“We are buying a solution”

The Dmitrovskie Group is Russia's oldest supplier of vegetable products for the domestic retail market. In recent years, the company has actively driven forward its vegetable processing business and expanded its range of pre-packed sliced vegetables, salads and cooked vegetable products.

In order to increase the competitiveness of the rapidly growing, family-run company, the owners decided to focus on the automation of the production processes and concentrate in particular on the filling and packaging operations. MULTIVAC was selected as the strategic partner for the packaging technology. Ivan Filippov, Development Director for the Dmitrovskie Group, reports in this interview on his experiences in the mutual collaboration with the experts from MULTIVAC.

Mr Filippov, your company's range of activities includes not only the cultivation and supply of vegetables, but also the processing of these into vegetable products.

That is correct. We now feel rather misunderstood, when we are described as farmers. The Dmitrovskie Group has actually been involved in food processing for about a decade now. In 2009 we were the first company to launch washed vegetables from our own production onto the market. We are now the market leader in this sector.

About one and half years ago, initially as a trial operation, we started to produce cooked vegetable products, i.e. pasteurised and sterilised. It took a whole year for us to master the new production process for the vegetables, so their vitamins and micro-nutrients could be retained, while at the same time providing the shelf life for the product without the addition of preservatives. Today we are able to offer potatoes with and without skin, as well as beetroot.

It takes only a few minutes to cook these products since they just have to be heated in the microwave. Thanks to our new production line, we can now offer high-quality products as healthy convenience foods to consumers who have too little time or inclination for cooking.

Are the processed products packed on an industrial scale?

Yes. The expansion of our product range to include those with a greater degree of processing required a rethink on our part, involving a completely new approach to packaging. By investing in new packaging technology, we also set ourselves the aim of automating the production process as completely as possible - right up to the filling of the finished product.

By completely automating the packaging process, we also wanted to ensure our products would meet the strict hygiene regulations. At the same time,our intention was also to increase the productivity and efficiency of our production by reducing the number of workplaces for less qualified staff. Another benefit of introducing a new packaging solution was a longer shelf life for our products, which would further consolidate our customers' trust in our branded products.

Which packaging technology did you decide upon?

We currently use several thermoforming packaging machines from MULTIVAC.

Surprisingly the price as a selection criterion is not even worth a mention by them ...

That, which is good, can not be cheap. Quality has its price.

That means you were prepared to accept the price level of the market leader for packaging technology in Europe?

Essentially, it comes down to evaluating the price correctly. Here it is a question of considering not only the initial investment, but also much more the total costs of ownership, in other words the total cost of the investment over its entire lifespan. Ultimately it is also about the certainty, that the technology is future-proofed, and that there will be no problems with it over the next ten years. Given these preconditions, we were prepared to pay the appropriate price for the MULTIVAC packaging machines. And I am absolutely convinced, that every single rouble was well spent. We also conducted extensive research in the market for packaging machines, during which we spoke to a large number of our Russian and European partners, before we entered into the collaboration with MULTIVAC.

And after one year of cooperation there is presumably no reason to doubt the correctness of your decision?

I can say with complete conviction, that we have found the right partner for long-term collaboration. We are completely satisfied with MULTIVAC in every respect. This means not just price but also servicing and the assistance from MULTIVAC's local specialists.

Whenever the operating data from the machines is assessed, we always receive the technician's recommendations on how the operation of each machine can be optimised. With MULTIVAC, one never buys a "pig in a poke" as the expression goes. I always like to use the opportunity of getting information, for example, about a new model from MULTIVAC on the market. This means I am always kept up to date. Sometimes we can see or even test such models.

And last but not least, it is very important to us that we can order any spare part directly by phone. Spare parts are always delivered to us very quickly and can be fitted on the same day, at or latest, the following morning.

How would you assess the project management by the technical people at MULTIVAC?

I can perhaps best answer that with a typical example. We recently had a project for packing a new sliced vegetable product, and we originally intended to purchase an additional packaging machine. After the specialists at MULTIVAC had examined the User Requirement Specification, they suggested we should retrofit a new die set to the existing thermoforming packaging machine, rather than invest in an additional machine. It is perfectly clear that with such a simple solution we have not only saved money but also been able to use our production area more effectively. I will leave you to judge whether another supplier would have been able to resist the temptation to sell us an additional machine. This is further proof of the value that MULTIVAC staff attach to the brand and the company, and how they see their relationship with the customer.

We have a motto here that the best partner is the one whom we never ask about the price. And who never asks us when we will pay. The MULTIVAC company has proven to us that it is such a partner. And today when I give my colleagues in the sector advice about packaging technology questions, I always recommend to all of them they opt for MULTIVAC as a supplier. Yes, it is more expensive in the initial investment, but ultimately it pays off, since over the long term many unnecessary problems can be avoided.