RLC packaging group - Latest

Award for laser gloss technology and nomination for “Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Grand Prize

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:46:00 +0200

Hanover, March 2012. Convincing the jury with its sustainable laser gloss finishing process, the rlc | packaging group was chosen as a “Selected Landmark 2012”. The company is thus one of the award winners in the “365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas” competition. Sponsored by Deutsche Bank, the competition recognizes pioneering ideas and projects that demonstrate the ingenuity and innovative strength of German companies. In addition, rlc – the largest family-run folding carton manufacturer in Germany – was nominated for the “Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Grand Prize” – one of the most sought-after awards for medium-sized companies in Germany. The award-winning rlc laser gloss technology is a resource-saving finishing process for folding cartons. The laser gloss process achieves a wide variety of holographic effects, enabling the production of packaging with a high visual impact. The effects are achieved by a special reusable film with a texture that is embossed into varnish before it dries. This method enables rlc to dispense with lamination and reduce the CO2 footprint of packaging – with no detrimental effect on the visual appeal. According to rlc CEO Hans-Christian Bestehorn, “We regard innovative strength as essential for actively shaping the future of the packaging market. This is why we aim to create innovative potential everywhere in the company – from the design stage, to processing and production.” The effectiveness of this method is clearly demonstrated by looking back at 2011 when the company received multiple awards for unique packaging solutions, including the World Star and the Swiss Star 2011. Innovative strength is also one of the criteria for the “Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Grand Prize.” “The nomination for this award not only demonstrates how intensively we practice innovation throughout the corporate group, it also shows our continuous development as a medium-sized company on course for continued growth,” Bestehorn continues. In 2011, rlc expanded its operations in Hanover, started on the extension of the PHARMACENTER in Berlin, took over AUG. HEINRIGS Druck + Verpackung in Aachen and acquired the Swiss folding carton manufacturer, Limmatdruck/Zeiler. Bestehorn concludes: “The aim of all this activity is to ensure continuous growth in packaging for the branded goods industry in all four of our business segments: Beauty, Pharmaceuticals, Confectionary and Food, and to be closer to our customers in Europe. Nomination for the ‘Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Grand Prize’ is evidence that this development is attracting attention outside the company – and we are very pleased about that.”

rlc | packaging group: Sales now under central management

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:21:00 +0100

Hanover, 02 February 2012. On course for further growth, the rlc | packaging group has restructured its sales unit. Pierre Barth was appointed to General Sales Director for the entire corporate group on January 1, 2012. Barth was previously in charge of marketing & sales at Limmatdruck/Zeiler, a company that joined the rlc | packaging group in summer 2011. Part of the rlc | packaging group growth strategy is to concentrate sales responsibility in the position of General Sales Director and to steadily grow in each of the four strategic business units, Beauty, Pharma, Confectionary and Food, with packaging for consumer goods manufacturers. "With new members, including Aug. Heinrigs in Aachen and Limmatdruck/Zeiler in Switzerland, joining the corporation, the
rlc | packaging group has strengthened its expertise and expanded its range of products available to customers," explains Stephan Bestehorn, Managing Director in charge of sales at rlc. "Pierre Barth is an experienced packaging expert and sales professional from within our own ranks. He will successfully drive forward the expansion of our group in the European market." Pierre Barth, Director of Marketing & Sales for twelve years at Limmatdruck/Zeiler, actively shaped the integration of Zeiler AG into Limmatdruck AG. He also played a key role in the strategic orientation of Limmatdruck/Zeiler as a packaging specialist for confectionary and food products. Barth has worked for 25 years in the packaging industry. He held international sales positions at Amcor Rentsch Rickenbach and served as packaging sales manager at Birkhäuser + GBC.

Attractively packaged sweets: rlc | packaging group presents innovative confectionary packaging at ProSweets Cologne 2012

