The international food holding company Vicky Foods, Valencian group that owns the brands Dulcesol, Horno Hermanos Juan and Be Plus, explained its challenges and actions in terms of packaging at the 74th Breakfast of the Cluster of Innovation in Packaging and Packaging, which on this occasion was held at the AINIA technology center, an international reference in innovation and technology for sectors such as food, packaging, cosmetics , pharmacy or chemistry, among others.
This event, which has been financed by the Department of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society of the Generalitat Valenciana and which has had the collaboration of the business consultant Improven, has included a visit to the facilities of AINIA which, as explained in the welcome general director, Cristina Del Campo, has more than 800 associated companies and 1.700 clients each year. At this point, he detailed that the center’s technological offer revolves around five challenges that companies currently have, such as “improving the quality and safety of food, the food of the future, promoting health and well-being, helping companies in the green transition, and advance in digital transformation.” He has also explained that they have five business units to accompany companies in this process, highlighting R&D, technological assistance, laboratory testing, specialized technical training and industrial services.
Meanwhile, Andrea Martínez, quality technician in Packaging at Vicky Foods, has begun his presentation by detailing that the group manufactures more than 350 different products, has more than 2.900 employees and plants in Gandía, Villalonga, Algeria, in addition to an egg production plant that produces 98% of its needs in liquid eggs. Likewise, it has a packaging printing plant, which covers practically all of its needs, “this allows us to design a product and put it on the market in less than two weeks,” he commented.
The representative of Vicky Foods has also highlighted that one of the company’s objectives is to be leaders in sustainability for which “we want to be an innovative company, minimizing the environmental impact and following the values of honesty, respect and transparency.” In this line, among the main challenges related to packaging, the most notable is reaching 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 and reducing 10% of plastic and cardboard per ton produced. Others also include reducing CO15 emissions by 2% or reducing water and electricity consumption by 15% per ton produced.
To achieve this, the firm is already making firm efforts. For example, it has replaced conventional plastics with sustainable material in its Dulcesol packaging, and has established practices for the recovery of cardboard waste to manufacture new packaging. Likewise, he stressed that the firm has replaced the cardboard cores with plastic in the reels of the packaging factories, in order to be able to be used again. And finally, all their cardboard boxes are certified with the FSC seal, coming from sustainable forests.
Business growth plan
This new Breakfast has had the collaboration of improve, a business consultant with a track record of more than 25 years, which has shared the main keys that companies in the packaging sector must address in 2024 with a more demanding scenario.
En este sentido, Guillermo Prats, partner at Improven, and Pablo Adán, Marketing and Strategy Manager of the company, have explained that “we are in a time of uncertainty and we have to know how to live in it.” For this reason, as Prats explained, companies will need “speed of response, flexibility, a lot of market information and strategic clarity.” A solution for this, in the words of Pablo Adán, is to focus development “towards the development of a growth plan, which has to provide a quick response to the situation of uncertainty and which can be carried out in 10 weeks.”
He has also detailed the keys on which the growth plan proposed by Improven is based, such as analytically segmenting clients, maintaining a commercial ambition, carrying out continuous training to have teams with adequate skills and competencies and managing them optimally. product ranges and prices,evaluating if they are aligned with the market and if they are profitable for the company”Pablo Adán explained. Finally, Guillermo Prats highlighted that Improven helps companies achieve results and “we accompany them in their progress to achieve a better world.”
Finally, a new associate has also intervened to make himself known to the group, as has been UFP Pallets and Packaging, a company specializing in the manufacture of pallets, opaque boxes and structural packaging, with a presence in Spain and Portugal, and which belongs to UFP Industries, one of the largest timber industrial groups in the world with 67 years in the market.
