Natur’al Packaging penetrates new markets with traceability from Easy WMS

Natur’al Packaging: food packaging expert

Natur’al Packaging has set its sights on becoming a key player in the packaging market. The company is backed by its shareholder Nesthy, part of the French group HEEGEO, which distributes hygiene products for the hospitality industry. Based in Sainte-Savine (France), Natur’al Packaging specialises in films and wrapping for the food and industrial sectors. It seeks the means and certifications to provide the best service to its clients, which include industries, supermarkets and suppliers. With clients in France and its overseas departments and territories, Europe and Africa, the company has an annual turnover of €5 million.

The packaging and wrap market is increasingly subject to environmental controls in regions like the European Union. More and more regulations are required in sectors such as the food industry and large-scale distribution. Natur’al Packaging is supported by its shareholder Nesthy of the French group HEEGEO, a distributor of hygiene products for the hospitality industry. It has first-hand knowledge of the sector’s requirements and those of food enterprises that use stretch films, shrink wraps, aluminium films, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) trays. To respond to these needs, it has digitalised its logistics operations with Mecalux’s Easy WMS warehouse management system.

Located in the French town of Sainte-Savine, the company aspires to become an ally for customers that require secure, top-quality packaging. Therefore, it seeks out the means and certifications to offer its users optimal service. This decision led it to change its way of working and completely modernise its logistics operations. “Since we incorporated Easy WMS, we wonder how we managed before,” says Frédéric Gassner, Co-Director of Natur’al Packaging.

Prior to the WMS software’s integration into the company’s logistics processes, operators would occasionally come across inventory discrepancies. Although the premise was to manage goods in line with the FIFO method (first in, first out), this was not always strictly followed. In a facility with a 3,000-pallet capacity, the lack of organisation consistent with the actual demand for products made it difficult to find certain SKUs.

After consulting with Mecalux and incorporating Easy WMS — seamlessly integrated with Néo Gestion’s Néo Négoce ERP — Natur’al Packaging digitalised its product distribution strategy. Its 1,588 SKUs of packaging, films and wrapping are slotted based on their demand, size and weight, greatly facilitating operations. Moreover, Easy WMS records the numbers of the batches entering and leaving the warehouse. Similarly, it registers orders shipped to clients in France and its overseas departments and territories, Europe and Africa.

To optimise management, workers use RF scanners to complete their tasks. “These extraordinary tools enable order fulfilment by scanning EAN-13 or QR codes,” says Gassner.

Upstream and downstream control

Other advantages the company has seen with the Easy WMS software are the implementation of upstream/downstream product traceability and real-time inventory control. Consequently, Natur’al Packaging no longer has to shut down its facility for three days to count stock; it has immediate access to all information on the goods it distributes. “With Mecalux’s Easy WMS, we take inventory without halting our daily operations, and stock imbalances are minimal. This tool has allowed us to keep pace with our growth,” says Gassner.

Knowing where its products came from, their batch numbers and which clients they were shipped to has enabled Natur’al Packaging to obtain new food safety certifications and expand into new markets. In addition to the ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 standards the company held, it was awarded the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety.

This organisational transformation and the construction of its new warehouse have resulted in a 38% increase in Natur’al Packaging’s business volume. The company recorded €5 million in annual revenue without expanding its staff. Furthermore, order fulfilment errors were reduced by 20%. The team is now ready to take on the growth that lies ahead for the business. “Natur’al Packaging is thriving and has very promising prospects for the future,” says Gassner.

With Mecalux’s Easy WMS, we take inventory without halting our daily operations. This tool has allowed us to keep pace with our company’s growth.