 | |
Representing the UK branch of the MJ Maillis Group, and with significant market shares in a number of industries, MJ Maillis UK Ltd is one of the leading packaging suppliers in the country. By offering a complete service from under the same company heading, as opposed to using outside sources to provide the necessary products, the company has reached the stage of being the most comprehensive operation in the business. With recent investments being made to upgrade the systems in place in the company and continue to develop the past success, as well as a keen focus on the customer service side of the business, MJ Maillis is looking to grow into the packaging market and secure contracts for the supply of companies’ complete requirements.
The group was founded in 1968 by Michael J Maillis as a privately owned packaging company, and has been growing its operations since then into the large organisation that it is today. Currently the group is listed on the Athens Stock Exchange and can boast an annual turnover of 340 million euros. Operating from numerous sites in 52 countries worldwide, as well as 31 owned affiliates and over 350 independent distributors, the Maillis Group can offer a range of packaging services, and holds contracts with some of the largest names in many industries, in many countries. The production sites are based in seven separate countries spread over Europe as well as two in the US.
The UK division, as it is today, came into being in August 2002, following the mergers of three of the leading, national packaging companies between 1999 and 2001. The companies, Payne Strapping Systems, which was a plastic strapping manufacturer, Samuel Strapping, a specialist in the steel strapping industry, and United Packaging, which produced stretch-film and stretch-wrapping equipment, were combined in order to provide a complete and comprehensive service to companies in need of packaging solutions. Since 2002 MJ Maillis UK has been focusing its efforts on consolidating the three separate operations into one unified organisation, cutting down the number of sites and linking the production capabilities with large investments.
Because the three original entities that took part in the merger had such diverse skills the company is now able to provide a range of products internally that very few other organisations are capable of. Peter Davies, the UK managing director, explains about the company’s products: “We are actually able to offer the full range of packaging solutions from one company, where a lot of companies will provide only one type of consumable, or just the machines. We supply stretch-wrapping, steel strapping, plastic strapping, which includes PET and polypropylene, as well as all the machinery and hand tools that go with that. We also offer a national coverage of service engineers so that we can provide backup for the after-sales. And we can supply all of this through the same channel, rather than using different departments, the whole system is run from our two sites.”
By supplying this range of services the company can deal with a variety of customers, in almost any market sector. Because of the large capability of the company, it is also able to deal with some of the largest names, and has developed separate reputations for excellence in each of the industries that it operates. “We target the country, and split it down into different industry segments,” continues Peter. “If we were selling to the construction market we would be best known for polyester products, but in the steel industry we are known for the steel strapping sales, and for companies like Coca-Cola and Tate & Lyle we are best known for the stretch film and stretch-wrapping machinery. Each industry requires a different product from us.”
The company’s recent focus has been to make its clients aware of the range of products available, and to supply the complete packaging solution for its customers. Being so diverse, and with the vast number of different specialties that it has, the company is trying to consolidate these efforts, in order to provide for companies that have a range of packaging needs, but only recognise MJ Maillis as a supplier of one type of product. “What we’re offering is what we call the total end of line packaging solution,” says Peter. “This is a where we can provide, from one company, a stretch-wrapping machine, a strapping machine, conveyors and all of the consumables that go with that in one big order. We’re trying to push this, especially with the larger companies, because they tend to want to buy from only one supplier. What we will offer is a single supplier that operates as one organisation, rather than through a number of divisions and affiliates. Our sales people will be able to supply steel, plastic, film or machinery, and if they aren’t experts in that area, one of their colleagues can assist. As a company we are a strong unit.”
In order to consolidate the operations and make the total end of line packaging solution concept more effective, MJ Maillis has made a significant investment in the IT system that the company now relies on. “At the time when the three companies merged there was a major restructuring on the IT side,” Peter explains. “We wanted to have a fully integrated system, because we depend on our highly responsive telesales team, and this had to be properly linked in with the rest of the operations, with the factory and the accounts side. In order to fully integrate the different parts of the business it was important to have a robust system in place. So now we have an up-to-date, and fully integrated computer system to base our operations on.”
New IT throughout the company, as well as an investment to upgrade and increase the production capacity at the factory in Hinckley, demonstrate the company’s drive towards consolidation and growth. By being able to produce a higher tonnage of packaging, the company has become an ideal supplier for large businesses, such as WH Smith and Polestar. However, MJ Maillis also provides services for smaller businesses, and regards them as being just as important as the bigger contracts, as Peter goes on to explain: “Providing for the smaller organisations smoothes out the peaks and troughs of the business, because we aren’t dependent on one market sector, or one particular customer; there isn’t one client that makes up a significant proportion of our turnover, which means we aren’t unduly exposed.”
The ability to provide products and services to a range of different customers, of varying sizes and requirements, and in a number of industries, makes MJ Maillis UK perhaps the most comprehensive and certainly the most versatile packaging company in Britain. With a view to continue the consolidation process and develop the stretch-wrap film side of the business for the future, the company is looking to supply the total end of line packaging solution concept to its clients, and become the unopposed leader of the packaging industry.course seems set fair. VTR
|