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:03:00 +0100

Hanover, 21 December 2011. The rlc | packaging group is presenting new design concepts and advanced finishing options for confectionary product packaging at ProSweets Cologne 2012, from 29 January to 1 February in Cologne, Germany. Stand G11 in Hall 10.1 is where the rlc packaging experts will be demonstrating how comprehensive concepts for innovative packaging solutions based on the company's "Packaging 3.0" approach can be integrated into the confectionary segment. The rlc portfolio ranges from design and consulting, to artwork and packaging machinery. Limmatdruck/ Zeiler and AUG. HEINRIGS will be presented for the first time as members of the rlc │ packaging group. Parallel to ISM, the international confectionary trade fair, industry suppliers will be meeting at ProSweets Cologne to present innovations and technologies for manufacturing processes and packaging. Focusing on the keywords Lean – Green – Seen, rlc is at ProSweets to show how integrated concepts can be effectively used to implement efficient consumer response, sustainable value chain, and first moment of truth. "Confectionary packaging has to be capable of conveying exclusivity and sensuality as a means of supporting brand success. Environmental issues are also gaining importance," says rlc │ packaging group CEO Hans-Christian Bestehorn. "Our centers of excellence offer specialized know-how and technologies designed specifically for the confectionary industry. In line with a T-shaped organizational concept, we combine the knowledge and experience from our other group divisions: Beauty, Food, and Pharma." The company's synergies are strengthened by brandpack, the rlc center of excellence for integrated packaging design, which also operates industry-wide. From design and consulting, to intelligent artwork management, production and finishing, repacking and logistics solutions, rlc offers packaging solutions from a single source. Streamlined processes for complex packaging solutions "The market demand for confectionery products is rapidly changing. Manufacturers are constantly bringing new products to market. We are responding to this with our lean concept, which is always based on current customer needs to ensure packaging is always available at the right time and right place in the required quantity," Bestehorn explains. The rlc lean philosophy also ensures resource-friendly production across the entire value chain. New inline finishing techniques, including Liquid Metal and Laser Gloss, not only improve sustainability, they result in packaging that is attractively designed for a convincing first moment of truth. For example, rlc is the first European packaging specialist to implement Laser Gloss as a holographic finishing process for folding boxes, and the only manufacturer capable of combining this process inline with cold foil laminating on the same machine.

Cherry Pack: rlc | packaging group presents innovative

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:07:00 +0100

Hanover, 25 November 2011. As one of seven selected packaging industry partners, and the only manufacturer of folding cartons, the rlc | packaging group presented its solutions for the first time at the L'Oréal Cherry Pack. The cosmetics manufacturer's in-house exhibition took place for the second time on 23-24 November. Participants were asked to present new technologies, outline innovative solutions and integrate sustainability into their packaging as an essential element of brand success. In line with its "Packaging 3.0" approach, rlc showed how innovative packaging solutions for beauty brands can be created using holistic concepts ranging from design and consulting, to artwork management and packaging machines. The rlc | packaging group has been working in partnership with L'Oréal for years on eye-catching folding box solutions. At the in-house exhibition, rlc focused on the keywords Lean – Green – Seen to show how integrated concepts can be effectively used to implement efficient consumer response, sustainable value chain, and first moment of truth into packaging production. "We respond to the ever-shorter innovation cycles for beauty products with our lean concept. This is consistently based on actual customer needs to make sure the packaging is always available at the right time and right place in the required quantity," explained rlc CEO Hans-Christian Bestehorn. "Our lean concept also ensures resource-friendly production across the entire value chain. Using new inline finishing techniques, including Liquid Metal and Laser Gloss, we improve sustainability and supply packaging that is attractively designed for a convincing First Moment of Truth." For example, rlc is the first European packaging specialist to implement Laser Gloss as a holographic finishing process for folding boxes and is the only manufacturer capable of combining this process with cold foil laminating inline on the same machine. Special know-how and technologies for the beauty segment are provided by rlc at two centers of excellence located in Hanover and Aachen, Germany. In line with the T-shaped organizational concept, rlc combines the knowledge and experience of the corporate group's Confectionary, Food and particularly its Pharma business units and offers it to cosmetics industry customers. Maximizing differentiation and specialization ensures know-how transfer for customers in these target industries. These synergies are strengthened by brandpack, the rlc center of excellence for holistic packaging design that also works industry-wide. From design and consulting, to intelligent artwork management, production and finishing, repacking and logistics solutions, rlc offers complete packaging solutions from a single source.

