Kappa Rus JSC Moscow factory has set a new record — over 14 million square meters of product shipped.

In November 2023, Kappa Rus JSC Moscow factory broke all previous records since its inception — for the first time, customers received 14.1 million square meters of product within a month.

This marks a significant milestone for the factory in terms of production and sales volumes.

This achievement was the result of systematic efforts across all areas, including technology upgrades, productivity enhancement, staff training, equipment modernization, expansion of finished goods storage, and process optimization. Notable production advancements include the installation of a high-speed 4-color line for corrugated SRP packaging, the acquisition of a Gepfert rotary line, and a new tearing machine to improve perforation quality.

The company’s distinguishing feature is its unwavering commitment to product quality improvement and adherence to high international standards. In October, Kappa Rus JSC successfully got FSSC 22000 certification, enabling it to fulfill orders from food manufacturers with stringent hygiene standards.

This year, the 5S acronym evolved into a comprehensive project for the factory, based on the company’s corresponding operational standard. The 5S system is a method for organizing and optimizing the workspace, comprising five key steps: sorting, systematizing, maintaining cleanliness, standardizing, and improving. The objective of 5S is to boost work efficiency, minimize time and resource wastage, and improve safety and working conditions. For instance, workspace reorganization was carried out on one of the pilot sites — the Tanabe JD BoxR multipoint gluing machine. This led to an 18% reduction in total downtime and a 40% decrease in average setup time.

Maxim Chekavinsky, Director of Sales and Marketing, comments, “Kappa Rus JSC is committed to continuous development. Every record we break is our motivation to evolve and continually enhance our operations to meet the increasing market demands and our customers’ expectations. We take pride in our accomplishments and want to thank all our customers for their trust and fruitful collaboration.”

Vladimir Shestakov, Managing Director for Moscow, comments, “Behind every achievement that sets a new record is a large team. I would like to extend my gratitude to all the employees for the outstanding performance in terms of shipment volumes and the tremendous work they have put in. The Moscow factory’s record of over 14 million square meters is a significant accomplishment. This figure has been reached for the first time in the factory’s history, making this achievement all the more valuable.”

‘Kappa Rus’ JSC participated in the Global Fresh Market 2023 international exhibition held on November 7–9 at the Gostiny Dvor Exhibition Complex in Moscow.

The ‘Global Fresh Market: Vegetables & Fruits’ is a specialised B2B exhibition for producers and participants in the fruit and vegetable market. It brings together business representatives and government officials, facilitating direct negotiations and the exchange of expertise among professionals from various sectors.

During the business program of the exhibition and forum, Kappa Rus gave a presentation on the ‘Fruits and vegetables also require creative packaging’ topic, sharing the company’s experience in creating packaging that not only ensures product safety and appealing shelf placement but also highlights the freshness and naturalness of the contents.

‘Our participation in the exhibition gave us the opportunity to present our perspective on conventional packaging and showcase its potential from a different viewpoint. We firmly believe that incorporating creative solutions in the packaging of fruits and vegetables can assist manufacturers in drawing attention to their products,’ noted Kirill Mostolygin, the Innovation Manager at the company.

The fourth Kappa Rus conference in Russia, titled ‘Packaging in the New Reality’, took place at the Royal Beach in St. Petersburg on September 8. The conference was attended by over 150 customers from 80 companies.

At the opening of the event, Kappa Rus Director Olga Rudova welcomed the guests and talked about the continuity of past conferences held in 2015, 2017, and 2019. She also spoke about the company’s rebranding and commitment to key principles: understanding the current needs of customers, dedication to solving their problems, and applying knowledge and experience for the maximum benefit of the customers’ businesses.

Kirill Mostolygin, Kappa Rus’s Innovation and Development Manager, showcased how modern packaging, despite its external resemblance to last century’s samples, differs from its predecessors. He also discussed how modern technologies and trends are reflected in packaging and the company’s approach to developing contemporary solutions that consider the important demands of the new reality.

Traditional presentations of successful projects implemented by Kappa Rus in collaboration with the customers became a major event of the conference. These presentations covered various aspects such as creative marketing approaches (Dodo Pizza), online commerce (Splat), eco-friendly solutions trend (Enervik), optimisation projects (Jacobs, Avangard), and import substitution (Svetogorsk Pulp and Paper Mill).

The conference’s special guest was the master of the popular intellectual TV show with a 48-year history ‘What? Where? When?’. Alexander Druz, a six-time Crystal Owl and Diamond Owl winner, shared his experience of effective teamwork and decision-making under conditions of uncertainty and tight timeframes.

Guest speaker Stefan Doorslaer, President of the Alers Group, President of the Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Russia and Belarus, and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the St. Petersburg International Business Association (SPIBA), gave a talk on how businesses can cope with uncertainty.

The event included traditional interactive sessions. At the ‘Retail’ station, participants were offered a task of assembling their own shelf and evaluating the positioning of products on it. The ‘Marketing’ session immersed participants in a virtual world, providing a practical opportunity to track a customer’s gaze on the shelf using EYE tracking technology. The ‘Online commerce’ session allowed participants to package a product and test its durability using readily available tools. The basic elements of packaging necessary for secure storage in the warehouses of online marketplaces and stores were discussed. The ‘Production’ and ‘Chain of Custody’ sessions discussed interesting technological aspects such as printing, stamp products, gluing, and the importance of choosing the right methods of palletising, as well as their overall impact on logistics. The final ‘Ecology’ session was an environmental quiz that included questions about the environmental impact of packaging components.

The conference concluded with a gala dinner where customer companies were awarded for their active and successful implementation of projects in various market segments in collaboration with Kappa Rus. Awards were presented to Dodobrands, Avangard, Jacobs Dow Egberts Rus, Enervik, Splat Global, and Svetogorsk Pulp and Paper Mill.

Summing up the event, Vladimir Shestakov, Managing Director of Kappa Rus in Moscow, noted, ‘This is the fourth time we have held the conference in Russia. We trust that once again, our presentations and interactive sessions have sparked inspiration in our customers for new designs and unique ideas for present and future packaging solutions.’

Maxim Chekavinsky, the Sales and Marketing Director of Kappa Rus, shared his impressions from interacting with the conference attendees: ‘The event’s incredible atmosphere, comprehensive program, and the high level of engagement of all participants fostered business communication. Receiving glowing reviews from customers is always gratifying. We appreciate everyone’s participation in the conference, as well as your kind words, and eagerly anticipate seeing you at our future events.’

‘Kappa Rus’ JSC lent its support to the Colours of Childhood arts festival, held on September 22–24, 2023 at the Kirov Cultural Centre, by supplying cardboard materials for various children’s projects and creative activities. Throughout five years of partnership, Kappa Rus continues to inspire festival participants of all ages and professions to be creative.

The Colours of Childhood family festival has been an annual event in St. Petersburg for over 20 years. The vibrant festival was organised by the Culture Project Association and the Childhood Headquarters creative workshop for children and their parents. In 2023, the festival attracted over a thousand participants. WildART was selected as the theme of the event, providing children and adults with an exciting journey into primitive art and a deep dive into a world of fantasy and invention. Every participant had the chance to transform ordinary cardboard into a dream, creating skyscrapers, fortresses, and castles.

‘Participating in the festival is a cherished tradition for our company,’ noted Kirill Mostolygin, Innovation Manager at ‘Kappa Rus’ JSC. ‘We are delighted that our corrugated cardboard continues to inspire participants to engage in creative construction, turning children’s and adults’ ideas into remarkable works of art.’