Fluid-Bag's supplier Thrace NG visited our headquarters and production
Keeping in close contact with our suppliers is key to be able to manufacture products of highest possible quality.
Recently, we had the pleasure of having George Sagias from Thrace NG visiting our headquarters and production.
More than 20 years of collaboration
Thrace NG is one of the biggest producers of technical fabrics in Europe. Their core business is the production of woven and nonwoven fabrics made of Polypropylene with a vertically integrated production, located in North Greece.
"Our collaboration with Thrace goes back over 20 years and they are an important supplier for us. We have always had a good cooperation”, says Susanna Hanstén, Procurement Manager at Fluid-Bag.
"I especially appreciate that it has always been easy to communicate with Thrace. It was a pleasure meeting George and I'm glad he took the time to come here to our facilities."
The company is part of Thrace Group with the headquarters being in Athens, Greece. Other companies of the Group in the Technical Fabrics sector, are in Scotland (Don&Low), Ireland (Thrace Synthetic Packaging), Norway (Thrace Polybulk) and in the USA (Lumite) producing and trading Technical Textiles.
The Group has overall more than 2.000 employees with physical presence in 9 countries.
George, you have just recently visited the Fluid-Bag headquarters and production here in Jakobstad, what was your impression?
"The warm welcome combined with the spacious, very clean and recently renovated premises depict Fluid Bag’s professionalism, a vision towards future and a sustainable policy."
"Susanna offered me a very nice overview of the company’s profile which helped me understand better your products and the markets that you are targeting."
During his visit, George was guided through our production process.
"The visit at the production definitely showed how much priority you give in good quality and how much you follow specific procedures. All employees were keen to discuss, to explain and to try to find solutions with respect to each other and showing team spirit."
"It is always a pleasure to cooperate with companies like Fluid Bag which have a vision, a working environment that respects its employees and invest in the future."
People, Planet, Product; Thrace Group’s 3 pillars within sustainability
Being a company that serves the world with bulk packaging, we at Fluid-Bag have a key role in sustainability.
Not only can our flexible IBC containers reduce the carbon footprint for our customers, but the fact also that end-users lowers their amount of residue practically contribute to less waste material.
Just as Fluid-Bag, Thrace Group continuously work with sustainability within their daily operations.
"In an era characterised by multiple crises in the economy, health, energy, and geopolitical stability, it is crucial for businesses to take responsibility and lead in creating a more sustainable future", says George.
For social sustainability, Thrace Group focuses on health of the employees and supporting the local community. Plus, over the years, they have donated more than 3 million certified surgical masks to over 300 humanitarian NGOs.
In environmental perspective, Thrace Group is a member of Circular Plastics Alliance. This means that the company has voluntarily pledged to the European Union that they will have replaced 8,500 tons of virgin raw materials with recycled ones, by 2025.
And as we at Fluid-Bag have done as well, Thrace Group is measuring their CO2 emissions from the operations during production.
Within product development, the company among other things invest in R&D for lighter, easily recyclable products that maintain their durability.
"The strategy for continuous growth, coupled with a commitment to sustainability, lays the foundations for the future prospects of the group, which is dynamically navigating the new business environment that is shaping up. It can meet challenges and seize opportunities."
"The Group is continuously growing and expanding rapidly. It develops in terms of its financial performance and the direct and indirect value it creates, as well as the products it produces. Simultaneously, it demonstrates tangible respect for society and the environment, with Sustainable Development being a 'polymer' collaboration at the core of its strategy and culture."
Trends and current market conditions
Last, we asked George what industry trends he currently sees in the market.
"Due to the recent energy crises, we have noticed a slow-down in different markets such as infrastructure construction, agriculture, building sector, furniture business etc. which is expected to last till mid of 2024."
"On the other hand, the current uncertainty in the external environment in geopolitical matters combined with the inflation has negatively influenced the purchasing power and behavior of customers."
Despite challenging market conditions in several different industries, both we at Fluid-Bag and Thrace NG are looking for opportunities and business flexibility.
"It is hard to predict how the demand will develop and the planning must be constantly adjusted to new market conditions. Nevertheless, especially in recent years, Thrace NG has proved that we can adjust to a fast-moving environment, detecting opportunities based on current market conditions and meeting customer needs and expectations so as to grow and to ‘survive’ along with its customers."
Learn more about Thrace NG and the Thrace Group here: