The packaging industry in France

The packaging industry is very large: it includes filling, dosing, packaging, closing and closing machines, etc. These are services requested by all sectors of activity, even if the main demands come from the agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

It is therefore a successful and growing market. Proof of this is that it represents approximately $35 billion worldwide and is expected to double in the next 10 years.

Moreover France is not to be outdone, since it ranks 7th on the world market for packaging machines.

 

However, in order for the French market to remain efficient, there are certain areas of reflection to be considered:

 

First of all, R&D

The first is R&D. Indeed, the technological revolution in machinery has already taken place, so it is difficult to innovate considerably. The main areas of development of the packaging industry are now focused on productivity and packaging materials. But these are requests made by customers and cannot be anticipated.

 

Then, exportation

The second is the one related to exportation, especially with the problem of setting up an after-sales service. It is more complicated to provide machine maintenance services, where in lot of cases, the language barrier meets the geographical distance barrier.

 

Marketing and communication

Finally, there are also questions related to marketing and communication. The low renewal rate for the packaging equipment limits the market growth. And where promotional marketing is developed, strategic marketing is not really present and there is no real competitive intelligence.

To conclude, the regulatory and eco-design aspects are also increasingly present in all sectors combined, and are also relevant to the packaging market. Thus having ISO 9001 certification is not a mandatory prerequisite for customers, but the majority of companies of the packaging sector work by applying these rules.

 

The main figures are:

-France has 284 establishments in the packaging and packaging machine manufacturing sector, including 33 in Ile-de-France.

-A total turnover of the French packaging sector of €912 million in the manufacture of packaging, packaging and weighing equipment, 53% of which will be exported in 2012.

– The global market volume is $35 billion for packaging and packaging machines, a figure that is expected to double in the next 10 years.

 

Thus the French packaging industry is a market which, although subject to many possible improvements, is full of promise and opportunities for the coming years.

 

Other links of interest :

The ICT market in France

Business opportunities in the home décor sector

The export of the promotional object in France

The exportation of the decoration sector to France

The organic wines market in France

The French gardening market

The market of organic products in France

Case Study: Exporting Lusan Fasteners

The company LUSAN

LUSAN fijacions y anclajes, S.L. was created in 1999 by professionals with extensive experience in the hardware sector. The aim of the new company was to manufacture and supply hardware stores or industrial suppliers with a type of metal anchorage that was becoming increasingly in demand at that time.

This specialization led to a rapid acceptance and increase in both sales and the number of customers who were relying on the good work of the company.

At the same time, this constant growth led to a greater demand and variety of product range from customers, which encouraged the company to review, incorporate and expand its catalog every year, adding new business lines such as nylon, screws, lifting elements, rivets, etc…. which has led the company to have one of the largest catalogs in its sector in Spain: 5,000 product references.

On the other hand, one of the priority objectives for the coming years is the introduction and sale of products to the international market, both in Europe and in such interesting and highly promising markets as the American continent, Africa or the Middle East.

LUSAN currently sells its products in countries such as Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Portugal, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Israel, Belgium, Saudi Arabia.

The trade fairs of the sector

In industrial subcontracting we can find:

–   Salon Industrie: http://www.industrie-expo.com/

–   Salon SEPEM: http://www.sepem-industries.com/

–   Salon SIANE: http://www.salonsiane.com/

–   Salon Midest: http://www.midest.com

–   Salon Ouest Industries: http://www.ouest-industries.com/

And the construction ones, can be..:

–   ARCHIECT@WORK – PARIS http://www.architectatwork.fr/

–   EQUIPO’BAIE http://www.equipbaie.com/

–   BATIMAT FRANCE https://www.batimat.com/

–   IDEO BAIN https://www.ideobain.com/

–   INTERCLIMA + ELEC https://www.interclimaelec.com/

–   INTERMAT https://paris.intermatconstruction.com/

The French fixing market

By 2014, the fastening market was quite saturated with French companies in this industry. The market for fixed assets is worth around EUR 20 billion. In 2015, there are more than 9,000 companies offering fastening products similar to those of Lusan to the French territory.

The sector has gone through some difficult years due to the economic crisis as it is heavily dependent on the construction sector. As demand from its main purchasing sector has fallen and the remaining companies have difficulties in making ends meet, we have seen a greater influx of Chinese manufacturers with cheaper prices than the French, and Europeans in general.

Francia The main clients of the fixings in France

Percentage %
Retail and organized sales 13,66
Independent trade 5,05
Distributors of the company’s own network 1,21
Wholesalers 11,86
Sales to professional users 63,37
Sale to individuals 2,29
Foreigner 2,56

As we can see, the main buyers of fasteners in France are end users/professionals. Only 2.56% is sold outside the country. On the other hand, 40% of the production is made outside France.

The multi-portfolio commercial agents in the fastening sector

We have decided to look for independent commercial agents to cover the maximum of French territory. We’ve done some very thorough research to narrow down the profiles. We have created one to BBDD of 50 commercial agents that is not a very extensive list. But we didn’t have to look any further as the profiles were very well identified and were what the company needed.

On the other hand, as there have been many positive responses, there have been many negotiations and drafting of contracts, even though some of them have not been successful due to the company’s decision.

A total of eight sales agents were introduced to Lusan. And we are sure that from now on they will establish Lusan’s presence on the French market. We wish our client much success in the future.

Other links of interest:

Case study: the company Ecoresinas exports its sunscreens in France

Case study: Motores Campeón and the gardening sector in France

Case of success: The internationalisation of La Cuina de la Iaia’s gourmet croquettes

Case of success: The internationalisation of Singular Spirits’ artisanal spirits

Case of success: The internationalisation of GMS Sistemas

We select a mechanical engineer who can speak French and English

We select an engineer who can speak English and French for the design office of one of our industrial companies, located in Maresme. He/she will be a project manager and will manage national and export projects.

We select a mechanical engineer:

This mechanical engineer must be fluent in English and French, and it would be desirable for him/her to speak Italian. We need you to master the computer tools to design 3D parts such as Solidworks and/or Autocad. We will appreciate the fact that you have extensive commercial experience to be able to work as a project manager.

He will be integrated into a small, highly cohesive and proactive team.



Other links of interest:

Discover our recruitment service

The best sources to find suitable sales agents

We are recruiting a packaging salesperson for France

Aspects to consider for the selection of the sales agent

The sales agents meeting in Paris between Spanish metallurgical companies and French agents is coming to the end