The Independent Carton Group (ICG), an association of 19 independently owned and operated folding carton manufacturers, is pleased to announce that Henkel is the recipient of its Supplier of the Year Award for 2014. The award was presented during the group’s general membership meeting in Rochester, N.Y.
Joseph Wrona, regional sales director for Henkel, was in attendance to accept the award. “Every ICG member has unique needs, and it has always been a pleasure to work closely with each one to understand their company’s goals and challenges, and customize solutions that deliver value,” he said. “The ICG consists of a dynamic group of companies and a wonderful group of people. We couldn’t ask for better customers. We’re thrilled to know they think so highly of us, too.”
One of the many benefits of ICG membership is participation in the group purchasing program, which began in 1999. Amassing the collective buying power of its members and negotiating vendor contracts as a group enables the ICG to capture volume discounts on the raw materials, supplies and equipment its members use. The ICG currently maintains contracts with over 40 reputable suppliers of paperboard, printing plates, inks, adhesives, rollers, presses and more.
Henkel, one of the largest producers of adhesives technologies in the world, supplies ICG members with adhesives, sealants and functional coatings for folding cartons, cases, corrugated boxes, labels, board lamination, packaging windows, and other packaging and packaging features. The agreement the ICG holds with Henkel today was first inked with National Starch and Chemical about a decade ago. The partnership continued upon Henkel’s 2008 acquisition of National Starch’s adhesives business.
“Henkel has all of the traits we look for in our suppliers: quality products, competitive pricing, personal service and flexibility,” said Jay Willie, executive director of the ICG. “Our members require many types of adhesives for use on many types of substrates. Henkel is not only able to adapt specific products to members’ specific applications, but their size and global reach also help to ensure that our members can get any adhesive they need at the best possible price. It was our pleasure to present Joe and the Henkel team with our Supplier of the Year Award for 2014.”
The Supplier of the Year Award has been presented annually since 2012 to the ICG supplier that receives the highest marks on performance evaluations completed by ICG members for the prior calendar year. Members are asked to rate suppliers on a variety of criteria, including product and service quality, delivery timeliness, invoicing accuracy, personnel expertise, and other key performance metrics. Evaluations are used both as the basis for selecting the annual award recipient and as a means of assessing suppliers and sharing feedback to strengthen partnerships.
