Insight: Nigel Hobson, Encase

What are the current trends in the corrugated sector?
The shelf-ready and retail-ready packaging revolution continues, now with an environmental focus to reduce weight. Customers want the same strength from lighter packaging, which we achieve with design engineering and 100% recycled paper hyper flutes.
 
What are the biggest challenges for the sector?
Reducing CO2 emissions with fewer lorries, better loading, higher stacking and better load efficiency. It means the cost of some packaging may have to increase to achieve this, but this delivers far bigger savings in other parts of the supply chain.

How can the industry combat these challenges?
Corrugated board engineering. Some companies, like Encase, are gearing up to respond. We have Ecowall – triple wall
strength at half the weight and thickness. Indeed, those industry drivers are behind Encase’s new and highly successful
packaging design Test Drive Centre.

What are your plans for your new role?
Develop Encase’s brand new fulfilment and composite packaging centre. As a one-stop-shop assembly and with a stock holding area of 9,755m², it is the UK’s largest. With the plant’s high-speed machinery and specialist board, we have rapid just in time (JIT) turnaround. Already, interest from a blue-chip company and others shows a pipeline of £4m from our June 2009 start.

What do you like to do outside of work?
When not on my motorbike, or steam train, I sea-fish with my young son. He’s just been pictured with his prize catch in a national magazine. It beats any of mine.

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