Flash 2012 Edition
Customer magazine
Project with a scho ol cl ass
Sustainable commitment Climate-neutral packaging Partnership with myclimate Food Packaging For the ultimate flavour experience 3rd wipf day Unique industry event
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Editorial
Flash | 2012
Dear Reader, Many of you will not have only positive memories when looking back at the year 2011. Some of the rather negative aspects included turbulence in Europe, significant foreign-exchange-rate fluctuations, ever-gloomier projections regarding economic growth, rising unemployment, and a painfully overvalued Swiss franc. Given these past circumstances, it is legitimate to ask a few questions: Will the situation calm down looking forward? How long can companies that produce in and export from Switzerland hold out? What are the answers and how do corporate strategies match? At first sight, raw material costs evolved in a positive direction for our products last year, and the savings were passed on to the market in the form of lower sales prices for our laminates. Regrettably, the downtrend is already history and the cost of raw materials is rising again, on the one hand because the aluminium industry has downsized capacities and on the other because of crude oil price increases that impact the cost of polymers. Difficult times with cost pressure also call for clear business development strategies. Almost a year ago, in the spring of 2011, Wipf AG elaborated a new strategy and defined viable projects. They were swiftly initiated and have to some extent already been implemented. Some of these projects are featured in this edition of Flash. The objective of focussing on our core competencies encouraged us to divest our in-house production of PE films. However, also in the future films will continue to comply with the “Wipf Inside” attribute, because they are produced to our formulations with identical or equivalent machines. Our strategy also involves multiplication of good products. You can find out more in the article about the success story of capsule systems. These are two examples from an extensive list of measures that we are implementing to successfully master the economic challenges that lie ahead of us. We don’t just want to do good things, we also want to share them with you. In the field of sustainability,for example, we not only invested considerable sums of money in the past years, but we also implemented many technical improvements to reduce our environmental footprint and to become more caring in the way we use natural resources. A synopsis of these efforts is presented in a brochure that we created together with students enrolled at the Lakeside School. There’s plenty to discover in this issue ... I wish you lots of fun browsing it through and hope it also gives you a few fresh ideas on coping with change in your everyday environment.
With kind regards,
Hansruedi Schafflützel CEO
Impressum Publisher Wipf AG, Industriestrasse 29, 8604 Volketswil Switzerland Phone +41 (0)44 947 22 11 Fax +41 (0)44 947 22 89 info@wipf.ch www.wipf.ch
Responsible for content Karin Weidmann, Marketing Manager, karin.weidmann@wipf.ch Editorial staff Wipf AG, Marketing Graphic Design Concept FBM Communications AG, Zürich
Published once a year / Downloadable as a PDF from www.wipf.ch
Photos Wipf AG © Copyright by Wipf AG, March 2012 All rights, especially distribution rights, reserved. Reproduction of text and images, translations into foreign languages and duplication are prohibited.
Shortlist
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Climate-neutral packaging – partnership with myclimate
Successful participation at Expo Cacia in Costa Rica
We have been committed to climate protection together with the myclimate environmental organization since early this year. myclimate is an internationally active organization with Swiss roots; it ranks among the leading providers of compensation schemes. Effective immediately, you have the option to offset the emissions generated in the production of your packaging. Your contributions support myclimate’s certified climate protection projects. All contributions are forwarded to myclimate, which in turn guarantees that the same volume of CO2 will be offset across a maximum of three years. We trust that you will continue to decide in favour of climate-neutral packaging and make a crucial contribution toward a better environment.
Last August, some 150 exhibitors showcased a representative selection of packaging and food industry products at the Ramada Plaza Herradura convention center. We signed up as an exhibitor there for the first time. Expo Cacia gave us the opportunity to present ourselves as a competent partner with in-depth knowhow in film and pouch production. Many existing and potential customers visited our stand and expressed great interest in our valves and prefabricated pouches. The photograph shows our agent Ignacio Calderón who is delighted with the two successful days at the trade show.
For further information, visit www.myclimate.org.
Outsourcing of PE film production Effective at the end of February 2012, Wipf AG is discontinuing the in-house production of PE films, which in the future will be outsourced from two leading and highly qualified European partners. After an extensive trial phase, we have the assurance that the two suppliers can deliver equivalent quality films. Our current production resources were acquired by our new suppliers and will be used to manufacture our films to our specifications. Moreover, the suppliers will be regularly audited. Together, in a fair, long-term, confidence-inspired customer-supplier relationship, we aim to safeguard maximum continuity in this field. Our customers will continue to benefit from high quality, knowhow, innovation, and top-tier service in the domain of PE films.
