Turkish plastic container and pallet specialist Benoplast is enhancing its segment of the fresh produce supply chain with the introduction of its new Benocon containers.
In order to deliver the highest value to its customers, Benoplast has utilised its understanding of the dynamics of the fresh produce market both at home and abroad to develop the 100cm by 120cm Benocon containers.
The Benocon product family is a strong packaging alternative for the storage and distribution of fresh produce, with the containers standing out for their ergonomic, versatile, safe and smooth operation, as well as being sturdy enough to withstand extreme conditions and perforated to operate at low temperatures through easy ventilation. Designed for a long life-span and used for a wide range of products, Benocon ensures food safety and, overall, improves quality and supply chain efficiency. Benocon is just one example of how the company is looking to adapt to what is an ever-changing market for fresh produce packaging.
“As a result of changing market opportunities and economic factors in 2015, Benoplast has tried to adapt its strategy to these changing business conditions,” explains Hakan Dirgeme, business development and sales director at Benoplast. “In my opinion the key to successfully competing and growing in the market lies in flexibility and adaptation. The marketplace changes all the time and that’s why we have started by developing our corporate identity. We changed our website and relaunched it for the first time at the Istanbul Eurasia Packaging Fair, and in total we have attended 14 international events.
“Additionally, we are using all kinds of strategies to stay ahead of changing customer needs, new competitors and evolving technologies,” Dirgeme continues. “This year alone we have put five new products onto the market, with two of them related to the fruit and vegetable industry – Benocon and our Benoplast foldable series. With all these improvements our export growth rate increased by up to 55 per cent compared with 2014. In return, we’ve never stopped investing, even with the fluctuating economy of Turkey – one of the most important long-term decisions is to keep our ongoing investments, and consequently Benoplast will proceed with new plant and machinery investments.”
In addition to further investment, Benoplast is also looking to increase its global reach moving forward into 2016, eyeing new markets including Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Middle East, hoping to help improve the standard of fruit and vegetable packaging in these markets – a crucial aspect in the supply chain.
“Packaging fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the most important steps in the long and complicated journey from grower to consumer,” adds Dirgeme. “Every day millions of tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables travel around the world, and increased production in many countries has been accompanied by improvements in post-harvest handling to maintain quality and assure safety. The international trend has switched towards the use of plastic crates for fresh produce, and Benoplast makes an extra effort to improve quality and safety management in the supply chain. Today, customers do not buy products only because of low prices, they want good quality – we consider this as a priority and preserve price and performance ratios at the highest possible levels.”
