Customised products according to customer requirements
Read more Challenge The trend of sustainability will become established in the field of car care and chemical products, opening up markets in this segment in countries outside of Europe. One customer therefore approached Caramba to develop a new, more environmentally friendly car care line with high quality, effective and sustainable products that can be certified by the EU Ecolabel and other external institutes. Our approach After setting up a project team with participants from all technical departments of our company, the technical tasks were distributed as follows: The current status was checked in regular meetings with all project teams and all members were involved in the decision-making process. In addition, our customer was continuously informed about the project progress. We found solutions for successful project implementation by working closely with all persons involved – both internally and externally (our customer and certification bodies). We conducted transport tests in advance on the positioning of the products in displays to ensure proper presentation on the market. Certification of the ecological products was carried out together with the responsible certification body and also the Research and Development, Product Management and Sales Departments. Outcome By working closely with our customer, we succeeded in delivering a full product range of sustainable, effective and high-quality products within just eight months – from development to market launch. All products were certified by external institutes. In particular, certification with the EU Ecolabel guaranteed the ecological quality of the products throughout their entire life cycle. Launch of the new product range with our customer’s branding not only generated additional sales, but also strengthened customer loyalty and brand identification. By positioning the products under a globally recognised brand, consumers were assured that the products met the usual quality standards of the brand owner. Customer market surveys showed consistently positive feedback regarding the products offered, packaging and presentation of the products in the display.
Flexible and targeted path to success
Read more Challenge A major automotive customer was faced with the global launch of a new care series for vehicles that should differ significantly in its visual appearance from competitors. Due to the design of the packaging, precise specified placement of the wrap-around labels was the principle challenge as this could not be guaranteed with the production and labelling machines at that time – especially as it was important to ensure that the horizontal position, among other things, could be freely determined as packaging of various sizes needed to be accurately labelled. State-of-the-art technical production solutions were required to reconcile the interaction of packaging, closure and label with the customer’s design requirements. Our approach We needed to develop and technically implement such a solution together with the manufacturers of the plastic packaging and also a specialised mechanical engineering company. For this purpose, the customer’s requirements were incorporate, discussed in detail and transferred to a requirement specification, which was explained in detail to the mechanical engineering company. Outcome The solution was found in a tailor-made labelling system that is able to scan the surface of the containers via special sensors and to calculate the exact time to apply the label. This enables uniform and accurate labelling without a height difference on containers of all different sizes.
Accordingly, this technical solution is characterised by the combination of performance and flexibility. This is added value that we can now offer all our customers for more successful presentation of their products on the market.
Caramba as a strong partner in production
Read more Challenge A leading mechanical engineering company in the field of hydraulic and filter systems wanted to offer premium hydraulic oil for its after-sales business on the European market, analogously to the American market. The difficulties with this were in the oil filtration and filling into the selected packaging and the design of this in terms of the lack of distribution in branches of customers in Europe. Our approach We initially procured the unfiltered premium hydraulic oil from a long-standing European business partner, and filtered it on-site using a filter system specially made and provided by the customer. Based on the result of the make-or-buy analysis, the customer decided not only to filter the product at Caramba, but also to fill it here and to define and procure all packaging materials. The next step was to install a dedicated filling machine only for filling oil that was aligned with the customer’s filter machine so that the unfiltered oil could be pumped through the filter system using a single-pass method. An integrated particle counter checked the filtered liquid for defined contaminants according to ISO 17/15/12 as well as Caramba’s guaranteed water content of less than 0.03%, thus ensuring quality control during filtering. Outcome With Caramba as a strategic partner in Europe, the customer was also able to establish its successful American after-sales business in the growing European market. Outsourcing the production and distribution of the specific after-sales product for the European market to Caramba enabled the customer to concentrate on its core competencies in this segment.
Global solutions for global companies
Read more Challenge An automotive manufacturer based in Germany intended to market its complete car care product range in the USA. The prerequisite for this was compliance with the legal regulations of all US states. The challenge was to identify a partner who was familiar with the private branding business in the USA and who could take over the distribution and storage of car care products for the USA, Canada and Mexico. Mandatory prerequisites were therefore the quality management certification according to TS-16949, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certification and also the interest in a long-term and strategically aligned partnership. Our approach The desired partner should manage distribution and storage as well as the registration and labelling of the products in the USA. Therefore, Caramba looked specifically for a private branding manufacturer of car care products in the USA and arranged meetings with several manufacturers for this purpose – with the aim of finding the optimal partner for the project. The company EXCELDA emerged as a suitable partner in the course of this solution-finding process. EXCELDA is one of the most successful US manufacturers of chemical products in the private label sector. The company already holds all the required quality management certifications (TS 16949, ISO 14001, ISO 9001) and is very familiar with car care product ranges and also the required toxicological standards and regulations. Outcome With extensive experience and detailed knowledge of the US market, EXCELDA supports Caramba in the manufacture, filling and packaging as well as distribution and storage of car care products. The creation of label texts, labelling and product registrations is also part of the service offered. The successful partnership between EXCELDA and Caramba has existed for more than ten years. It is proven evidence of how full-service solutions for customers with international distribution networks can be implemented sustainably and successfully. The Partner For more information about EXCELDA, visit: www.excelda.com/excelda