Tatrafan LLC is one of the main manufacturers of flexible roll packaging and bags in Ukraine. It is a joint venture of two leading international companies: Hemosvit (Slovakia) and Rani Plast Group (Finland). Its production facilities are located in Lutsk.
Since 2017, the company with many years of experience (for two decades the company has been operating under the Terichem brand) has attracted five million euros in investment, significantly expanding production capacity. We are talking about the further development of Tatrafan, new opportunities in the production of polymer packaging and current trends in the field with the head of the sales department Lilia Pinchuk and sales manager Vadym Morozyuk.
– Let’s start with the general. What trends in packaging production prevail today in the Ukrainian market of the polymer industry? In what direction is the industry moving?
– Vadym: The field of flexible packaging is developing, because today any food is packed in the appropriate material, especially given the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the constant trends: the guarantee of safety, safety of packaged goods and environmental friendliness of packaging. Our company is actively moving in this direction. We study all the requests of our customers, they send us “signals” from consumers who want to get a safe for themselves and for the environment packaging product.
– Lilia: We convince our customers to use packaging made of mono-materials that are 100% recyclable. Yes, today there are various packages of vegetable and mineral raw materials, but their cost is quite high, and the shelf life and barrier properties are shorter.
– Tell us about the marketing function of packaging. How important is the external wrapper of the product for its successful sales?
– Lilia: It plays a maximum role when launching a new product, because consumers of this product do not yet know and have not tasted it, and therefore first of all pay attention to the wrapper. In this case, the statement that the package “sells” works 100%. In addition, if the manufacturer makes any changes to the recipe, it must also be reflected on the packaging. In this case, it performs an equally important information function, which is also advertising, attracting the attention of the buyer with something new. In general, we all know that when people go to the store, they often want to buy something bright and beautiful.
– Vadym: For our part, we guarantee and provide customers with quality printing so that they can most effectively convey the necessary information to their customers.
– Your company manufactures roll packaging and bags, covering a wide segment: from groceries and dairy products to sanitary products and non-food products. Tell us about the benefits of your products. Why should manufacturers cooperate with Tatrafan?
– Lilia: We are a European company. One of the few in the polymer market of Ukraine. All our raw materials of European quality: films, paints, glues. We have new and modern equipment: laminators, printing, packaging and cutting machines. The company is also equipped with a prepress studio, we make digital clichés on our own. Thanks to all of the above, we have a full production cycle. In addition, Tatrafan is equipped with a paint mixing station, which allows you to make each batch as uniform as possible, as experts select the paint, derive the formula that is used in subsequent similar orders. Our company is very “flexible” in working with customers, we have trusted many large Ukrainian manufacturers, we have partners abroad.
– Vadym: We also provide service support after the order. In case of any problems with the film, setting up packaging machines, etc., we provide technical support as soon as possible. We understand that our customers have responsibilities to others, so we respond quickly and make the necessary adjustments.
– How does the company control the quality of packaging production and why is it important to adhere to the strictest standards?
– Lilia: Our company is certified by three international ISO management systems. These are ISO 9001: 2015 (quality management system), ISO 14001: 2015 (environmental management system) and ISO 22000: 2018 (food safety management system). Every year we have audits to confirm certificates and audits from customers. We are open, so they can always come and look at our production from the inside, check what requirements we meet. The quality of our products is confirmed by declarations of conformity for each type of film and migration protocols. We also attach a quality certificate to each batch of goods, which describes the main properties of the product.
– Vadym: It is our duty to the customer to adhere to the strictest standards. He is also indebted to the end customer and must provide him with a quality product in the best packaging material.
– Today requires packaging to increase the shelf life of the product. Does Tatrafan have its own solutions to such a request? How difficult is this task?
– Vadym: This task is really difficult, but necessary for customers and for us. The world is evolving in such a way that the need to increase the warranty period for the preservation of goods is growing. We are constantly working with manufacturers to address this issue. This is not a one-sided work, it must take place in cooperation between both parties. We provide packaging material, the customer, in turn, tests the already packaged product on its own equipment or in an independent laboratory. Today, this is really a very important issue, everyone is trying to extend the shelf life, without using any chemical additives, and achieving results through packaging that protects from external influences.
– One of the main world trends is environmental safety. It is directly related to the field in which you work. How does Tatrafan take care of the environment? How important is waste recycling for your business?
– Vadym: In the production of flexible packaging, we use films that were made from recycled materials. Our supplier has its own waste, which it recycles to form the polypropylene granules needed to create packaging materials. We also cooperate with companies that buy finished semi-finished waste from us. They also process them into pellets and then use them to make products that will not come into contact with food. In addition, we are actively studying the issue of reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. One of the ways to do this is the reverse cycle of technical water use, which we have introduced at the enterprise. For the same purpose we use loaders which work on the electric power. We have completely switched to diode lamps, we regularly landscaping the area. In addition, we have introduced FMEA environmental risk assessment.
– Tell us about investing in Tatrafan. How much money has been invested in the development of the enterprise and how are they implemented?
– Lilia: About five million euros have been invested since 2017 when our company entered the market called Tatrafan. The investment took place in two stages. In 2017, we raised 2.5 million euros. With these funds, the equipment was updated, we have a modern printing machine in eight colors, a new laminator and a cutting and packing machine. In 2020-2021, we invested another 2.5 million euros, which allowed us to further expand the fleet of equipment. Tatrafan has the possibility of solvent and solvent lamination, application of cold glue, selective varnish and work with materials that require further heat treatment.
– Big investments are a big responsibility to investors. What are the company’s goals in the context of market coverage and further development of the enterprise?
– Lilia: We strive to be one of the largest manufacturers of polymer packaging in Ukraine, to be in the top five without losing quality and “flexibility”, while maintaining an individual approach to each client. Yes, as we work now. And of course, provide good profits for the company.