• The survey found that the pandemic is affecting packaging businesses in several ways.
    The survey found that the pandemic is affecting packaging businesses in several ways.
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Businesses around the world are gearing up to confront the period of uncertainty and difficulty that the coronavirus pandemic has brought.

In response to the pandemic, Pact Group has implemented screening protocols and questionnaires for all personnel and visitors entering company facilities. In a letter to customers, Pact Group managing director and group CEO Sanjay Dayal said the company would also introduce temperature testing of all personnel entering company facilities.

“We have been testing and revising all of our business contingency plans, by site and by product, to ensure that in the event there is a site closure, the disruption to any of our customers is minimised to the fullest extent possible,” Dayal wrote.

“As a supplier of essential goods and services for a number of critical industries, we are liaising with government to ensure that we remain fully operational during this difficult period.”

Dayal said the parts of the business involved in the supply of hygiene and cleaning products and goods and services to the grocery market had been responding to heightened demand.

“This has required us to divert some of our resources to these areas to ensure we are meeting the expectations of the community and the government,” he wrote.

As a result of this, Dayal wrote that there may be “impact to delivery times”.

The CEO’s letter noted that there had been no reported cases of Covid-19 at the company, as of 23 March.

Pact Group has also switched some of its production capacity to making hand sanitiser, in repsonse to an uptick in demand for the product.

Food & Drink Business

The annual Product of the Year Awards (POY) has confirmed one of the dominant and enduring consumer trends when it comes to food and beverage choices – personal health. NielsenIQ research, commissioned by POY, found 74 per cent of us are focusing on products that support energy, fitness, better sleep, stress relief, and brain function. This year was dominated by private label products, accounting for 68 per cent of winning products.

Woolworths Group has reported a 2.7 per cent increase in group sales to $18.5 billion for the 14-week first quarter ended 5 October. The group’s Australian Food sales rose 3.2 per cent in the first weeks of October and will be launching more than 650 new products for the Christmas holiday period.

C4C Packaging is set to reshape Australia’s wine and ready-to-drink (RTD) landscape with the launch of Oceania's first single-serve aseptic wine and alcoholic beverage co-manufacturing and packaging facility.