In this edition 2 3
Children are the future. But we are responsible for handing down values and making a sustainable contribution to ecological integrity. / Page 4
Editorial Shortlist
Climate-neutral packaging – partnership with myclimate / Outsourcing of PE film production / Outsourcing of PE film production
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Sustainability
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Products
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Marketing & Communication
Wipf highlights sustainability with students
Food Packaging · For the ultimate flavour and convenience 3rd wipf day 31 Mai 2012 · Unique industry event
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Sustainability
Flash | 2012
S u sta i n a b i l i t y
Wipf highlights sustainability with students
For several months, we supported the students of the fifth and sixth grades of the Lakeside School in Küsnacht (Zurich) in their discussion of sustainability issues. A visit to the Wipf production facilities in Volketswil gave them insights into sustainability in the everyday working environment. The result: creative messages applied to T-shirts by the students, inspiring others to get involved. We have been active in packaging for nearly 100 years and ecologically optimizing our company since 2003. Caring for the environment in sustainable ways – that’s what we endorse. The outcome has been a reduction of CO2 emissions by over 50 percent. This approach covers current needs without jeopardizing those of coming generations. In keeping this commitment, we supported the Lakeside School in Küsnacht in its sustainability project, encouraging the
students to pass their insights on to next generations. Two classes analyzed the topic from various perspectives: Sustainability in resource usage worldwide, in consumption, in waste management, and in the packaging industry. Touring the production floor As part of their project, the students also toured our plant in Volketswil in November. They had hands-on opportunities to learn about important manufacturing
rocesses and the diversity of packaging p solutions. Real-world examples showed them how sustainable flexible packaging actually is. They also learned how CO2 emissions were reduced by as much as 50 percent in the past few years. Back at school, each student made a commitment pledge to contribute to the protection of the environment in a very personal way. One child for example persuaded his parents to go for vacation in Europe instead of overseas.
Sustainability
The students visited our production facilities and drew their sustainability messages.
Alyssia
Sustainability brochure To wrap up the project, each child designed a personal T-shirt with drawings that symbolize the meaning of sustainability. The T-shirts were photographed in a shooting, and the pictures were integrated in our new sustainability brochure. Its purpose is to illustrate our commitment to sustainability and let the children’s drawings inspire readers to get involved in the topic as well. After all, no one is too young to protect the environment.
The winning T-shirt A colourful planet, the motto “Don’t waste energy”, and various suggestions on how energy can be saved. That’s Alyssia’s winning design. Her drawing finished first in an online voting campaign on our website and in the opinion of an in-house jury.
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Products
Convincing: Lidding films for capsules
Flash | 2012
Conspicuous: Stand-up pouches with creative designs
Convenient: Mayonnaise in stand-up pouches with spouts
FOO D PAC K AG IN G
For the ultimate flavour and convenience Capsule systems – the success story continues
New Travel Edition Line – perfectly choreographed
A new outfit for mayonnaise
Capsules for coffee, tea, and – most recently – formula milk for infants – are a growing market. Thanks to the popularity of capsule systems, it is now possible for consumers to enjoy a quickly prepared espresso, latte macchiato, cappuccino, lungo, ristretto, or mint tea at home with maximum convenience at any time.
Kraft Foods is extending its portfolio of sweet temptations. Milka Crispello, Toblerone Mini, Daim, and Oreo are now sold in Duty Free outlets. The world’s second-largest food producer is further internationalizing its products with this strategy.
When consumers want to add a touch of class to their meals with mayonnaise, they usually reach for the tube. Today, tubes are commonplace for mustard and mayonnaise. But more and more food companies are choosing alternative packaging types. In Africa, for instance, mayonnaise is sold in standup pouches with spouts.
But to get the best result in each case, the interaction of parameters like water temperature, water volume, and pressure must be perfectly orchestrated. In most systems, the capsule lidding film is a two- or threeply transparent POLIVEL® laminate with a high-barrier function that is ultrasonically welded onto the capsule body to form an air-tight seal. Our development department tested the cover film over a period of several years to make sure it could reliably withstand the stresses involved in the preparation process. We are particularly proud of the fact that we were able to contribute to the development of this success story and can continue to do so as production partners for well-known distributors.
