Achieving a growth rate of more than 20% over the first nine months of 2008, compared to the same period in 2007, Socoplan-Flexpaq’s performances look like a case study. “This achievement did not arise by chance,” Ludovic Anceau, General manager, comments. “This progression can be explained by our own industrial internal growth, thanks to the two new manufacturing facilities we opened in Poland and in China, and also by plain strategic choices devoted to product innovation,” he adds, citing Socoplan’s thermoformed mascara sample as the latest illustration.
“Actually, the time has gone where Socoplan was only identified as a producer of single use sachets” Ludovic Aneceau insists. “Today, this product only accounts for a half of our turnover, and the other half is rich of innovative sampling solutions, thermoformed or not, with a variety of shapes and functionalities, as our motto claims: ‘Sampling Solutions Worldwide’.”
That does not mean that the group does not invest in sachets. On the contrary, investments are required, in particular to make this product more environmentally friendly, through the reduction of materials needed for its transformation and the use of materials made from renewable resources.
By the way, environment is a hot issue for Socoplan. More than EUR 400,000 were invested in the building of a state of the art treatment station for the printing unit of the company’s plant in Airvault (Western France), enabling the treatment of post-production solvents to be performed by micro-organisms, through a Biofiltre-based process. Furthermore, Socoplan has initiated a voluntary carbon counting, based on the Bilan Carbone® method of the French agency for environment and energy efficiency (ADEME). In parallel to this environmental upgrade, the company carries on its constant focus on quality. Thus, Socoplan has reorganised its manufacturing unit in Thouars (Western France) in compliance with the standard EN 22716 on Cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), for a total cost of EUR 800,000 over two years.
“It’s true that, since 2004, we have been investing constantly,” Ludovic Anceau confirms, “in particular for the regular upgrading of our manufacturing units and the building of our two plants in China and Poland.” For Socoplan-Flexpack today and more than ever: “Sampling drives sales!”.