rlc | packaging group acquires Limmatdruck | Zeiler

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:43:00 +0200

Hanover, July 8, 2011. In the year of its 150th anniversary, the rlc | packaging group has acquired Limmatdruck AG / Zeiler AG, Switzerland, effective retroactively as of July 1, 2011. Limmatdruck/Zeiler is the biggest folding box manufacturer in Switzerland and is one of Europe's leading packaging producers in the premium confectionary segment. The rlc | packaging group is using the acquisition to expand its portfolio of services and bundle the innovative strength of both companies. rlc will acquire a 100 percent holding in the two Limmatdruck/Zeiler sites in Spreitenbach near Zürich and Köniz near Bern. This move increases the workforce of rlc to around 1,200 who are employed in eight plants in Hanover, Berlin and Aachen in Germany, the two new sites in Switzerland, and Poznań in Poland. It increases the sales of the rlc Group to around EUR 230 million. The sale of Limmatdruck/Zeiler by the owner Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund (MGB) is part of the retailer's strategy to focus more closely on its core expertise. The rlc Group acquired Limmatdruck/Zeiler with the aim of driving forward growth in each of its four areas of business – Beauty, Confectionary, Pharma and Food – with packaging for branded goods manufacturers. “The main aim of the takeover was to acquire an established and successful packaging manufacturer positioned as an industry leader in its domestic market and exhibiting the innovative strength needed to create the ideal basis for further expansion into European markets,” said Hans-Christian Bestehorn, management spokesman of the rlc | packaging group. “In addition to the renowned expertise of Limmatdruck/Zeiler in the area of confectionary packaging, the acquisition will also benefit our Food and Pharma divisions, an expertise we plan to expand especially at the sites in Switzerland.” The acquisition further strengthens the service packaging technology, and successfully develops, produces and services customized packing concepts and machines for customers in a wide range of sectors. The corporate culture and orientation of the rlc | packaging group and Limmatdruck/Zeiler are very similar in many respects. Like rlc, the Swiss company specializes in packaging for the fast moving products of well-known branded goods manufacturers. The business operations of both companies are shaped by long-standing customer relationships and partnerships. A focus on quality, problem-solving and innovation forms an integral part of both corporate cultures. What's more, the two companies are already well acquainted and have built up a wealth of mutual respect from the time when rlc was a member of the COPACO alliance. About rlc:
The rlc | packaging group is a highly specialized provider of innovative folding boxes for the branded goods industry with a sales market that takes in all of Europe. The company produces packaging for the Beauty, Pharma, Confectionary and Food segments. It operates specialized sites in Hanover, Berlin, Aachen (Germany) and Poznań (Poland) to meet the needs of these discerning target groups by offering a full range of services from a single source – from packaging development and production through to logistics. The roots of the company stretch back to 1861. For more information, visit www.rlc-packaging.com About Limmatdruck/Zeiler:
The Swiss packaging specialist is committed to innovation and creativity. As a product-oriented problem solver, the company provides services for consumer goods manufacturers throughout Europe. It supports all the processes along the packaging production value-added chain – from the development of cardboard packaging to efficient production using appropriate packing facilities in customer plants. Limmatdruck/Zeiler has made a name for itself with its distinctive own brands, such as the ZetKLIK, known to many simply as “Böxli” (little box). It operates on the Confectionary, Food, Pharma and Non Food markets. Producing a billion folding boxes a year, Limmatdruck/Zeiler is the market leader in the confectionary and chewing gum segment. Its portfolio also includes the corresponding packing systems. Limmatdruck/Zeiler is No. 1 in Switzerland for premium cardboard packaging. For more information, visit www.zeiler.ch.

Award-winning ingenuity at rlc

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:31:00 +0200

Hanover, July 1, 2011. Only creative companies with vision and ingenuity make it into the ranks of the top 100 most innovative medium-sized enterprises. The rlc | packaging group recently joined these ranks and was awarded the "Top 100" Seal of Quality presented by Lothar Späth in Warnemünde. The conditions for an inventive environment are ideal in Hanover. As a highly specialized supplier of packaging solutions for branded goods manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, the rlc | packaging group gives its 800 employees plenty of freedom to focus on innovations. There is even a special budget allocated for this purpose. An interdisciplinary advisory and control team coordinates all innovation processes at rlc and makes sure that new packaging designs are quickly integrated. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by brandpack. Unique in the industry, this in-house Center of Excellence for end-to-end packaging design brings together the know-how and experience of the company’s four specialized divisions in a T-shaped management scheme to form a centralized, industry-independent pool of knowledge. Taking this concept a step further, the rlc staff developed quality assurance software that not only meets rlc standards, it has received widespread approval throughout the industry. Over a period of several months, the Vienna University of Economics and Business studied the innovation behavior of 272 medium-sized companies in Germany. The top 100 companies, including rlc, were awarded the Seal of Quality for one year. "Creative ideas and a fresh new approach – we call it 'Thinking out of the box' – have been firmly established in our family-managed business for five generations. Unlike many other packaging manufacturers, we are a medium-sized enterprise that is passionate about our work. The solutions we develop for customers are as unique as they are eye-catching. We are proud of this award. It shows how important it is to when everyone works toward a common goal," says Managing Director Henrik Kehren. The 100 medium-sized enterprises awarded the seal for 2011 achieved total sales of €11.2 billion last year. In 2010 alone, 769 national and 1,865 international patents were registered. On a national level, 48 of the top 100 companies are leaders in their respective sectors; 19 of them are world market leaders. Of the 100 companies awarded, 88 grew faster than the sector average in the last three years – by an average of around 16%. Further details on rlc and the other 99 companies honored along with information on the "Top 100" project are available at www.top100.de.

