HEALTH & WELLNESS Staying strong despite
the pandemic When the world looks back on 2020, it will stand out as the year of the coronavirus pandemic. Like many players in the pre-press industry, K Creation & Production found itself confronted with new uncertainties. Ultimately, the agency’s organic and adaptive strategy is what kept it going in the middle of chaos and confusion.
T
he year 2020 will forever be known as the year coronavirus turned everything upside down, disrupting economies and the lives of many across the world. Global packaging design agency K Creation & Production (KCP) is no exception, but is pulling through. So, how did the agency manage to stay the course in 2020? And how did the pandemic impact the way it works and its vision of the future? Nearly 40 years ago, KCP was just emerging as a small agency in Brussels, fi nding its way into the packaging and pre-press business. It gradually established specialised in-house resources, including colour management, photography and prototyping. Over the decades, it grew into a successful worldwide operation with beverage giants and other FMCG companies at the top of its client list. KCP now holds a unique position in the industry as a one-stop print management agency with a vast range of high- quality packaging design, artwork and pre-press services, as well as creative and technical expertise that covers the entire print management chain.
Moving forward
Needless to say, KCP has weathered its fair share of storms. But a viral pandemic was not part of the agency’s playbook. The coronavirus crisis sent shock waves throughout the world, which could be felt in the packaging industry as well, bringing many uncertainties. With no idea how bad it would get or how long it would last, KCP had no choice but to move forward. That’s something the agency does know how to do. With a long tradition of hitting the ground running, it took these unsettling developments in its stride.
40 | Beverage Essentials Handbook
The agency reacted with its usual agility. Work- from-home measures were swiftly implemented for the safety of all staff and clients. “Overnight, our teams were equipped at home with workstations and communication tools, which allowed us to seamlessly continue providing services to our clients with the same fl exibility and quality as before,” says Renaud Van Cauter, global client director for PepsiCo. “At the same time, our production teams for proofi ng and mock-ups were able to safely access the offi ce while observing all physical distancing and hygiene measures. These practices quickly became second nature and we transitioned into our new way of working very smoothly, very consistently, without missing a beat.” The next thing was to see how the business would do. But it didn’t have to wait long to realise that things were moving ahead in the right direction. The agency’s turnover has been growing steadily over the past several years and 2020 was no exception. As a result, agency staff and client confi dence is high. “We have seen ourselves through a number of crises during our 40- year history and we always came out stronger on the other side,” says Thierry Dumont, the agency’s founder and CEO. “So, although we were concerned, we stayed optimistic and determined.” As an agency of teams that value their shared time and interpersonal working relationships, KCP was never a work-from-home agency. Like a close-knit family, the employees have supported each other for many years. But that’s exactly what helped carry them through until today. They discovered a new way of growing.
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