Decision making is increasingly complex for brand owners in the FMCG sector, with the data driven information required by legislators in close connection with the consumer-driven trends for the look, performance and sustainability of the packaging itself. The value for the brand owners comes when their packaging supplier is able to reliably offer unbiased advice in both areas, but this is, unsurprisingly, hard to find.
With packaging partners usually focused on one particular material, their advice is usually geared towards the advantages of that substrate. While this is ideal for customers that know exactly what they want, for artisan food producers or startup sports nutrition brands or craft beer companies, it’s not always that straight forward.
Kirsty Mumford, Commercial Director at Pont Packaging Ltd, believes that formal certifications is a valuable shorthand for quality-focused brands that want a packaging partner that can advise them in a meaningful way. Having recently gained the respected BRC certification at its UK location, with the rest of its European locations expected to follow suit, she explains how this is a quick illustration of a century-long dedication to excellence.
“We’ve always had high standards, right from when we were founded in 1906, the quality of Pont products and services are what we’re known for; but having the BRC certification means we go beyond us and our customers saying, ‘we’re great!’ towards being able to just tick that specific box quickly. For potential customers looking for a new packaging partner, it’s a shorthand, it gets us into those discussions quicker,” Mumford says.
That’s not to say that gaining the BRC is just a box ticking exercise! Mumford continues, “It’s a very high level of detail, quality, traceability and documentation required to gain the BRC. I’m delighted to say that we were already well along the way because of our commitment to quality that’s embedded into our culture as a company. Any extra elements we needed were just good business practice anyway, so it pulled us up to an even higher level. That’s why I’m so proud of our team for achieving this; we were already so close, but it’s the formalisation that gives us the official certification.”
Pont European Operations Manager Paul Janssen shares Mumford’s appreciation of the team in gaining the BRC certification, particularly as it delivers faster compliance for customers. Janssen says, “We’re all about making it as easy as possible for customers to work with us. The level of advice and support we offer as standard is phenomenal; from sustainability expertise on materials, lightweighting and recyclability to product specialists sharing what liner or closure is best for the application. Retailers won’t entertain purchasing from brands that don’t have fast approval or official compliance, so we’re here to advise our customers – the brand owners looking to work with the retailers – so there’s no block to doing business with them.”
Keeping a promise
With all Pont locations ISO 22000 certified, proving that its portfolio is food contact safe, the added BRC certification is welcome across its stakeholders. Mumford says that the BRC is, ‘just one piece of the puzzle’, with the knowledge, expertise, documentation services, product portfolio, and network of European suppliers available all combining to deliver on Pont’s promise. She continues, “Our strategy is based on ticking loads of boxes! The BRC is the latest box and it’s a welcome addition to a long list of elements that are working well for us and our customers. We have a very informal hierarchy; our teams are always sharing, discussing, asking questions. It’s this approach that really motivates all of us; we feel part of something appreciated and successful.”
Being part of something successful is a common thread that runs through Pont. With other members of parent company Newship Group also having the BRC certification, Pont knows that this is recognised and appreciated in the UK. Janssen adds, “We’re a connected European team that’s proudly independent; we all pull together, it’s team effort. Our approach is beneficial for our customers too as we can quickly and effectively share expertise across products, substrates, markets and applications.”
With the latest BRC certification at Pont another quick way for the company to prove its status as a packaging partner, the fact that its portfolio includes amber glass, biomaterials and rPET means that it continues to live up to its promise of being easy to work with and not tied to any one material. Mumford concludes, “We listen to our customers and then advise them, we don’t have a product we’re pushing and hope it suits them! Pont always puts our customers first.”
