Iggesund Paperboard, Sweden, is enhancing its distribution service in Asia. The main objective is to provide Asian customers better service by shortening lead times.

"We are continuously evolving together with our customers’ needs. We have therefore set up a sheeting and warehousing capability in Taiwan, which will be operationally ready by the end of July 2015," explained Ivan Chong, business area director, G&P, Asia Pacific. "This channel will strive to enhance Invercote’s availability in the Asian market and will help Iggesund and our customers gain new business."

Iggesund is not just establishing a distribution channel in Asia. The company will also keep Invercote in stock and offer local sheeting from a service point in Taiwan to minimize lead times.

"Invercote is a niche product aimed at customers who place high demands on appearance and function and who want the end result to attract attention on the retail shelf and encourage purchase," said Arvid Sundblad (photo), VP Sales and Marketing, in charge of global sales. "Unlike basically all SBB paperboard made in Asia, Invercote has a multi-layer construction, which means it does not crack along the creases."

 

 

Iggesund’s enhanced service in Asia is part of its efforts to become more global by strengthening its delivery service outside of Europe. It is also recruiting staff to reinforce its sales efforts. The company has also launched a broader service concept to inform its customers of the many resources and support functions available to them. "Care by Iggesund" includes the quick and easy ordering of samples and inspirational material, the provision of product safety information and certificates, and access to the analytical services of Iggesund’s accredited Laboratory of Sensory and Chemical Analyses. Iggesund’s environmental documentation is also part of the service offering, not least as a guarantee that customers will not encounter any unpleasant surprises due to the origin of the forest raw material used in their paperboard.

Iggesund’s service offering also includes everything associated with the company’s products, Invercote and Incada, from technical support in local markets to Iggesund’s own paperboard expertise in the form of various reference works.

"We don’t just want our customers to buy our paperboard—we also want them to get the most out of it," Sundblad noted. "All of our documentation, together with our team of technicians, who are out in the local markets and who have experience from projects and operations similar to those of our customers, exists to ensure this. Some of this support we have had for a long time but we haven’t been clear enough to our customers in general that all of this service exists."

Iggesund Paperboard is part of the Swedish forest industry group Holmen. Iggesund’s turnover is just over EUR 500 million and its flagship product Invercote is sold in more than 100 countries. The company has two brand families, Invercote and Incada. Since 2010 Iggesund has invested more than EUR 380 million to increase its energy efficiency and reduce the fossil emissions from its production.