November / December 2017

BULKDISTRIBUTOR

13

A quick word with … Sunny Prakash

Please tell us a little about yourself and how you came to join Werit I am a very hands on guy who likes to get stuck in to all aspects of the business , hence my day can be very varied , from production , sales , finance , procurement , etc . Typically when I am on site every morning we conduct a daily production meeting and as the general manager it ’ s important for me to review the facility ’ s last 24 hour performance and to set the priorities for the next . We also review our health and safety focus . I spend time with the sales team daily looking at current opportunities and overall sales performance . From a strategic point of view we review daily the direction of the business and critically examine our objectives / focus for our target markets . Take , for example , the food industry , we are continually looking at target opportunities and customers . As GM it ’ s important to be involved in every area of the business ; ultimately the buck stops with me . I also spend time out with the sales team as I don ’ t want to get too far removed from customers . Unless I fully understand the needs of the market I cannot shape the business in the appropriate manner .

What did you do before ? I started my career in finance . After graduating I went on to work for the BBC as a finance analyst . Following on from this I moved on to work for TNT Aviation based in Windsor , and then into the dairy industry in North West England . During this period I completed my ACCA exams and became a qualified accountant . From early on in my career , I have believed while understanding numbers is critical for the success of any company , I ’ ve always felt that to be successful in finance you have to be involved in all aspects of the business to drive it better . In 2005 , I joined Promens , which is a plastics manufacturing company . As soon as I joined I was hooked on the plastics processing industry and spent over 10 years there . I started as the financial controller for an underperforming plant and after playing a key part in turning it around I got the opportunity to work as a group FD for the chemical division . This involved a lot of travelling , but more importantly lots of key learning which would go on to underpin the knowledge I could bring to future roles . While with

Promens I managed 12 factories in five countries . Talking to colleagues , my aim was to understand how things were done in detail . Based on the success of this role I got promoted to MD of the plant where I first started my career with Promens . After the merger of RPC & Promens , I decided it was time for me to move on and after taking few months R & R I took on my next challenge with Werit .

How have you adapted to the new market ? Coming from a plastics industry definitely put me on the front foot very quickly , but having said that I had a lot to learn quickly about intermediate bulk containers ( IBCs ). The plastics industry is very close knit , where everyone seems to know each other , and this certainly helped me settle down quickly in my new role .

What about Werit UK and the parent company ? Werit is a family run business , with its head offices in Germany . Werit invested in the Irlam plant in 2002 primarily to produce IBCs . Since then we have evolved to produce IBCs , canisters and to promote plastic pallets and industrial tanks . The group is constantly investing in R & D and our objective here is to innovate in order to improve the product portfolio to offer product niches that improve our customer ’ s performance . All of our new introductions are based on customer feedback , it ’ s important for us to engage and listen to their requirements in order for us to perform at the highest level . While obviously Germany is the headquarters for the group they do let us make our own decisions for the UK , we operate in quite an autonomous fashion . Working with Germany is great and while we do have stated levels of autonomy , we recognise that they are experts in this field and have been innovating in this market place for decades . The UK team do work hand in hand with our German colleagues when it comes to products and we have a very good relationship with the stakeholders of the group .

What recent developments have there been ? One of the key markets for Werit UK is the food industry and we are pleased to say we have recently completed BRC accreditation and achieved Grade A at our first attempt . As the only IBC in the world that is BRC accredited , this was an important strategic move as it underpins our commitment to the food industry . However , all our products are produced in the same way as if they were being used in the food industry , our facility has been designed to be ‘ clean ’ and we take pride in maintaining these levels .

With nearly 30 years since IBCs were first patented , and the development of packaging exclusively for industry taking place since the revolution – is there still pressure to innovate these now commonplace packaging

systems ? How do you go about this ? There is a constant challenge to keep evolving and looking ahead . We are very fortunate that the stakeholders of Werit are constantly investing in new products . We are constantly talking to our customers , analysing the market and suppliers to drive our product innovation . Indeed we have recently launched new products such as :

• Piston Valve – Fundamentally different from a traditional butterfly valve . When the handle is turned to the off position , the piston is pulled into the body of the valve to create a strong positive seal that prevents leakage .

• Trumpet valve – Again a leak free piston valve , it has been designed specifically for thicker liquids , it offers an 80 percent improvement in discharge rates .

• New Steel-Combi Skid Pallet – Manufactured from virgin polymer , splinter risk and cross contamination issues are removed .

• Nutriline IBC – Perfect for the food industry and manufactured from virgin food grade polymer , this range of IBCs feature leak free piston valves and tamper proof seals

• Compact IBC ( 300L ) – A smaller IBC for sensitive fluid processing . It offers easy tapping and best residual discharge .

What is the greatest challenge that industrial packaging manufacturers

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and your customers are currently facing ? Currently in UK the biggest challenge we face is the weakening of Sterling . Most of our raw materials are imported from Europe , and most of our customers are based in UK , hence this a huge challenge we face on the back of the Brexit referendum .

Where do you see Werit UK in five years ’ time ? Werit in the UK is a hidden gem . While it has been doing great things in the background , not enough noise has been made about it . We have fantastic team ethos at the plant and an “ everything is possible ” attitude . We firmly believe that Werit has a fantastic journey ahead and through our focused approach a lot more people will get to read and experience Werit in the coming years . Our focus is to serve the food industry and our strategic objective is to be the industry leader in this sector . It ’ s also important to note that we are planning to invest more in our UK facility to ensure this strategic objective is possible .

What are your personal interests ? Outside of work I like to keep fit . I also help manage an U14 local football team , which I find is very rewarding trying to encourage and push kids to get the best out of them . I am also a volunteer for Homeless UK where I spend one or even two Saturday evenings a month to try and help the homeless with the essentials .

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