The Packaging Review interview

The numbers speak for themselves: the 2016 turnover exceeded 500 million euros, the distribution network has a widespread presence in 17 European countries and serves 700,000 customers. In this interview, Lorenza Zanardi, General Manager Rajapack Italia, talks about the strengths and strategies of this unique reality.

Can you tell us about the RAJA Group in terms of mission and company philosophy?

As the RAJA Group, we are Europe’s leading packaging distributor. Everywhere we are known for our customer and service culture, our drive for innovation and the expertise of our 1,600 employees. We firmly believe that creating good working conditions leads to excellent results. This is why RAJABest was created in France, a programme that promotes constant investment in the training and professional development of each individual, protecting the health and well-being of everyone without forgetting to create moments of conviviality and sharing. This investment has led us to motivated, productive and experimentation-prone teams.

In your company history, you have made being a women-owned business a strong point, can you explain why?

The story of the RAJA Group is first and foremost a story of women. RAJA stands for Rachel and Janine, two stubborn French ladies who managed to open their own company, Les Cartons Raja, in the purely male-dominated world of packaging in 1954. The leadership of the company then passed to Danièle Kapel-Marcovici, the current president, an enterprising woman who saw European expansion as the key to growth. In Italy, too, we carry on the tradition through my management and a 60% female staff. First of all, I would like to point out that among my staff there are both women and capable men. However, if I have to single out some common traits among us women, I would point to the sense of responsibility, the love of detail, the sense of service, which is one of the group’s plus points, but also the sensitivity in grasping change…we have antennae! Last but not least, I believe that many mothers have certain skills such as problem solving or the ability to say ‘NO’, which can be successfully exported to the workplace.

What are the most interesting and appreciated features of your of your offer? What connotations distinguish your product offering?

Above all, they love the speed; our 4,000 products, always in stock, are delivered in 24/48 hours, in some cities even by 10.30 a.m. the morning after the order is placed, and our packaging experts provide quick answers and estimates. They also know they can trust the quality of RAJA branded products, which is scrupulously controlled, and they value our ability to create tailor-made solutions, whether for the small craftsman or the large multinational. For numerous major groups, we make multi-site deliveries, stock customised packaging and design complex packaging systems that save warehouse space while speeding up the entire packaging process. Your site, Rajapack.co.uk, was voted the best Italian e-commerce for business in 2016.

What are the motivations behind this recognition? What value has e-commerce had for the success of your business?

Our site was elected best Italian e-commerce for business commerce by Netcomm because it was able to bring the ease and usability of the B2C browsing experience to B2B as well. Key to our success were some innovative tools introduced such as RAJAPRINT, which allows you to preview your ribbons or customised shoppers before proceeding with the order, or the RAJABOX and RAJABAG search engines, which allow you to locate your box or bag format in just a few clicks among thousands of formats. Another popular feature of our site is the possibility for large customers to have their agreed annual prices online, once logged in, as well as other time-saving customised services. This constant spirit of innovation pays off, just think that in 2007 our e-commerce site contributed only 12% to turnover, whereas in the last year it has reached 35%. Also in 2007 only 24% of new customers chose the site to place their first order, today this figure has risen to 80%. If anyone is interested in delving into the benefits of e-commerce for the company in detail, I wrote a chapter in the book “E-commerce B2B Le opportunità, gli strumenti e i casi di successo nell’e-commerce B2B e B2Retail”, published by Franco Angeli at the end of 2016 and edited by Netcomm.

Attention to the environment has always been part of your corporate strategies. How do you implement this environmentally focused policy?

We have been ISO 14001 certified for years, but our commitment goes beyond that, we are an eco-responsible partner! We are constantly adding green alternatives to our packaging. Customers, especially groups with a green policy, can always choose the recycled bag or box instead of the standard ones. We favour green innovations. In 2015, Geami®, our machine that creates a paper protection with similar properties to plastic bubble film, won the Packaging Oscar awarded by G.I.S.I. (France). We prefer to use mainly European suppliers (more than 90%), who comply with current environmental regulations. Furthermore, we sensitise all our employees to adopt virtuous behaviours that favour energy saving.

Your approach to sustainability is not only from an environmental point of view. The Raja Foundation is an appropriate instrument to express a corporate social responsibility that goes beyond mere environmental protection. What are the projects you have carried out?

I believe that the company should play a social role as well as an economic one. For more than 10 years, our Fondation RAJA has been committed to defending women’s rights and preventing gender violence, with a budget of more than €4M. In the last year in particular, we have carried out eco-solidarity projects in several third world countries where women are the first victims of climate change. We have taught numerous communities systems for starting an eco-sustainable agriculture, capable of bringing sustenance to families, without harming their health and that of the end consumers. These projects will continue in 2017 and we will also try to develop them in Italy. To date, we are examining various areas of intervention, first and foremost gender violence, an issue that we feel particularly strongly about and for which we would like, in our own small way, to take action.