Sun, June 01, 2008
Executive Viewpoints
As published in Progressive Grocer Magazine
SOLUT! PAPER PACKAGING
A food processor that was selling frozen bakery items to a club store needed a disposable tray that could go from the freezer to the oven with no extra labor. And, oh...it also has to be rigid enough to hold up to 2 lbs of hot food and it has to be versatile and communicate "sustainability" to the consumer.
A company called SOLUT! delveloped the solution, a kraft corrugaded paperboard tray that meets all of those requirements, including the environmental benefits the customer required.
"We can make the package that fits the bill," says Erik O'Neil, vice president sales and marketing. "We have extensive capabilities to combine a wide variety of functional coatings and paperboard materials to achieve the functionality, aesthetics and cost requirements of our costomers."
Add "sustainability" to the requirements many companies are now demanding. Creativity and functionality no longer are enough. To learn more about SOLUT!'s capabilities, Progressive Grocer spoke with O'Neil:
Q: What is SOLUT! Where did that name come from?
A: Our core technology allows us to thermoform corrugated paperboard into a wide range of plates, platters and trays that meet the growing needs of the foodservice industry. Our technology was developed over the past 10 years with Procter & Gamble. We chose the name SOLUT! because our focus is to provide creative solutions to our customers.
Our brand is about creativeness, uniqueness, and customization. We ask our customers what they need and then we create a solution around that need. We are very focused on developing functional creative and sustainable alternatives to traditional plastic, aluminum foil and paperboard packaging.
Q: What does "creativity" mean to SOLUT!?
A: We are not a catalog company - a company that says, 'Here, pick something out of our catalog.' We see ourselves as food packaging experts whose mission is to develop a solution for a specific customer's needs. It could be with the products themselves, or it could be something as simple as offering customers manageable minimum order quantities if they do not need or even want to purchase larger quantities of a specific item. We can do that for them. Our focus is to serve our customers with what they need.
Q: And "functionality?"
A: Our patented process allows us to thermoform corrugated paperboard in such a way that it is strong, ovenable, and can serve as an environmentally-friendly alternative to aluminum and plastic, even in larger format sizes. In addition, we offer extensive capabilities to combine a wide range of unique materials and functional coatings to provide a package with the optimal combination of performance, cost and sustainabilitiy.
Q: "Sustainability" is a huge buzz word today. How does SOLUT! meet the needs of the customers who require sustainable foodservice packaging?
A: From the in-store bakery to the deli department and beyond, our paperboard products meet the requirements of even the largest customers with the most stringent requirements while achieving a high level of sustainability for customers. All of our products are paperboard, which is renewable, recoverable, and is clearly recognized by consumer as being more sustainable than plastic. It communicates what the retailer wants to convey- that they are making a big effort to protect our environment.
Q: How are your customers responding?
A: We currently have product in use at national restaurant chains, wholesale bakeries, and supermarket in-store bakeries and deli's, and the response has been great! There is a clear andn present need in the marketplace for creative and sustainable alternatives to traditional plastic and foil packaging. Given the constant and rapid increase in petroleum and energy costs that directly effect plastic and aluminum raw materials, our time is now to deliver the right solution that is cost-effective and sustainable. Our customers recognize that our unique technology gives them new options that relieve some of these pressures.
For SOLUT!, sustainability is not just a buzzword. It is now a part of our culture -- a key to providing the right solution to our customers today. |
