Colart Visits edding Factory as Partnership Deepens

December 16, 2022 | |
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December 1st marked a second step in the relationship between edding and Colart, as Dominique Murzeau, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Bruno Lebourdais, Global Supply Chain Director and Jasper van der Wurff, Business Development Director, travelled to Bautzen, just outside of Dresden in Germany, to visit the edding factory.

 

 

Image:  Bruno, Jasper and Dominque outside the edding factory

The team met with Thorsten Streppelhof, Chief Business Officer and Olaf Seidel, Vice President Sourcing and Development, to explore collaborative opportunities in the areas of manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, with the highlight of the day being a tour of the edding manufacturing site.

“It was interesting to see that not only do our strategy and values align, but also in our approach to quality of manufacturing and some processes”,  says Bruno. “We both manufacture niche products and discovered that we have similar operational processes and even the same suppliers for some machinery and raw materials.”

Images:  Placed at the entrance to the factory, this visual shows the steps taken from raw material to finished product

The driving force that led to the edding partnership is the similarities in operations and company culture. “It is nice to see that we both fit well together.  In some areas, Colart is more advanced or experienced, especially in terms of governance and measures.  However, edding has strong capabilities with its own moulding machines and optimised plastic material recycling. There is a lot we can learn from one another”, says Dominique.

Discussions are already underway for future collaborative projects, and this visit marks the start of a journey together. “The edding partnership is an evolving relationship and is beginning to achieve what we had set out to do”, says Jasper. “We really complement each other; this partnership is more than a transactional commercial activity.  It’s the start of a long-term strategic partnership and a win/win for both businesses. I can’t wait for the new year to begin”.

For more information on the edding partnership, please read the launch news article from August 2022, by clicking here.

Images: the edding founders and their entrepreneurial spirit are still very much alive in the DNA of everything that edding does.

This mural at the entrance of the site is dedicated to both of them.

Image: The fully automated marker manufacturing lines were explained and seen in action

Image: pallets of products awaiting pick up to send to customers

Comments

  1. I learned so much, both from the visit as well as by spending time with Dominique and Bruno, who are both sources of knowledge within Colart. Thanks to both of them for making themselves available for this trip (as it really is not easy to get there…) and looking forward to where follow up conversations might lead!