rlc | packaging group invests €20 million in its PHARMACENTER

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:19:00 +0200

Hanover, 20 June 2011. The rlc | packaging group is expanding its PHARMACENTER in Rüdersdorf, near Berlin. In the next 24 months, rlc is spending around €20 million on extending the factory where folding boxes for pharmaceuticals are produced. The facility will be Europe's most modern pharmacy packaging center by mid-2012. The folding box manufacturer is going to create 100 new jobs, including 15 jobs for trainees. The company is investing in production facility expansion as well as in new machinery. "The investment is part of our company strategy as a family enterprise to expand continuously and sustainably in our four sectors: Beauty, Pharma, Food and Confectionery," explains rlc | packaging group CEO Hans-Jürgen Katzer. "At the same time, we want to gear up to meet the growing demand for exclusive finished pharmaceutical packaging. To optimally satisfy this demand, one of our three new Heidelberg printing machines in 0B format is set up as an eight-color machine with double coating unit." "This investment also clearly demonstrates our commitment to the plant site where we have been successfully producing packaging for ethical and OTC products as well as package inserts for nearly ten years," says Katzer. The PHARMACENTER is specially designed to meet the stringent hygiene and security requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. It also offers special pharma services including on-demand order-picking of folding boxes and package inserts combined with just-in-time distribution. The folding box manufacturer is licensed as a primary packer of pharmaceuticals. Every year, the PHARMACENTER produces some 600 million folding boxes and 250 million package inserts.

Cosmetic Business 2011: rlc | packaging group presents center of excellence for packaging design

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Hanover, 16 May 2011. This year's Cosmetic Business trade show in Munich is where the rlc | packaging group is presenting a selection of unique packaging solutions for cosmetic products in line with the "Creativity & Innovation" theme. The display includes Shapeline packaging with eye-catching finishes and pleasant-to-touch velvet, metallic or textured surfaces. Along with a full range of innovative finishes, rlc is showcasing exceptional creations with attention-grabbing designs and special features. These and many more engineering masterpieces are being presented by brandpack, the rlc in-house center of excellence for integrated packaging design. The rlc presence at Cosmetic Business is the company's first appearance since the March 2011 acquisition of packaging manufacturer AUG. HEINRIGS Druck + Verpackung GmbH & Co. KG based in Aachen, Germany.

With brandpack as an in-house center of excellence for packaging design, rlc covers all steps in the packaging supply chain. When it comes to package engineering and design, the "Packaging Architects" focus on all four dimensions of packaging: material, graphics, design and finishing. "Combined with our production expertise, this enables us to develop extremely creative packaging concepts. Another key factor is that, unlike the sequential approach used in a conventional engineering department, the dimensions are mutually supporting," explains rlc | packaging group design consultant Susanne Heuchert.

Unique packaging solutions for the beauty segment

Visitors to the rlc | packaging group stand will have a chance to take a closer look at rlc packaging solutions. For example, the company is presenting a series of Shapeline package samples. These folding boxes feature a shape that conforms to the unique contours of the product inside. Special finishing with velvety, metallic or textured surfaces makes the packaging visually attractive and pleasant to touch. "A sensual experience plays an increasingly important role in the digital age," says Heuchert. "And the folding box offers great potential for turning a product into a sensual experience. But sensuality alone is not enough. The packaging must also make sense to the consumer. In other words, it needs to embody values. Sustainability plays an increasingly important role. Thanks to resource-efficient processing methods and modern production techniques, which we are also presenting at the trade show, sense and sensuality are anything but mutually exclusive."

In addition to mock-ups and finished packaging samples, rlc is showing exhibition stand visitors the options available with Esko Visualizer. This software enables brandpack designers to show three-dimensional packaging designs in the POS environment. This makes it easier for customers to get an idea of how their future packaging will look and what impact it will have.

