Looking out for new packaging solutions
Staffan Kaldén from Santa Maria visits most European packaging fairs, and rates Scanpack highly.Staffan Kaldén is purchasing manager for packaging materials at Santa Maria, Scandinavia’s largest spices and seasonings company. He never misses Scanpack if he can help it.
“Scanpack isn’t just Scandinavia’s biggest packaging fair. It’s also where we meet all our existing and potential suppliers,” he says.
Kaldén visits most European packaging fairs, such as Salon Emballage in Paris, FachPack in Nürnberg and Packex in Birmingham, so he has plenty to compare with. He rates Scanpack highly compared to most fairs.
“Salon Emballage, FachPack and Packex are more local fairs. Interpack is by far the biggest so can’t be used as a comparison. For us, the benefit of Scanpack is that it allows us to maintain personal contact with all our suppliers while also meeting new ones.”
Geographic proximity is another benefit not to be underestimated. Santa Maria is based in Mölndal, close to Gothenburg, so almost all its employees involved with packaging visit the fair.
“Scanpack is as much a place for knowledge exchange as for meeting suppliers. We want to stay on the technological cutting edge in packaging solutions, and Scanpack has much to offer in that department,” comments Kaldén.
“We can examine other people’s packaging solutions and see how they solved various problems, for example regarding display. We seldom see revolutionary innovations, but a solution in a completely different sector can provide valuable inspiration.”
“That’s why it’s invaluable that many of our operators are able to visit Scanpack. All the ideas presented at the fair are subsequently examined in meetings and discussions, and can eventually lead to changes and improvements in our operations. Technical development almost always happens in small steps, and Scanpack is an excellent platform for this.”