Packaging industry: self-improvement

In recent years, with the economic development of our country, the use of various types of goods has increased sharply, and the packaging industry has developed rapidly. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 20,000 packaging companies in China. In some places, the packaging industry has become a pillar industry in the region, and the scale, equipment, and product quality of these enterprises are close to the international level.
Demand drives growth
The prosperity of the packaging industry in China, on the one hand, stems from the huge demand for packaging products in the domestic market, and on the other, due to the dramatic increase in exports. With China's accession to the WTO, further expansion of product exports will inevitably lead to substantial growth in the corresponding product packaging.
According to statistics, in recent years, the global consumer market for packaging materials and containers is about US$800 billion, and the United States has exceeded US$120 billion, ahead of other countries. For example, the per capita package consumption amounted to US$617 for Japan and US$463 for the United States, which were far higher than those in China. Relevant experts believe that there is potential for growth behind the gap in China's packaging industry.
Facing the gap
At present, the world's leading multinational packaging companies such as Sweden's Tetra Pak, the United States, the International Paper, OI, Australia's ACI, France's Saint Gobain companies have come to invest and set up factories in China.
This has accelerated the pace of convergence between China's packaging industry and the international packaging industry to a certain extent, and has also put the domestic packaging industry under more competitive pressure.
After China's accession to the WTO, the inherent quality of products and competition in packaging and decoration will also become increasingly fierce. The packaging and decoration of crafts, tourism products, gifts and export products is even more important. Judging from the overall level, China's packaging industry has a large gap compared with developed countries in the level of modern packaging basic industries, high-tech content, and so on. According to statistics from the Customs, the State Inspection Bureau, the State Economic and Trade Commission, and other departments, from 1998 to 2000, China’s economic losses caused by poor packaging were more than US$7 billion a year.
Grasp the trend of stronger companies
First of all, environmental protection will become the main theme of the packaging industry. The rapid development of the packaging industry has also become one of the largest polluting and resource-wasting industries. According to statistics, packaging waste in the US urban waste accounted for more than 35%, Japan up to 45%, EU countries were between 30% -50%, China is estimated to be at least 15% or more, and is showing an upward trend. Environmental protection has become an important strategic element for companies to establish their reputation and increase product awareness. According to statistics, as of the end of last year, China's green packaging enterprises had approached 1,000, industry investment exceeded 8 billion yuan, and annual gross output value reached 3 billion yuan, which has saved China's enterprises from "breaking barriers" in the international market.
Second, we must be on the lookout for international standards. Some important products of world-renowned companies can lead the world for a long time. An important reason is that their products have generally introduced international standards. Therefore, the adoption of international packaging standards is the potential for enhancing the competitiveness of packaging companies' products in the international market.
Third, improve the competitiveness by design. The design of commodity packaging in developed countries fully embodies the people-oriented design concept of beauty, practicality, and environmental protection, and its products are often sold. In contrast, domestic packaging design is relatively fragile. Many corporate product packaging designs and even packaging structures and materials must be designed to go abroad. At the same time, this has left a huge market gap for packaging companies.
Fourth, rely on the brand to win the market. It is generally recognized that the brand's intangible capital operates at a higher level than the capital business realm. At present, consumer brand awareness is increasing. In developed countries, corporate intangible assets have accounted for 50%-70% of assets.
Finally, scale is the only way for companies to survive. At present, the price of environmental-friendly packaging materials that meet the standards on the market is about one time higher than that of traditional packaging materials, and small green packaging companies are faced with difficult living conditions. Industry experts pointed out that from the current situation, companies with an annual output of 50 million pieces (based on a 500-m meal box) have been very difficult to operate for a long time. The production capacity of over 100 million pieces is the basis of the company. Adapted to this is the equipment manufacturers to do everything possible to improve the process, so that production costs are greatly reduced to achieve economies of scale.