Mondi: Time is key in logistics – the hidden-champion in papermaking

24 March 2017

Mondi supports novel self-pickup concept - Mondi, Pohl & Co., Hamburg Terminal and customer Model GmbH are reflecting on how to optimise cargo routes and long-distance logistics from the mill to corrugated board producer and their customers. According to Model GmbH, 'Mondi's support ensures that our customers receive high-quality products on time.'

Vienna, 24 March 2017 - Excellent service, on-time delivery and consistently high product quality - these are the principal requirements of our corrugated customers and have ranked among the top five demands identified by Mondi's customer satisfaction surveys for many years. 'The expectations are clear, but a lot of processes entailing logistics and collaboration with partners and corrugated customers play a part in satisfying them,' explains Florian Stockert, sales director Containerboard, Mondi Europe & International.

One of Mondi's customers with exactly these requirements is the Model Group, an international developer and producer of intelligent, high-quality solid and corrugated displays. It places its faith in Mondi as a reliable partner capable of meeting these challenges. 'We have been working with Mondi who is a trusted partner of ours for years and are very satisfied with its excellent product quality, specifications that meet our customers' demands, logistics and service. Our needs ultimately reflect those of our customers - we want high-quality products that satisfy our needs and are delivered on time. With Mondi's strong support, we seek to maintain the cycle of activities that keep our customers happy every day', explains Katja Giesen, paper merchant at Model GmbH.

ProVantage Komiwhite - delivering paper on time from Russia to Germany and beyond

Mondi is one of Model GmbH's top five suppliers of containerboard grades. One of the products used by the packaging group is Mondi's ProVantage Komiwhite, a white top kraftliner produced in its Syktyvkar mill in Russia. Transporting the paper reels from the Komi Republic in the far north to Mondi's logistics hub in Hamburg, and finally to Model GmbH, is a task that is performed with great agility by Mondi's logistics team and sales force. From the mill to the logistics centre in Hamburg, Mondi's ProVantage Komiwhite travels by train, ship and truck.

Hendryk Mackowiak, branch manager of the logistics company Pohl&Co., who has been overseeing logistics at Mondi's Hamburg Terminal since 2011, understands the challenges presented by long-distance logistics for international players such as Mondi, 'The perfect logistics set-up and mix is crucial for companies like Mondi that have production sites all over the world and sell to international customers. Delivering products undamaged and on time is not always easy - especially when operating globally. Mondi is a prime example of good logistics management and constantly challenges us to develop even better solutions for its customers' success. The choice of location for the main logistics hub is a crucial one, and Hamburg is ideal. Appropriate most modern equipment and state-of-the-art IT solutions also make a critical difference and can enhance our customers' ability to monitor stock and handle goods efficiently and with flexibility.'

Model: 'Mondi's self-pickup is beneficial, offers greater flexibility, and customises logistics.'

Since 2012, Mondi has been offering a new and unique service for its German, Austrian and Suisse customers through its Hamburg Terminal. Together with Pohl & Co., Mondi developed a self-pickup option to address customers' logistical needs. 'When talking to our customers we discovered that there is demand for joint logistics solutions that offer flexibility and optimise supply chain management. This is what prompted the development of a self-pickup option in Hamburg. Model GmbH is one of the first to combine this option with 'normal' logistics support,' explains Torsten Fleck, head of sales region Germany and Switzerland. The advantages of self-pickup lie in the optimisation of cargo routes, which transforms transport operations into a closed loop. After unloading consignments on customers' premises, Model GmbH can direct the delivery trucks to pick up raw materials from the Hamburg Terminal on their way home, thus saving time, extra journeys and the cost of deliveries to its converting plants.

'Many of our customers are located in the north of Germany or Denmark. To avoid idle runs and optimise our transport cycle in the future, we will be picking up paper rolls in the port of Hamburg, which improves flexibility and logistics for us as well,' says Katja Giesen, a paper merchant at Model GmbH.

Model: 'Premium quality and timely delivery go hand in hand. Mondi supports us on both counts.'

Model GmbH has been using ProVantage Komiwhite for its unique box solutions for many years. Katja Giesen explains why this grade suits Model GmbH and perfectly satisfies its customers' needs, 'We value the converting benefits, quality and branding options provided by ProVantage Komiwhite. We use this grade mainly for packaging solutions for fruit and vegetable suppliers, e-commerce and the food industry in general. Modern packaging has to be more distinctive on the shelf, sustainable, if demanded made of 100% virgin fibre, and certified. ProVantage Komiwhite helps us to meet all these needs.'

Torsten Fleck, Mondi's head of sales in Germany and Switzerland, and Model GmbH's sales partner, highly values the customer relationship and sees Model GmbH as an ideal sparring partner for Mondi in many respects. He comments, 'Model GmbH is a long-standing customer with which we have built a trusting and collaborative partnership. I personally appreciate its experience and the frank feedback it gives about our paper and service. Model was also one of the first customers to recognise, following the modernisation of our PM21 paper machine in Syktyvkar, that ProVantage Komiwhite is a match for our premium White Top Kraftliner ProVantage Baywhite, which is produced by the Richards Bay mill in South Africa. Using both grades gives Model GmbH the advantages of both availability and reliability. They can use both qualities - if one of the grades is not available, typically because of for instance bad marine conditions, the other quality can still be supplied because it takes a completely different transport route.'

Photos:

Link for download: https://images.mondigroup.com/pindownload/login.do?pin=7FD2C096WP72

PIN-Code: 7FD2C096WP72

Picture descriptions:

Picture 1:Partnering with customers - Meeting in Hamburg toreflect on how to optimise cargo routes and long-distance logistics.

From left to right: Michael Kleifges, CEO Pohl&Co. GmbH, Hendryk Mackowiak,branch manager Pohl&Co. GmbH, Thilo Voigt, sales manager Germany & Switzerland, Katja Giesen, a paper merchant Model GmbH and Torsten Fleck, head of sales region Germany & Switzerland.

Pictures 2-5:Hamburg Terminal - Reel Handling and Transport

Pictures 6-7:ProVantage Komiwhite and Appearance Visual

Contact:

Elisabeth Dock, Communications Manager Packaging Paper

Tel: +43 (0) 664 8446520

Email: elisabeth.dock@mondigroup.com

About Mondi

We are Mondi: IN TOUCH EVERY DAY

Mondi is an international packaging and paper Group, employing around 25,000 people across more than 30 countries. Our key operations are located in central Europe, Russia, North America and South Africa. In 2016, Mondi had revenues of €6.7 billion and a return on capital employed of 20.3%.

We are fully integrated across the packaging and paper value chain - from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and compound plastics, to developing effective and innovative industrial and consumer packaging solutions. With over 100 products customised into more than 100,000 solutions, we offer more than you may expect. Leading brands around the world rely on our innovative technologies and products across a variety of industries such as agriculture; automotive; building and construction; chemicals and dangerous goods; food and beverages; graphic and photographic; home and personal care; medical and pharmaceutical; office and professional printing; packaging and paper converting; pet care; retail and e-commerce; and shipping and transport.

We believe sustainable development makes good business sense. It's integral to our responsible and profitable growth, and embedded in everything we do, every day. We continue to look for ways to do more with less, promote the responsible management of ecosystems, develop and inspire our people, and enhance the value that our sustainable product solutions create.

Mondi has a dual listed company structure, with a primary listing on the JSE Limited for Mondi Limited under the ticker code MND and a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange for Mondi plc, under the ticker code MNDI. We have been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the JSE's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index since 2007.