THE BCMPA has hailed the success of its recent conference, which explored the future direction of the contract manufacturing, packing, fulfilment and logistics industry.
Held at the Delta by Marriott Hotel in Nottingham, over 85 delegates and sponsors attended a series of presentations and panel discussions, geared towards helping co-packers and manufacturers navigate their way through an ever-changing business landscape.
The conference prioritised key themes around the role that third-party outsourcing plays in taking products to market, the ongoing packaging and sustainability directives, and retailer and brand owner insights. Delegates also had the opportunity to network across the day.
BCMPA CEO Emma Verkaik said, “I was delighted to see so many members and delegates at the BCMPA Conference and to be able to share the important information regarding the many ongoing developments within our industry. We were delighted to see such a great turnout and pleased with the positive feedback to our varied programme.
“It was particularly interesting to hear from representatives from Tesco, Danone and Nestlé on their views around the ways in which collaboration with third parties will help achieve better outcome and how essential our members are in the value chain. It was also fantastic to have the experience of the packaging experts from OPRL, ProAmpac RAP and Benchmark to give their expert counsel.”
Against the backdrop of the recent General Election, professor Trevor Williams, ex-chief economist for Lloyds Bank, delivered a presentation on the global and UK economic risks and prospects beyond 2024.
The conference also dealt with several sustainability-related issues, including packaging design, how to effectively assess a company’s overall environmental impact, and the forthcoming packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation.
Lead Conference sponsor Nulogy, a specialist software provider for the co-packing industry, led a discussion panel titled The benefits of Digitalisation. Moderated by chief commercial officer, Nulogy Europe, Josephine Coombe, the panel aimed to enable brands and their co-packing and co-manufacturing partners to increase agility and resilience in the supply chain to meet the needs of a volatile market.
Delegates also received presentations on how automation, and the use of digital stockholding and 3D printing of components can improve operations and efficiencies. The role of exhibitions in supporting marketing activities for businesses looking to raise their profile to a wider audience, the potential savings of using solar energy, and advice on succession planning completed the programme.
“There was a huge amount of really useful information throughout the day,” said David Patterson, MD, Chester Medical Solutions. “Sustainability is the major area that all our potential clients focus on, and today provided a great amount of additional detail that I was not fully aware of.”
Paul Mitchell, MD of Prism eLogistics (UK), agreed, “There were several topics of the day that I thought would not apply to our business, but which I now realise we do need to look at, so the event has proved to be extremely informative.”
The networking value of the conference was highlighted by members, as Mark Rose, business development manager of Alexir Co-Packers, stated, “This was a great opportunity to meet like-minded people, discuss common challenges, and better understand the direction that the industry is taking.”
Sponsors of the event included Nulogy, Easyfairs, Acopia Group Ltd, AddParts, Autopack, Benchmark, Element Logic, Keystone Law, and Two Blues Solar.
