Quadpack’s COO Fabrice Revert talks about the company’s operations strategy for the next few years

Months before the pandemic turned the world upside down, Quadpack developed a new business strategy for the next 5 years. Caught by the crisis, this well thought out action plan has proven itself right and has helped the organisation have a clearer vision while it navigates stormy waters. We invited Quadpack’s COO Fabrice Revert to talk about how agility, one of the five pillars of the new strategy, is key for the future growth of the company.

What is your vision for the future of the beauty packaging industry?

The world is changing at an accelerated pace. Globalisation, digitalisation and consumer behaviour, especially young generations’, are transforming the market. The VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) is a new reality and being agile is one of the ways we adapt to it. When we look at the beauty market, we see that brand loyalty is disappearing, social media has been changing dramatically the way consumers behave and how brands are responding. Sustainability has become a top priority for clients and packaging will have an even bigger role in it.

In this context, what are the main drivers of Quadpack’s operations strategy?

Quadpack has the size and ambition. We are not a small company nor the biggest, but we have the size to make an impact. We want to do things right, differently, better. Our vision is to answer to local and regional brands’ demands, keeping the ability to provide solutions to big industries as well. In order to do so, we need to be agile and sustainable to help beauty brands perform. We need to offer solutions in the region for the region.

When you’re close to customers, you can provide them with what they want in a very short time. While we expand globally, we aim to extend our manufacturing capabilities to provide them with this proximity. And we must do it in a sustainable way, not only with our products but in the way we operate, fostering collaborative innovation by coming together with our partners to provide solutions.

Agility is one of the pillars of the new strategy. How can Quadpack offer time to market solutions, in the region, for the region?

Some of the biggest challenges the cosmetic market faces are uncertainty and consumers’ lack of loyalty. Clients that could forecast the next 6 months don’t have the visibility to know what’s coming in one month. We must adapt to that. Supply chains need to be optimised, and it requires not only to be close to the client but to be more efficient, providing smart modular solutions.

It starts from the way we design our components, offering standard products that can be assembled and decorated regionally, in what we call late differentiation. I can deliver a product that is personalised to match what a customer wants, and do it fast thanks to our manufacturing capabilities, in the region for the region. As we do so, we keep fostering our partnerships with global suppliers to react fast to clients demands. It should be all supported by a bold digitalisation process, and that’s why we’re investing in Quadpack Connect as a strategic project.

The COVID situation has brought some difficult challenges but pointed out some directions for organisations. How Quadpack has adapted its business strategy according to this new scenario?

It was a storm not only for our industry but for the world. The COVID crisis showed us we set the right strategy and we have the right DNA to resist and overcome it. We haven’t changed the strategy because of the crisis. We’re focusing on the safety and wellbeing of our people, saving employment as much as possible, putting our values in place.

With agility as our pillar, we were able to change plans, reduce costs and investments, focusing on the essential ones. We’ve negotiated with customers and suppliers, making some agreements very fast, in a very solidary approach where we were even able to provide masks and protective shields to frontline workers during the COVID peak in Europe. This crisis showed us how to come together, helped us learn in our way to control costs, cooperate and innovate.

See the complete interview on Quadpack’s Youtube channel