Walki Group, the leading producer of technical laminates and protective packaging material, has taken an important step in realizing its strategic growth plan for the emerging markets as the new plant in Svetogorsk in Russia celebrated its opening. The next step is already in the pipeline: establishing Walki’s own sales office in Moscow.
Establishing dedicated production facilities in Russia is a logical consequence of Walki’s close co-operation with many of its customers as well as a first step towards entering new business areas in the Russian market as a domestic supplier. The new Walki plant is located at the ZAO “International Paper” pulp and paper mill, cementing further our long-standing and successful partnership. For years Walki has been supplying ream wrapping for International Paper Russia’s well-known office paper brands Svetocopy and Ballet.
“We have plenty of experience in the Russian market when it comes to, for example, products for the paper industry, flexible laminates and packaging material for steel products. Our new establishment in Svetogorsk will enable us to provide faster and more flexible service to our existing customers,” says Timo Finnström, Vice President Paper Packaging and Sourcing, Walki.
Walki’s high quality products, solutions-focused attitude and service are the company’s competitive edge in the Russian market, and the local presence offers an excellent platform for entering the market with new products. In this, the Svetogorsk plant constitutes an important part of Walki’s long-term commitment in Russia.
“We have a range of products that in due time could be very interesting for the Russian market. A good example is flexible packaging applications and another is our range of high-class insulation facing materials and membranes,” Timo Finnström says.
Advantages of being local
In Svetogorsk Andrzej Kluczek, Managing Director, is happy to see the extrusion and printing capacity installed and running.
“Establishing a local base is a decisive step for us in building an even closer partnership with our key customers in the paper industry. An ability to act fast and with great flexibility is crucial in many cases. Ream wrappers are a good example of this; here designs are frequently switched and orders have to be met immediately,” Kluczek says.
The town of Svetogorsk is situated in western Russia, close to the Finnish border. Thanks to its location Walki Svetogorsk provides an excellent bridgehead into the huge Russian market; the nearby St Petersburg area has a population of 5 million.
Franz Marx, President of International Paper Russia, commented: «Our long-standing partnership with Walki has now reached a new level: this project of Walki packaging production plant at Svetogorsk site will advance International Paper's commitment to the operational excellence and therefore to our customers by improving the flexibility and security of supplies of our key product – multifunctional office papers. We also believe that this opening will have a positive impact for the region, creating new jobs, attracting investments and economic prosperity to the city of Svetogorsk”.
The next step for Walki will now be the opening of its own sales office in Moscow.