+30
Countries
Global Opex Program Delivers €40M Savings and 4.5M Tons CO₂ Reduction
Our client is a multinational leader in packaging solutions, specializing in flexible, food and fiber packaging. With operations in more than 30 countries and over 100 manufacturing plants worldwide, generating €4.2 billion in net sales annually. Positioned as a global specialist, they face an increasingly competitive industry, with challenges ranging from high material losses and inconsistent site practices to a need for a continuous improvement culture. Despite a strong focus on cost management, they sought sustainable, capability-building solutions to ensure lasting impact and resilience.
Packaging
Manufacturing
Operational Excellence
Operations Strategy and Transformation
Sustainability
Our Client
Our client is a multinational leader in packaging solutions, specializing in flexible, food and fiber packaging. With operations in more than 30 countries and over 100 manufacturing plants worldwide, generating €4.2 billion in net sales annually. Positioned as a global specialist, they face an increasingly competitive industry, with challenges ranging from high material losses and inconsistent site practices to a need for a continuous improvement culture.
+100
Manufacturing plants worldwide
€4.2B
Net sales annually
The Challenge
The company faced mounting pressure as material losses were significantly exceeding industry benchmarks. This was compounded by market downturn and ambitious waste reduction targets. It also struggled with fundamental operational gaps:
• Fragmented operations without standards - Each of the organization’s 116 sites operated independently with no standard way of working. This created inefficiencies and prevented best practice from being shared across the global network
• Absence of continuous improvement culture - The organization lacked an improvement mindset and struggled to adopt a cost deployment approach, making sustainable change difficult to achieve
• Capability development versus cost pressure - While maintaining a very strong cost focus, the company found it difficult to prioritize capability development to secure sustainable savings. This risked short-term gains without long-term transformation
Real Results Achieved Together
The five-year global operational excellence program transformed the company’s operations from fragmented site-level activities to a coordinated, capability-driven improvement system. Working alongside local teams, we established sustainable continuous improvement practices that delivered both immediate savings and long-term operational gains.
+€40M
Savings delivered
+€200M
Losses identified
-4.5M
CO₂ equivalents reduced
Transformation Impact
The initiative has strengthened the organization’s ability to identify and address inefficiencies, resulting in substantial savings and uncovering potential areas of loss. At the same time, it has made a meaningful contribution to sustainability by reducing waste and lowering carbon emissions.
Beyond measurable outcomes, the program has cultivated a culture of continuous improvement, empowering teams across the organization, enhancing skills through coaching and training, and building internal expertise with certified trainers.
Our Approach
- Design and implementation of a bespoke Operational Excellence Program with tighter focus on material waste reduction in 25 plants, in 23 countries, over five years
- Global academy implementation with remote and on-site delivery coaching technologies
- Standard loss analysis approach supported by dashboarding, including operational and financial benefits planning and tracking capability development
- Robust program management following the roll out of cost deployment from the start
- Focused follow up and reporting governance
- Leadership development program
- Implementation of a global assessment system, including plant, pillar and team assessments
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Facing Similar Packaging Industry Challenges?
• Struggling with material losses above industry benchmarks while managing cost pressures
• Building a continuous improvement culture across multiple sites and countries
• Partnering for operational excellence that delivers immediate savings and lasting results
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