Ecoprint’s production warehouse now has even more storage space
In recent years, the demand for Ecoprint’s primary materials, corrugated board and cardboard, has steadily increased, making the need for additional storage space essential. Ecoprint’s decision to invest in expanding its building was sparked by a fortuitous opportunity that opened up new possibilities for improving production processes and logistics. In this article, we explain why we decided to expand our production facility, how this change affects our daily operations, and what new benefits it brings to our customers and the environment.
The idea of expanding the production building
Our primary materials, corrugated board and cardboard, have seen a steady increase in usage over the past 3 years. As a result, our existing storage space was maxed out by the beginning of 2023. We were forced to rent additional space in the same village, as storing the materials in a tent or outdoors was not feasible. “Even then, it seemed unreasonable in the long term (both financially and logistically), but there was no better solution at the time. The aforementioned fortuitous offer came from our landlord, who proposed purchasing the rental property for Ecoprint. The deal was finalized in July of this year,” explains Ecoprint’s CEO, Margo Tärn, providing background on the expansion.
The size of the added area
Architecturally, Ecoprint’s printing house is U-shaped and somewhat wasteful in terms of its spatial layout. In consultation with experts, we found a solution to reduce the asphalt area in the middle of the building, bring this area under a roof and, at the same time, create a “cutout” for a new storage room. The floor area increased by 215 m², which is equivalent to the rented area, but more than 2 times larger than the original warehouse in our factory. If we mention the fact that the ceiling height is 4 meters, then the cubic volume of goods that we can store is almost 4 times larger than before.
The significance of the expansion
The expansion has a significant impact on the company’s operations. The logistics between the warehouse and the factory are eliminated – in case of a quick and unexpected need, the material can be used immediately, as the climate (humidity and temperature) in the warehouse is the same as elsewhere in production. “When planning the extension, we naturally also thought about the future and let’s just say that we are ready for new opportunities. I’ll keep it brief for now, but when the time is right, we will definitely announce this news to you,” says CEO Margo Tärn.
The impact of the expansion on the customer
Today, the most significant impact of the additional warehouse space is the improvement of our market position. After the completion of the warehouse in September, we can store a significantly larger quantity of corrugated board and cardboard. This results in lower carbon emissions from transportation, shorter lead times for customers, and even greater delivery reliability for our contract customers. “Since storage also involves costs and the material is only one part of the finished package, this investment will not have a negative impact on the final price,” says Siim Rostin, the company’s sales director.
“Due to the increasing volume of packaging, we have a greater responsibility to our customers to ensure the availability of paper, cardboard, and corrugated board at a stable price. To ensure this, we order cardboard and corrugated board directly from the factory. Factory orders have given us the opportunity to provide our customers with better prices and delivery terms,” he adds.
The environmental impact of the expansion
Thanks to the new warehouse, we can place full-load orders at factories, which in turn means a smaller CO₂ impact of transporting cardboard to the printing house. “The ability to store larger quantities of materials means that trucks will not be delivering partial loads but full loads (24 tons). This, together with less frequent material deliveries, means lower CO₂ emissions. Since we only have two months of data to analyze, it’s too early to say anything numerically,” notes Margo Tärn.
Does and how does the expansion affect employees and the production process?
The production process is exactly the same as before, but somewhat faster. Thanks to the expansion, it is now easier to plan, as the material logistics from the rented space to the factory is eliminated. The production efficiency, according to calculations, should improve by 10%. Whether this will actually happen, it is too early to say today, we will be able to make the first analysis at the end of 2025.
Ecoprint’s next steps after the production facility expansion
“A new printing house,” Siim Rostin chuckles.
“In an article published earlier this spring, I said that we wouldn’t be resting on our laurels. To be very honest, Ecoprint has never engaged in this ‘pleasant’ activity during its existence. We are focused on producing high-quality and environmentally friendly packaging today, tomorrow, and on New Year’s Eve next year. We need to constantly be aware of what is happening in the market, where our valued customers, active competitors, and partners are headed. But coming back to the present day, we are not yet designing a new printing house. That doesn’t mean we haven’t talked about it. Long-term plans start with dreaming, and we do that too – you probably know that dreams have a way of coming true,” summarizes the sales director Ecoprint’s future plans.