6 ACT-ON SOFTWARE INDUSTRY NEWS Why marketing automation is


key for the future of pulp and paper As the pulp and paper industry becomes increasingly competitive so the marketing and sales process of papermakers needs to be more effectively automated, says Nina Church-Adams*


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n this increasingly digital world, there are those who predict that the pulp and paper industry is heading


towards extinction. However, the opposite is in fact true. According to McKinsey, the paper and forest-products industry as a whole is growing, with packaging, tissue paper, and pulp for hygiene products thriving across the globe. But this continued growth doesn’t mean that the industry isn’t facing major evolution. New technology and changing customer demands are creating shifts in pulp and paper products. To date, the industry


has coped well in adjusting to the new normal, but it’s crucial that it continues to do so. An aspect of this that needs


to kept in mind is the changing landscape when it comes to marketing and sales, and the opportunity to harness new technologies and approaches to save costs and increase return on investment (ROI). Marketing automation can help marketing and sales teams segment potential customers and send personalised communications to increase conversion rates. Many manufacturing marketers


have traditionally focused on the number of leads as a key metric. It’s easy to work under the theory that the more leads that flow into the top of the sales funnel, the more that will convert to a completed sale. However, more leads don’t always produce more completed sales. A laser focus on lead velocity – that is, improving the conversion rate for leads as they move through the sales pipeline – translates into higher revenue returns while increasing the sales team’s confidence. When marketing focuses on


volume, sales end up kissing a lot of frogs in the hope of finding


the hot leads included in the mix. While there is a finite number of customers in the market for a product at any given time, there comes a point of diminishing returns. When marketing sends sales to too many frogs, they risk losing the sales department’s trust and with it, the value of any leads they pass on. This is where centralised digital


marketing engines, known as ‘marketing automation platforms’, can help – because the right digital marketing engine can dramatically improve the rate at which leads are converted. Here are four areas of


Carton maker SIG uses 100 per cent renewables INDUSTRY NEWS


all of its packs using 100 per cent renewable energy. Germany-based SIG says it is


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sourcing its electricity and gas from suppliers with renewable sources and by ‘effectively eliminating’ greenhouse gas emissions from its operations it has a reached a milestone by contributing more to the environment than it takes out. SIG reports that it has met its 2020 goal to source 100 per cent renewable energy and Gold Standard CO2 offset for all non- renewable energy at production


September/October 2018


septic carton manufacturer SIG claims that it is first in the industry to produce


plants two years early. The switch to 100 per cent renewable electricity was made in 2017 and SIG is now sourcing renewable alternatives for the remaining energy used in production that comes from natural gas. Biogas certificates purchased by SIG are certified to the recognised GoldPower standard to offset 100 per cent of the natural gas used at its production sites from January 2018.


Arnold Schuhwerk, SIG’s global


category manager for energy procurement, said: “We achieved a big milestone last year by securing 100 per cent renewable electricity for production. Sourcing


renewable alternatives for gas was even more challenging because the market for renewable biogas is not yet well established.” With no viable option to source


renewable biogas directly, SIG is sourcing it indirectly instead by supporting projects to construct and operate waste-to-energy systems in China, Thailand and Turkey that capture gas generated at landfill sites and use it to produce renewable energy. Landfill gas from decomposing


waste includes large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Preventing this gas from escaping into the atmosphere helps to avoid harmful climate


impacts, says SIG. The projects are certified to the GoldPower standard, which verifies that they will not only deliver measurable greenhouse gas emission reductions, but also create benefits for local communities, such as air or water quality improvements or job opportunities. “We are supporting projects that


capture harmful greenhouse gases from landfill and convert these into energy,” said Schuhwerk. “We chose the projects because


they are certified to a recognised standard to make sure they have a positive social impact as well as supporting environmental savings.”


Pulp Paper & Logistics


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