The company emerged as the winner of the 19th International Competition for Best Food, Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Perfumery-Cosmetic, and Consumer Goods Packaging and Labeling at ProdExtraPack-2014, held as part of the ProdExpo-2024 exhibition. Three of the company’s packaging solutions were honored with prestigious awards.

The company received recognition in the “Packaging for Food and Beverages” category for two of its solutions:

• A pizza box with high-quality printing, designed for Dodo in the style of the game “Honkai: Star Rail”. The box design attracts the attention of not only fans of the game but also appeals to the broad audience of Dodo pizza lovers. The packaging solution utilizes flexographic printing, offering superior image quality and cost advantages over offset technology.
• A show box for MilFoods coffee capsules, designed in black and gold, is a premium packaging solution that utilizes all the possibilities of flexographic printing. The sleek design, complemented by a glossy finish and top flap construction, makes the show box stand out on the store shelf.

In the “Packaging Innovation” category, the eco-friendly mounting tape packaging, designed for Enervic, emerged as the winner. The packaging serves as a dispenser for mounting tape, which can be easily disposed of after use. A joint project with their customers led to the replacement of the previously used plastic design, which has a positive impact on the environment and supports the principles of sustainable development. We extend our gratitude to Enervic for their support of eco-friendly packaging solutions.

Commenting on the victory in the competition, Sales and Marketing Director Maxim Chekavinsky noted: “We greatly value the recognition we received at ProdExtraPack. We extend special thanks to our clients for supporting our innovative packaging solutions and their commitment to environmental sustainability.”

In anticipation of the New Year, Kappa Rus JSC gifted the young wards of the Paper Bird fund vibrant DIY corrugated cardboard cards, which can be assembled into a toy, the symbol of the year according to the Eastern calendar.

Paper Bird is a charity fund that has been offering systematic support to children and young adults with incurable diseases since 2003. Being a non-profit organization, the fund depends on its partners and supporters who help children lead fulfilling lives and celebrate holidays.

Pavel Tkachenko, the Executive Director of the fund, thanked the company for their help in congratulating the children, “We are grateful to Kappa Rus for their support and involvement in the lives of the fund’s wards. We hope that the holiday season was filled with the warmth of spending time with loved ones and that the kindness you’ve shown has returned to you many times over! Wishing you joy and good fortune in the New Year!”

Create goodness together!

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.’

The Russian division of the Smurfit Kappa Group became the winner of the 17th International Competition for the Best Packaging and Label for Food, Perfume, Cosmetics and Drinks ProdExtraPack-2022, which was held as part of the Prodexpo 2022 exhibition. The awards were given to three packaging solutions developed by the company’s designers.

In the Packaging Innovation nomination, a corrugated cardboard handle for a promotional set, developed for Procter & Gamble, was awarded. It is designed for tying two bottles of detergent and is not inferior in strength to a plastic counterpart. The design of the handle consists of one part, which is assembled with a lock without glue and can withstand the weight of two bottles of 2600 ml. It also has space for multicolor printing.

In the “Transport Container” nomination, the award was given to a universal e-commerce box with anti-vandal locks, developed for Unilever. Thanks to the design with internal locking elements, the package is suitable for sending products of different sizes, which reduces the number of package sizes in the company’s portfolio. The box has an anti-vandal lock that does not allow opening the package without breaking the integrity. The closure also eliminates the need for adhesive tape, meeting Unilever’s requirements for sustainable packaging.

And in the nomination “Packaging for food products and drinks” was awarded a show-box with a latch, designed for the Mondelez company. It is designed for transporting products and their subsequent display on the shelf. To ensure that the protruding elements of flat cardboard do not wrinkle during transportation, the design of the show box is provided with a retainer with cutouts, which includes all the protruding elements. The latch is one of the design valves, which avoids additional consumption of corrugated cardboard. After opening the show box, the fixative can be removed along the perforation.

Commenting on the victory in the competition, Olga Rudova, Managing Director for the North-West, noted: “It is a great honor for us to be awarded again at ProdExtraPack. We develop all packaging solutions together with our customers, striving to combine innovation, functionality and compliance with the highest environmental standards.”

Employees of Smurfit Kappa RUS became participants in the International Ecological Campaign “Clean Coast”, which took place on September 11 in the Kurortny district of St. Petersburg.

“Clean Coast” is one of the largest environmental education campaigns in St. Petersburg. The event was organized by the Committee for Nature Management, Environmental Protection and Environmental Safety of St. Petersburg, and this year more than 500 people from 18 universities and 4 colleges, 10 companies and 3 public organizations took part in it. Deputy Head of the Administration of the Governor of St. Petersburg Mikhail Petrov and Consul General of Finland in St. Petersburg Sannamaaria Vanamo spoke at the opening ceremony.

Employees of Smurfit Kappa RUS took part in an environmental quest, passing through 17 stations with tasks and a separate waste collection station. They answered questions on ecology, sustainable development goals and activities, waste sorting rules and water safety, and completed practical tasks on garbage sorting, searching for invasive plants, and creating a water filter on the beach in Tarkhovka.

In total, following the results of the action, the participants collected 800 kilograms of waste. Of these, 570 kilograms separately: 53 kg of plastic, 202 kg of glass, 269 kg of metal, 5 kg of organic waste, 34 kg of cardboard and 7 kg of polyethylene. After a briefing by the ECO Pushkin team, the waste was sorted and taken out by the Sozvezdie/Razvitie group of companies.

Commenting on the participation in the campaign, Patrik Strom, General Director of JSC Smurfit Kappa RUS, said: “The principles of sustainable development underlie our work, and we always take part in such campaigns. Caring for the environment for us is not a one-time initiative, but a way of life. I am glad that many people have joined the Clean Shore campaign and I am sure that together we can make the coast of the Gulf of Finland cleaner.”

The Russian division of the Smurfit Kappa Group took part in the 25th International Exhibition of the Packaging Industry RosUpack 2021, which took place on June 15-18 at the Crocus Expo IEC (Moscow).

RosUpack is the largest packaging industry event in Russia and Eastern Europe, which annually brings together representatives of the packaging industry so that exhibitors can share their latest developments and products with a wide range of Russian and foreign experts.

Within the framework of the Smurfit Kappa RUS exhibition, she took part in the international award in the field of production and packaging design PART Award and received awards in two categories. The Eco-Packaging Award in the Primary Packaging, Secondary Packaging category was awarded to a TV packaging with a cardboard insert designed for Leran. The innovation of the solution lies in the rejection of expanded polystyrene as a filler due to its low environmental friendliness in favor of a cardboard insert made entirely of five-layer corrugated cardboard, which consists of 88% recycled materials. The cardboard version consists of one piece and takes up 3 times less space in the warehouse than EPS inserts.

Also, the award in the “Manufacturer of the Year” nomination in the “Shipping packaging” category was given to a box designed for the OBI company, designed for transporting and storing clothes when moving. This packaging solution consists of one part, and its assembly is carried out on locks without glue or other additional materials. The valves of the lid, when closed, form a rib with holes for which it is convenient to hang clothes on hangers. The front face of the box has a window that opens along the perforation and is designed to open and close the box. It also has handles for easy portability.

“RosUpack is one of the most significant events in the packaging industry, and we are glad to be a part of it again,” said Olga Rudova, Sales and Marketing Director for Russia. “We are honored to be the recipients of the PART Award – sustainability is at the heart of Smurfit Kappa’s business, and we are delighted that our innovative and sustainable packaging products have been recognized by the award jury.”