Good potential for growth

Mondi Packaging with head offices in Vienna, Austria, is part of the Anglo-American plc group of companies. The company, which is headed by Peter J. Oswald, currently operates 124 factories in over 40 countries and has 17 000 employees worldwide. Mondi Packaging Flexibles (MPF), a division of Mondi Packaging, is amongst the leading European suppliers of packaging for dry and wet food for pets. In 2003 the total market volume was 3.8 bn units according to MPF, of which 3.5 bn units were for dry food and 0.3 bn units for wet food. The company expects these figures to double by 2008, which would correspond to an annual growth rate of 15.5 per cent. In the wet food category, cat food accounts for the largest and still growing market share, although MPF estimates that dog food has even greater growth potential, because this market is far from saturated yet. The company is aiming to play an even more important role in future in the European market for flexible packaging. One factor that should promote this ambition is a considerable investment in a research and development centre at the Korneuberg plant that will also include a new competence centre for pet food. New designs, formats and characteristics of packaging for all types of pet food are to be developed there in close collaboration with customers. According to its own statements, MPF is the market leader in packaging for dry food, with a supply rate of over 500 million paper bags per year. The company anticipates a continuing trend in the future towards resealable bags, which keep the contents fresh after initial opening and ensure that the tempting aroma for pets is retained. One such example is the click & close bag from MPF, which is available in paper or plastic with different closures, e.g. zipped, sliding or adhesive strips. The trend in packaging for dry pet food is towards resealable bags, which keep the contents fresh even after initial opening. With regard to trends in the wet food sector, the company cites stand up pouches, which are one of MPF’s specialities. Products in stand up pouches meet the increasing need of consumers for convenience packaging. MPF points out that the weight of these bags is only a third as much as of the tins that were common hitherto, and they are therefore easier to transport, as well as being extremely environmentally friendly. Fewer raw materials are used in their production and this means less waste in recycling. Stand up pouches are very practical too, as…