Sealpac International CEO: Staying ahead of the curve in a rapidly moving market

We sit down with Sealpac International’s CEO Martijn Scheffers, who has been working at the packaging specialist for almost 20 years. Last year, Scheffers was appointed the company’s CEO and says he plans to remain with Sealpac for the rest of his career.

Scheffers tells Packaging Insights about his dedication to the company and the packaging industry, how he expects the market to change in the coming years and how Sealpac’s products are answering customer design and sustainability demands. 

You have been working at Sealpac for the best part of 20 years, what has kept you at the same company for so long?

Scheffers: In one word: Sealpac. That is our owner, since we are a real family business, the products, the colleagues, our distributors and what we stand for together. And if you combine our machinery industry with the creative and always changing world of packaging, and our customers being mainly food producers, all of that on a global scale, you have an optimal mix that is not one day the same. In my opinion, it does not get more challenging.

What is the biggest change you have seen in the company since you started? 

Scheffers: The change of mind going from product selling to solution selling. For Sealpac, with our owner being an engineer, and a factory full of technical people, this has proven to be quite the step. We produce fantastic machines, but what we found out really drives Sealpac, is that we want to solve things for our customers, and do better. 

There lies our real challenge and reward. It is with this in mind we focus now on what we call “sales by service,” meaning the total package of expectations, which our customers have, should be met. Both by us as machine manufacturers as well as by our Sealpac distributors worldwide.

The industry has transformed in the past couple of decades. What is the most important development in your estimation?  

Scheffers: Everything is moving faster with higher demands. More flexibility, more efficient, more data driven. Basically more professional. I think we have come a long way, but now this high standard is creating new problems. For example, our customers and retailers need to achieve substantial plastic reduction targets, but also at the same time adhere to increased local and international regulations for food manufacturing and packaging. 

Meanwhile, the shortage of workers, both technical and in production, is a fact globally. In general, know how is reducing but themes like implementing industry 4.0 and improving traceability are needed. How to cope with all these headaches? And we have not even discussed all the consumer-driven trends yet, which come and go all the time. 

On the supplier side, what we believe is needed are smart and flexible machines, advice from true packaging experts, and innovative packaging solutions that support our customers to meet all these demands. A quick win to instantly achieve plastic reduction with fewer machines and people can be EasyLid.

If there is one major change that the packaging market needs in 2025 what is it? 

Scheffers: Our new thermoformer series, which we will introduce in 2025, is really next level. The global consumers realize that packaging, more specifically plastic, is not by definition bad. Food waste reduction is actually the main sustainability challenge across our industries, with as little packaging as necessary.

What is your biggest ambition for Sealpac now that you are CEO? 

Scheffers: As Sealpac, we have the ambition to bring innovating, carefree packaging to the world. That is what we work for every day. My personal ambition related to that is that, if someone hears the name Sealpac, they link it to exactly that, being future proof, with no headaches. Another big task ahead for Sealpac is expanding our thermoformer program over the next few years in our new 60,000 m2 facility, which has become operational recently.