draw on each others’ expertise and project experience, which enables us to offer the total logistics plastic packaging solution we are best known for.” The €30 million turnover achieved by the two companies is made up of €20 million from Gamma Wopla and €10 million from Smart Flow. With more than 15 years in the plastic packaging industry, Smart Flow and Gamma Wopla’s core business is the manufacture of shipping and handling products that enable the safe, reliable transportation of goods. Mr Cibois continued, “We are a dynamic company that is continually moving forward to help our customers move their products in a reliable, energy-efficient manner. Smart Flow alone produces more than one million plastics pallets a year, with Gamma Wopla’s famous euronorm boxes - nestable/stackable boxes and foldable containers the best seller from this brand.”
Total logistic solution Collectively employing 80 people, the two companies work together to meet the needs of customers primarily in the automotive, pharmaceutical and food industries. Gamma Wopla was founded 15 years ago, while Smart Flow was established in 2007 in order to complete the company’s plastic packaging offer. Mr Cibois added, “Gamma Wopla’s industrial plastic packaging reputation has long been founded on the desire to develop and produce smart solutions in plastic pallets and containers. We started manufacturing plastic crates for the European logistic industry back in 1999 and steadily saw the demand for plastic pallets grow too, so we started Smart Flow to meet this demand. Now, we produce all different sizes and types of plastic packaging for the logistics industry and we can always make what our customers want.” This customisable capability sits neatly alongside Smart Flow and Gamma Wopla’s standardised product ranges. Meeting all logistics and material handling requirements for large-scale packaging needs is what the companies focus on, with all of the European standard sizes available as well as a fully customised service. Mr Cibois continued, “Our most popular sizes for plastic pallets in our standard range are the 1200x800 and the 1200x100. Our niche products include 600x800, 600x400 and the 1100x1300. For plastic
Packaging Europe | 107 |