Packaging dealer Kirsch in Waiblingen: boom or crisis?

Packaging dealer Kirsch in Waiblingen: boom or crisis?

Waiblingen, Deutschland - The company Kirsch, a renowned packaging dealer in Waiblingen, is in the area of ​​tension between the booming shipping flows and the challenges of industry. With sales of almost 20 million euros and 28 employees, including the management, the company celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Especially in the high -bay warehouse, stacked boxes pile up up to twelve meters high, while electric forklifts are used for the efficient transport of the goods. Many residents of Waiblingen may not be aware that there is such a commercial house for packaging in the Eisenal industrial estate.

A new study by the dealer association has highlighted the logistics processes of online companies. The results show that the effects of corona pandemic are hardly considered essential. Rather, current challenges such as inflation, which has the influence on 74 %of the companies surveyed, as well as the war in Ukraine (55 %) and the shortage of raw materials (56 %). Over 50 % of the respondents report damaged returns, regarding an average of 19.5 % of the packages. In addition, 51 % of companies suffer minus transactions through returns.

sustainability and shipping service provider

The study also emphasizes that sustainable practices are becoming more important. 66 % of the participants value the costs of the shipping packaging, while 61 % try to make their shipping materials more environmentally friendly. Shipping service providers with high reliability and good tracking are particularly in demand; 82 % of the dealers have their orders collected from DHL.

In this context, the packaging industry is subject to constant change. A Horváth study shows that flexo and redogravure printing continues to play a central role in the production of large quantities. The Smart Packaging area, which includes intelligent packaging, is also becoming more important. Particularly smaller companies benefit from the possibilities of digital printing by being able to stand out from their competitors through individualized small lot sizes.

The importance of digitization

Digitization harbors enormous opportunities for the packaging industry. According to the Horváth study, the state of digitization is very different and ranges from process automation to digital support in sales. Large standards are increasingly digitized, while smaller and older printing presses are often still operated.

The challenges and opportunities that the packaging industry is facing are numerous. While the Kirsch company in Waiblingen continues to assert its place, it remains to be seen how the industry will develop under the pressure of inflation and shortage of raw materials. Adaptation to sustainable processes and digitization will be crucial to remain competitive.