Paper, plastics & packaging supply chain: improving service & increasing margins

The global digital era is challenging the paper, plastic film & packaging industries with evolving markets, volatile demand dynamics and evermore complex manufacturing operations. How can all this be managed? Unison Planning™ helps you adjust your manufacturing network, keep campaigns (block schedules) tuned to demand balance the mix of your make-to-order and make-to-stock operations, and optimize cutting and trimming plans.

A complex, evolving market

Demand for paper has been in decline for several years as a consequence of the gradual shift to digital media. For their part, the paper & plastic film markets are increasingly diverse and complex.

On the plus side, there is growing demand for paper and film stimulated by the soaring packaging market, boosted by e-commerce. But the packaging supply chain is a just-in-time business, which requires paper mills and plastic film plants to be particularly flexible and to constantly adapt their cutting plans as well as their master and campaign plans. Occasional production flaws, which are inevitable, further add to the planning complexity, as do quality variations in recycled material.

The packaging industry is further challenged by diminishing margins and increasing traceability requirements.

In addition, lead times are getting shorter, with some orders needing to be fulfilled in less than 48 hours. Fully automated workshops will soon become the standard. But this puts planning of upstream capacities under great pressure. And it’s a primary concern for managers to keep the amount of work in process within reasonable limits.

Solutions for the entire value chain

Unison Planning™ allows you to carefully manage these complexities. It covers the whole value chain, from sourcing to delivery, and addresses both short-term and long-term concerns. We provide proven solutions and a comprehensive platform to design and adjust your network of manufacturing facilities to cope with gradual shift in demand. Our smart forecasting and S&OP functionalities will support your campaign program, which can be fine-tuned to respond to demand dynamics. Our planning, cutting, multistage trimming, scheduling and retrimming tools will allow you to accurately steer your complex mix of make-to-order and make-to-stock manufacturing, keeping operational costs low and reducing scrap and stock levels.

OMP for Packaging also includes a unique corrugator optimization functionality for total cost optimization, an integrated transport planning function, and an Industry 4.0-enabled manufacturing execution system (MES), all featuring full traceability. What’s more, we offer an integrated paper & packaging network design function, which includes support for sourcing and make-or-buy decisions.