A platform for innovation

Cryovac Food Packaging Systems, the food packaging division of Sealed Air Corporation and the global leader in fresh food packaging, recently set up a new 2,000-sqm customer support center ?揚ackforum Asia??in Shanghai. FoodPacific spoke to JEAN-MARIE DEMEAUTIS, vice president of Sealed Air Cryovac Food Solutions, about the company's strategy and development goals in Asia

What do you hope to achieve with Packforum Asia?

Sealed Air has always considered the growth of the China and Asia markets as significant to our operations. Building this center in Shanghai is an indication of our confidence in the Chinese and Asian market potential. Having the center helps us to strengthen our cooperation with current and potential clients. It also serves as a great platform for us to communicate the innovative packaging technology and idea with specialists. We have always focused on spearheading developments in the packaging industry. We established our first Packforum in Paris in 2002 to keep in touch with our European customers, and have been successful since Day One. We chose Shanghai for our second center, and the third one in Atlanta [Packforum Americas opened on September 9 ?Editor]. Packforum Asia is one venue to develop brand recognition of Cryovac and our technologies. This customer experience center will make our innovations and solutions better known and understood. What we provide is not just a product, but an advanced technology and service. This communication platform can help our clients make better strategic decisions, and promote our brand as well as clients?competitive power.

Could you trace the development of Cryovac in the Chinese market?

Sealed Air has been in the Chinese market for several decades. Our products are present in the food, pharmaceutical and industrial packaging sectors. The food packaging technology we introduce is developing along with Chinese food industry and market and as the consumption concept of the Chinese getting mature. Among the products we have in the Chinese market are shrink bag packaging, skin packaging and modified atmosphere packaging, all of which are successful. So, I believe Cryovac will have an even wider outlook and broader development as more and more Chinese consumers achieve a better lifestyle.

What is Cryovac's strategy in China? What are your short-term goals in this market?

Chinese is a dream market in many suppliers?hearts. Through many years of hard work, Sealed Air has established facilities in China and obtained an excellent market share and recognition, which is a good foundation for our future development. Now we are focusing on meat packaging, but we are also going into liquid food packaging. The China market is very complicated and challenging, and is developing to a more advanced level these days. So we believe the products I've mentioned above will be promoted and applied successfully, and Sealed Air will build success in China too.

Cryovac's market in Asia is mainly in the processed meats. Will you enlarge its application in this market to other fields, such as convenience food?

As both consumers and governments have taken food safety more and more seriously in recent years, food manufacturers and supermarket owners are also paying more attentions to food safety, because quality issues can affect their brand and reputation. They require good solutions to guarantee food safety. So we grabbed this opportunity, taking meat products as the starting point of Cryovac by assisting meat product suppliers and dealers to solve the fresh-keeping problem. Convenience foods appeal to busy, active consumers, and we have developed many applications in this segment in Western countries and some Southeast Asian markets. In China, we will apply oNike Mens Shoes