Global Packaging Alliance (GPA) annual conference: Organization examines growth opportunities

Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Berlin / Hong Kong, April 26, 2011. The Global Packaging Alliance (GPA) is looking at ways to further support to international brand manufacturers in growth markets. This is one of the outcomes of the organization's annual conference in Hong Kong. The GPA is closely following market developments in the Middle East and India while looking for other potential candidates for membership in these regions. Network members also discussed ways to make packaging development and production more efficient. Another outcome of the conference: As a GPA representative, the rlc | packaging group will join the Consumer Goods Forum to bring global developments and trends in the consumer goods market into the network. The GPA helps global brand manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble to harmonize the presentation of their brand packaging worldwide and to shorten the time to market for new products. The nine independent, medium-size packaging manufacturers generated sales of US$ 554 million in 2010. "When our customers – mostly international brand manufacturers – enter new growth markets, we support them to the best of our abilities," said Hans-Christian Bestehorn, GPA spokesman and CEO of the rlc | packaging group, a charter member of the GPA. "Our customers have already indicated a need, especially in the Middle East and India. As a result, the GPA is looking at ways to increase its presence in these regions." With this in mind, the next GPA annual conference is scheduled to take place in India in early 2012. "Global presence is an increasingly important success factor," Bestehorn adds. "Products need to reach the market more quickly and be made available on a global scale. A single, medium-sized packing company is hardly in a position to meet the demands of global brand manufacturers." The GPA fills this gap, for example, by coordinating production processes and methods, implementing identical quality standards, and assuming global packaging management responsibility across the entire value chain. Production in each case can take place locally. This makes it possible to ensure a consistent brand presence and shorten the time to market. The vital know-how transfer within the GPA network offers additional competitive advantages. "Our membership in the Consumer Goods Forum will help us keep pace with the industry and quickly respond to developments in the consumer goods market," Bestehorn explains. The exchange of experience related to production processes, marketing concepts, and product portfolios – all of that being important topics at this year's GPA conference – has already proven effective in many ways. For example, the U.S.-based GPA company Diamond Packaging and the rlc | packaging group are working together on the development of sustainable finishing techniques. At this year's annual conference, the rlc | packaging group presented its brandpack concept, an in-house center of excellence for integrated packaging design. The idea behind brandpack involves careful monitoring of all four packaging dimensions: material, graphics, design, and finishing. This makes it possible to coordinate these aspects in the best possible way. At the same time, brandpack brings together expertise from different segments and can develop packaging faster and more efficiently. Masterpack, a GPA company in South Africa, is ready to launch an engineering department based on the brandpack model. Other GPA members are also planning to adapt the concept to their specific needs.

rlc | packaging group takes over AUG. HEINRIGS Druck + Verpackung GmbH & Co. KG

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:52:00 +0200

Hanover, April 4, 2011. In time for the company's 150th anniversary, the rlc | packaging group took over AUG. Heinrigs Druck + Verpackung GmbH & Co. KG based in Aachen, Germany, on March 30, 2011. The acquisition results in Germany's largest family-led folding box manufacturer with annual sales of EUR 120 million. The deal strengthens the rlc | packaging group's strategic premium business unit Confectionary. Beauty and Pharmaceuticals, the two other business fields in which AUG. HEINRIGS was previously active will also be integrated into existing rlc business units. The production site in Aachen will be taken over 100 percent by the rlc packaging group, which will operate in the future with 800 employees at six production sites in Hanover, Berlin, Aachen and Poznan, Poland.

The acquisition of AUG.HEINRIGS is based on rlc’s strategy to achieve steady growth with packaging for consumer goods manufacturers in each of its four business fields: Beauty, Confectionary, Pharmaceuticals and Food. "The goal of the acquisition was to integrate an established and successful packaging manufacturer in the premium segment that, like rlc, is also a family-owned enterprise with a long industry tradition," said rlc | packaging group CEO Hans-Christian Bestehorn. "Along with the AUG. HEINRIGS expertise in confectionary packaging that is widely recognized in the industry, the acquisition will benefit our Beauty and Pharmaceutical divisions. For the pharmaceuticals market we now offer packaging solutions for OTC and prescription products at our plants in Berlin and Aachen." The Aachen site also offers significant logistical advantages for markets in the Benelux countries and France.

The acquisition brings together 330 years of packaging know-how. The rlc | packaging group is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2011. AUG. HEINRIGS has been successfully operating as a family-owned company for 180 years. "The rlc | packaging group is the ideal partner to carry on the business of AUG. HEINRIGS in the spirit of entrepreneurial sustainability, which is the hallmark of success for both family enterprises," explained Hans-Guenther Heinrigs.