Flint Group accelerates investment in Russian Packaging Market

Flint Group, a leading provider of consumables and equipment for the global packaging industries, has announced a series of key investment actions in its Russian packaging inks business to further extend support to customers in the region.

Doug Aldred, President Flint Group Packaging Inks, said: “As one of the largest packaging markets in the world, Russia holds significant growth opportunities for our business. We’re delighted to announce a series of strategic commitments to the region to ensure our current and future customers are receiving best in class product and service solutions.”

With a presence in the Russian market spanning more than 25 years, the company has confirmed that a new packaging inks manufacturing site is currently under construction, conveniently located south west of Moscow in the Kaluga region.

The site will become the base for the entire Russian Flint Group Packaging Inks team, including laboratory facilities alongside technical and customer service functions. It will also be supported by the Flint Group Global Colour Centre (GCC) and Flint Group Global Innovation Centre (GIC), located in Poland and Sweden respectively, which provide 24/7 colour and technical support to the company’s customers in Russia and the Eastern European region.

Andrei Popov, Commercial Director Packaging Inks Russia/CIS at Flint Group, commented: “Despite the challenges of today’s COVID-19 pandemic, we can confirm that the new Kaluga region site will be operational early in 2022. Operating within such a vast country, the strategic location of the site offers us tremendous advantages in supply flexibility and lead times, which are especially important in today’s packaging market where fast response is critical for our, and our customers’, competitiveness.

“We are wholly focused on being the partner of choice for those operating in the paper & board and flexible packaging markets. This strategic investment boosts our commitment to supply chain excellence and reliability for our customers within the region.”

The new site will manufacture the latest water and solvent-based ink ranges for the paper & board and flexible packaging sectors and will deliver a number of new, sustainable ink ranges that are key to future-proofing Flint Group customers’ businesses. The new facility will provide laboratory testing, quality control, customer and technical service expertise in addition to a larger, state of the art, manufacturing footprint. This facility will replace the existing site in Moscow; Flint Group Packaging Inks’ satellite facility in St. Petersburg will remain operational.

Customers in the region will benefit from the robust logistics set-up that Flint Group Packaging Inks has established that enables customers across Russia to receive a high level of service regardless of location. Even when considering such a vast expanse, by leveraging the expertise of Flint Group's Procurement teams and sustainable supplier model, orders for standard products can be fulfilled within convenient lead times and terms. Furthermore, customers will see additional value from stock flexibility.

Mr. Popov concluded: “We have a team with a wealth of industry experience here in Moscow and to complement the operations of the new site, we are further investing in our people across the region to enhance our technical and commercial customer support. With a series of new product innovations coming to market during 2020 and 2021,