Interviewer: Good afternoon, Ronald. We are curious about how APG Europe applies innovation in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Can you tell us more about that?
Ronald van Haaften: Good afternoon! Of course. At APG, we understand that innovation starts with listening carefully to our customers. By understanding the essence of their needs, we develop practical and innovative solutions. This can range from developing new products to optimizing supply chain management solutions.
Interviewer: Can you give an example of how you apply this innovation in practice?
Ronald van Haaften: A good example is our online customer portal. We offer customers the ability to manage their own safety stock, contracts, and delivery schedules 24/7. This ensures optimal availability and efficiency, exactly when the customer needs it.
Interviewer: How does APG look to the future in terms of innovation?
Ronald van Haaften: We focus on reducing invested capital and increasing production capacity. We do this by optimizing the availability of products and resources.
Interviewer: And what about the utilization of production capacity?
Ronald van Haaften: Yes, we are strongly focused on efficiently utilizing our production capacity. This is essential for delivering timely and cost-effective solutions to our customers.
Interviewer: How does this affect APG’s supply chain?
Ronald van Haaften: With greater visibility of the supply chain, we can reduce inventory and storage capacity. This leads to more efficiency and cost savings.
Interviewer: Does APG also focus on Total Cost of Ownership?
Ronald van Haaften: Certainly, we manage TGS and PDS to minimize the risk of inventory, waste, spillage, and cross-contamination. This is an integral part of our strategy to control costs.
Interviewer: What is APG doing in terms of service innovation?
Ronald van Haaften: We are continuously improving our internal service level through proactive alignment and collaboration with our partners. This includes suppliers, intermediaries, and external service providers.
Interviewer: Can you tell us more about your logistics solutions?
Ronald van Haaften: At APG, we strive to always go a step further with our logistics solutions. This includes in-house batch release management, bridging lead times through delivery schedules, JIT deliveries, and integrating call-off contracts. This ensures a continuous and efficient supply chain, tailored to the specific needs of our customers.
Interviewer: Does one-stop shopping play a role at APG?
Ronald van Haaften: Absolutely. We offer a complete range of packaging services in one place to maximize convenience for our customers. This includes total packaging advice, where we assist with selecting, storing, customizing, filling, sealing, printing, packaging, and distributing products. This comprehensive offering ensures that our customers can rely on us for all their packaging needs.
Interviewer: Finally, how important is electronic data interchange (EDI) for APG?
Ronald van Haaften: EDI is crucial for us. It allows us to provide real-time information and inventory management, resulting in more efficient and transparent processes for our customers.
Interviewer: Thank you very much, Ronald, for sharing your insights on innovation at APG Europe.
Ronald van Haaften: My pleasure. It was a pleasure to discuss our innovative approaches.