Trust is something irreplaceable both in private and business life. A long career in the paper industry has convinced Olaf Schwemmer about the power of commitment.
"Trust means that you can always count on your partner and know they’re on your side. That’s the way we at UPM want to do business with our customers,” says Olaf Schwemmer, VP Sales, News & Retail at UPM Communication Papers.
Despite the mobile and data network boom, the newspaper industry is currently running at full speed. “Our machines are fully booked. In fact meeting all our delivery deadlines is a challenge for the whole supply chain. We need detailed planning and clear communication on all sides, both internally and with our partners,” Schwemmer affirms.
“Our strength is that we are able to fulfil our contracts despite the high demand for newspaper. Our main mission is building trust and keeping our promises.”
“Doing it right together”
Even during the busiest market cycles – including seasonal peaks such as Christmas – UPM’s customers can rely on seamless delivery, as the whole organization works together to manage high demand levels.
“We have reviewed and analysed all our current processes, from sales planning to contract fulfilment. Many improvements have been made. We have also built up an internal training project called ‘Do it together and right’. With training, we have even been able to further improve our performance.”
Internal training is ongoing across the whole supply chain and sales force in Europe. “Besides building team spirit, the training has increased our understanding of how the whole organization works. Customers are also benefiting: with good planning and cooperation, we are able to avoid pitfalls and unpleasant surprises,” Schwemmer explains.
Sustainable in many ways
Sustainability is the underlying principle upon which UPM Communication Papers builds all its actions. UPM has been listed as the forest and paper industry leader in the Dow Jones European and World Sustainability Indices for the sixth time in a row in 2018. Beyond just developing sustainable products, UPM sees environmental responsibility going hand in hand with financial sustainability.
“We have an extensive network of local contacts, an excellent and experienced organization, mills in several countries, and several machines producing newsprint, which ensures that we can react to demand peaks. This makes it safe to do business with us. We listen to our customers carefully in order to fulfil their needs in best possible way,” Schwemmer states.
“We are committed to the longevity of the newsprint sector. We have a strong focus on Europe but we are also following other areas, for example the influx of demand coming from Asia and India. This gives us and our customers the opportunity to evolve together. The success of our customers is important to us – only together we are strong .”