Mr Blessing, how did it come about that in addition to your main job as project manager and key account manager you were appointed as a trend scout?

As a packaging partner of industry, especially global brand name producers we are actually constantly on the ball and through our own close customer contacts are very in touch with what is happening on the market. This is what qualifies us as a partner and distinguishes us from traditional suppliers. But we wanted to go even beyond this and institutionalised watching trends and made it professional. My task is to regularly map trends in a defined project period in order to formulate a task for ourselves from the knowledge gained.

What does that mean in practice and what does it entail?

My employees and I research in all kinds of different channels: we keep in contact with training and research facilities, we attend trade fairs and events, we carry out store checks in Germany, France, the UK and Switzerland, we observe the packaging market and the competition and we research on the internet. We also gain important insights from the regular COPACO creative meetings. The goal is to define a current topic twice a year which we present to an internal committee consisting of the man-agement, and sales and packaging development managers. This group draws up the briefing for the packaging development which then based on this develops a marketable concept which we can proactively present to our customers.

Is for example last autumn‘s packaging development Diamond + one of these results?

Quite right. This is a new solution on the subject of transparency for cosmetic pots. But we also keep an eye on the technological development. For example the investment in the first 15-unit offset printing machine world wide is to be seen as a proactive response to the strongly growing market segment of premium packaging.

What actually determines the trends in the packaging field?

Trend vehicles are consumer behaviour and retail activities. Trends are slowed down or restricted by what is actually technically feasible and by cost factors. We move between these poles – always with an eye to developing innovative packaging for changing markets to support sales.

Which trends - again packaging-related – are currently evident?

Starting from the general tendency towards convenience, simplicity and personal address, packaging functionality is increasing in importance. Transferred onto packaging development this can mean that for creative solutions in addition to the figuration and the tactile feel, application spe-cific factors such as volume reduced and child safe packaging are at the forefront. In addition to the social trends, the development of the packag-ing also constantly depends on the competitive situation, the POS, the market positioning and other criteria from the retail trade as well as logistics. Always with one goal in mind: to sell!