The new “Travel Edition Line” is distributed in a specially developed aluminium-free two- and three-ply POLIVEL® laminate. This composite film is highly opaque and thus optimally protects the contents against detrimental external factors. The starter notches and the four laser tracks make it very quick and easy to open the stand-up pouch without using sors. The practical strap simplifies handling for people on the go. Gravure presses are used to print the creative visuals. For the Oreo cookie packaging, we applied translucent inks. This noble glazed finish generates partial light reflections on the metallized surface. Thanks to this sophisticated printing technique, the perfectly choreographed visual stands out with a radiant shine.
With a capacity of 250 or 1000 ml, the pouches are made of a retortable fourply POLIALUVEL® laminate. This laminate perfectly protects the mayonnaise against aroma loss, oxidation, dehydration, and extrinsic odours. To assure optimized convenience, we added a spout with a twist-off cap to the pouch. This feature makes it easy to dispense the product without spillage and the pouch can be tightly resealed at any time. Top-tier printing quality combined with excellent barrier films and highly appreciated convenience features guarantee that the mayonnaise remains a treat for the palate for a long time.
Marketing & Communication
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3 r d w i pf day 31 M a i 2012
Unique industry event Once a year, we invite you to attend a very special event. In 2012, it will happen on 31 May. This is the third time that we are organizing the exclusive wipf day and we can promise you that the new programme has exciting elements. You can attend workshops devoted to “Neuromarketing for packaging that sells” or “New developments and applications in flexible packaging”. But you also have the opportunity to tour our different manufacturing departments together with our production management. The motto for the afternoon is: “Away from the middle. Up to the top. What drives entrepreneurs.” Well-known personalities such as Professor Klaus W. Wellershoff, CEO of Wellershoff & Partners Ltd. and former UBS senior economist; Werner Hug, chairman of the board of HUG AG; and Christian Wipf, chairman of the board of Wipf AG, discuss competition, currencies, and economic issues. Benefit from this unique industry event, share your personal success recipes with us, and at the end of the day treat yourself to specially enjoyable moments as our multi-faceted evening programme unfolds. You can look forward to a few pleasant hours in a unique atmosphere. The wipf day is an exclusive event with limited, first-come firstserved attendance, so it’s worthwhile to sign up quickly.
■ Ask for the detailed programme. Contact Ms Giulia Hermann, Marketing Phone +41 44 947 22 35 giulia.hermann@wipf.ch
Lecturers Prof. Dr. Klaus W. Wellershoff
Martin Amann
Klaus W. Wellershoff is CEO of the internationally active Wellershoff & Partners Ltd. consultancy that is specialized in macroeconomics and financial markets. From 2003 until 2009, he was a member of the UBS Group Management Board.
Economist Martin Amann is the founder of the Institute for Limbic Communication in Zürich. For several years now, Martin Smann has been focused on neuromarketing. Specifically, he analyzes the influence of the limbic system on the decision-making and purchase behaviour of consumers.
Werner Hug
Othmar Wohlhauser
The HUG bakery was founded in Luzern (Switzerland) in 1877. Zwieback, the invention of company founder Joseph Hug-Meyer, was its first product. HUG AG has remained a privately owned business: Andreas and Werner Hug are the fourth-generation managers of the company.
In his capacity as vice president of Development and Engineering at Wipf AG, Othmar Wohlhauser has been developing packaging solutions for over 20 years. Together with his 5-person team and his many years of experience at Wipf AG, he repeatedly succeeds in developing top-tier innovations.
Christian Wipf
Steven Loepfe
Christian Wipf is the chairman of the board of Wipf AG was also appointed CEO of the Wipf Group on 1 July 1999. He is the fourthgeneration manager of the privately owned company that can soon celebrate its hundredth anniversary.
Steven Loepfe is a communicator and coach to entrepreneurs. Loepfe & Partner, the strategy, communication, and training business he founded in 1996, deals with one key issue: How can entrepreneurs escape from the middle and ascend to the top?
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Wipf AG Industriestrasse 29 8604 Volketswil Switzerland Phone +41 44 947 22 11 Fax +41 44 947 22 89 info@wipf.ch www.wipf.ch www.wipfgroup.com
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