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In view of the current crisis with Covid-19, Horst Bittermann, Marketing Manager of Mayr-Melnhof Karton and President of Pro Carton, the European Association of the Carton and Cartonboard Manufacturers, makes an appeal to the branch. “The world is facing one of its biggest challenges of our lifetimes – the COVID-19 global humanitarian situation. Now is the time to pull together, support each other and to abide by the guidance given by our local governments and health services. The carton and cartonboard industry is doing its utmost to maintain the flow of essential goods, in particular packaging for foods, pharmaceuticals and hygiene products being aware of its crucial role to ensure security of supply. We take our responsibility to society very seriously and all European cartonboard mills are working at full capacity and converters are striving to meet the high demand of the critical sectors. A big thank you goes out to all the employees within our industry who are doing a tremendous job to cope with the huge increase in demand that we are seeing.

There will inevitably be challenges ahead. To ensure wide availability of goods, the supply chain needs to work smoothly from its start right through to the consumer’s home. For us that means having sufficient raw material, both virgin and recycled fibre. It is essential that the supply of wood pulp is maintained and equally that paper based packaging and other paper products are sent for recycling (with separate collection where this is practised). It is imperative that local Governments and Councils maintain the operation of these recycling systems to guarantee that sufficient recycled paper fibre is available.“

Confectionery sales in the German retail generated a revenue increase of 2.9% up to € 2.247 bn in the first two months of 2020. According to the Nielsen confectionery monitor, sales volume rose by 2.4% up to 282,200 tonnes (basis: food retailers + drug stores; last cumulative year/YTD). For the past 52 calendar weeks the market researchers calculated revenue growth of 2.5% up to € 14.240 bn with sales quantity of 1.741 million tonnes (+ 1.4%).

The strongest growth engine compared to the same period in the previous year’s week (up to 03/03/2019) was once again the salty snacks product class with an increase in earnings of 6.6% up to € 3.233 bn (sales volume: 405,400 t; + 3.2%). Chocolate products, the strongest revenue category, registered growth of 1.2% (630,100 t; + 0.4%) with € 6.656 bn.

Sugar confectionery only rose slightly by 0.4% over last year’s level with € 2.380 bn (351,600 t; + 1.7%). With revenues of € 1.970 bn the category baked goods enjoyed above-average growth of 3.3% (353,500 t; + 0.6%). According to Nielsen, retail ice cream revenues fell by 6.0% down to € 1.724 bn. Sales volume here declined by 7.0% down to 505.9 million litres, respectively 842.7 million packaging units.

As of 1 April 2020, Prof. Andrea Büttner is the new Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising. Prof. Büttner joined Prof. Horst-Christian Langowski as Co-Director of the Institute on 1 November 2019, and now takes over the full role as Executive Director following his retirement on 31 March 2020.  

After almost 30 years at Fraunhofer IVV, the past 16 of which as Director of the Institute, Prof. Langowski is stepping down and passing on the directorship to Prof. Büttner, who also succeeds him as scientific head of the Competence Center Food and Packaging Technology – Klevertec for Fraunhofer IVV in Kempten. Work undertaken at Fraunhofer IVV tackles key challenges with partners from industry, science, and politics to guarantee safe, sustainable, high-quality foods and to develop innovative packaging concepts. The mission of Fraunhofer IVV is to effectively utilize available raw materials and resources for the benefit of society and the environment.

The Schumacher Packaging Group, one of the largest family-run manufacturers of corrugated and solid board packaging solutions, has now officially renamed its new production site in the English city of Birmingham: On 1 April 2020, Jaffabox Ltd will become Schumacher Packaging Ltd.  

The group acquired Jaffabox, a manufacturer of various corrugated board packaging solutions that is also family-run, in November 2019. At the same time, a generational shift took place in the family that used to own the company: Annette Amyes is now Managing Director in the Birmingham plant, and her brother Mark has the role of Sales Director. The rebranding of the English plant emphasizes that customers from the United Kingdom can now also access the entire range of solutions offered by the European Schumacher Packaging Group – including consultation, services and logistics.

“Developments in the first few months of the group operating the Birmingham plant have been really positive,” reports Björn Schumacher, Managing Director of Schumacher Packaging Group. “Our international customers in particular see this as very positive, as we in the UK can now offer the same full service as our other European sites in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.”

Although the plant in Birmingham is already at a high technological level, the group plans to push ahead with further expansion there as well. “Depending on the further economic situation in connection with the Corona crisis, we intend to invest six million Euros in a first step,” explains Björn Schumacher.

The future Executive Board team, to be headed by Burkhard Eling, takes over on January 1, 2021. After 31 years of close cooperation in operational management positions at Dachser SE, CEO Bernhard Simon and his deputy Michael Schilling, COO Road Logistics, will join the logistics provider’s Supervisory Board in 2021.  

Eling, who joined the DACHSER Executive Board as CFO in 2013, will become the new CEO of the family-owned company on January 1, 2021. Alexander Tonn, Managing Director European Logistics Germany (from 1.1.2021 COO Road Logistics), Michael Schilling, COO Road Logistics; Burkhard Eling, CFO (from 1.1.2021 CEO); Bernhard Simon, CEO; Edoardo Podestà, COO Air & Sea Logistics; Stefan Hohm, Corporate Director Corporate Solutions, Research & Development (from 1.1.2021 CDO)

“At the end of 2020, Michael Schilling and I will pass on our responsibility on the Executive Board to the next generation of management. This joint move, which has been in the planning for a long time, will create new impetus for the company’s future,” explains Bernhard Simon, CEO of Dachser. “The coronavirus crisis is certainly a great challenge for the entire management team, but it does not call our long-term strategy into question. What’s important now is to pass the company on to a new generation, starting at the top. We are convinced that we can steer Dachser well through the coming months. By keeping our own network stable and the supply chains running, we will continue to serve our customers with reliability and quality.”

Eling will assume the position of CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and Spokesperson of the Executive Board on January 1, 2021. The 48-year-old joined Dachser’s Executive Board as CFO in 2013. He was responsible for the worldwide implementation of the SAP system and shaped the company’s transition to the legal form of an SE. He also managed the company-wide strategic innovation program Idea2net. Together with Michael Schilling and Bernhard Simon, he orchestrated the post-merger integration of the Iberian logistics provider Azkar (now Dachser Iberia).

Hohm will head a newly created Executive Unit, IT & Development, as CDO (Chief Development Officer) starting on January 1, 2021. An experienced manager who has been with the company for 27 years, he will be responsible not just for research and development topics but also for the further development of IT, contract logistics, and the global industry solutions business. The 47-year-old started his career in contract logistics at Dachser before taking over management of the branches in Erfurt and Hof, Germany. As Corporate Director since 2016, he has been responsible for the logistics service provider’s research and development work as well as its solutions business.

Tonn will assume the position of COO Road Logistics on January 1, 2021, with responsibility for the business development of the European Logistics and Food Logistics business lines. The 46-year-old has been with the company for over 20 years. Following his first management duties as deputy branch manager in Memmingen, Tonn moved to Dachser Head Office in 2014, where he was responsible for the international development of contract logistics. Since 2017 he has also led the European Logistics Germany business unit; he will continue in this role after his appointment as COO Road Logistics. Alfred Miller will retain his role as Managing Director of the Food Logistics business unit.

The future management team will be completed by Edoardo Podestà, who has been a member of the Dachser Executive Board since October 2019 as COO Air & Sea Logistics. Podestà is responsible for the global air and sea freight business as well as the rail services business between Europe and China, and he also heads the ASL Asia Pacific business unit.