Riding the wave of global layout, to create a new benchmark in the raw paper trade industry - Interview with Mo Songjiang, member of the China Packaging Federation's Paper Packaging Committee and general manager of Manfred International Paper

Interview with Mo Songjiang, member of China Packaging Federation's Paper Product Packaging Committee and general manager of Manfred International Paper

In the paper packaging industry is increasingly competitive today, enterprises want to stand out in the market, must continue to improve production efficiency and product quality. However, raw paper as the core raw material for paper packaging production, its price fluctuations and supply stability directly affect the healthy development of the entire industrial chain. Therefore, raw paper trading enterprises play a crucial role in this context, not only to provide packaging enterprises with high-quality and stable supply of raw paper, but also through the optimization of logistics and cost management, to help enterprises maintain a competitive advantage in the fierce market. 

Accompanied by the changing needs of customers and personalized needs continue to improve, the raw paper trading enterprises have also put forward higher requirements. So, how can raw paper trading enterprises cope with these challenges? How to optimize product lines and improve service quality to maintain competitive advantage and stand out in the market? 

In this interview, we are honored to invite Mr. Mo Songjiang, member of China Packaging Federation's Paper Packaging Professional Committee and General Manager of Manfred International Paper, who will share in detail how the company achieves strategic breakthroughs amidst globalization, how it maintains steady business growth in a changing market environment, and its long-term goals for the future.

As a well-known raw paper trading enterprise in China, Manfred International Paper has been developing continuously in recent years. Since its establishment in Dongguan in 2012, the company has gradually expanded its business from focusing on traditional products such as carton board to diversified products covering cultural paper, food paper and specialty paper, showing strong market adaptability and development potential. Especially in the context of accelerated globalization, Manfred International Paper has not only established a solid foundation in the domestic market, but also actively explored emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, showing a strong momentum of development. China Paper Packaging: Hello Mr. Mo, thank you for accepting the interview with China Paper Packaging magazine! Since its establishment, Manfred Paper has been developing steadily, and now it has been successfully upgraded to Manfred International Paper, gradually establishing a wider international influence in the industry. Could you share with us how your company has achieved this leap forward step by step during this period? Songjiang Mo: Founded in 2012, Manfred Paper initially focused on sales in the Guangdong region. With the continuous expansion of business, by 2015, we gradually expanded to other provinces in China, and established a comprehensive sales network in South China, East China, North China, Central China and Southwest China, and achieved significant growth. 2018, the company has developed a “strategy of going overseas”, and actively expand the supply of high-quality raw paper resources abroad, and established a partnership with a number of large international high-quality paper suppliers. We have established close cooperation with a number of large-scale international high-quality paper suppliers.

These high-quality products have been supplied to domestic downstream customers in large quantities and have been widely praised. However, since 2022, the growth rate of domestic demand for packaging paper has slowed down due to the global economic downturn, while the continuous expansion of domestic paper production capacity has led to a continuous decline in paper prices, resulting in a gradual weakening of the price advantage of imported raw paper and a bottleneck in our sales growth. After thorough market research, the company decided to adjust its strategy and set up Manfred International Paper in Hong Kong in 2023, as well as offices in Southeast Asia. The Hong Kong company is mainly responsible for the export of domestic raw paper to the global market and engages in the import and export trade of international raw paper. After more than a year of market development, Manfred International Paper has achieved good results and gradually enhanced its brand awareness in multi-country markets, laying a solid foundation for the company's future long-term development.

China Paper Packaging: It is reported that your company's sales network not only covers key cities in China, but also gradually expand to overseas markets, how is your company's global sales network layout? What is the layout of your company's global sales network? What are the major regional markets? In addition, what kind of strategic significance do these markets have for your company's future development? Songjiang Mo: At present, the company's global sales network mainly includes the domestic company, Hong Kong company and Southeast Asia office. The domestic company continues to be responsible for sales in the five major regions of South China, East China, North China, Central China and Southwest China, ensuring our solid layout in the domestic market.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong company and the Southeast Asia office focus on the international market, mainly covering the regions of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. The business layout in these regions completes our global sales network and enables us to effectively respond to changes in demand in different markets. In recent years, with the continued development of the global economy, especially in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East, the demand for the paper packaging industry has been growing rapidly. We have observed rapid economic growth and rising market demand for high quality packaging paper in these regions, with huge market potential. Through our Hong Kong office and Southeast Asia office, we are able to respond to the needs of these markets in a timely manner and quickly adjust our business strategies to meet the diverse needs of our local customers. 

In addition, although relatively new, demand for packaging paper products in the Middle East and Africa is also rising steadily, especially as a result of the rapid development of e-commerce and industry. Our presence in these regions not only helps us diversify our market risks, but also provides a strong impetus for the company's future business growth. Meanwhile, the European market, as an important region in the global paper packaging industry, is also a focus of our company's continued efforts in the future, thanks to its demand for high-quality and environmentally friendly products.

China Paper Packaging: How was your company's business development in the first half of this year? At present, the domestic economy is slowing down, how does your company cope with this challenge, maintain the steady development of business and look for new growth opportunities? Songjiang Mo: In the first half of this year, affected by the global economic slowdown, our sales business did encounter certain challenges. In the face of this situation, we have taken a series of countermeasures to ensure the company's sound development and actively seek new growth opportunities. Firstly, we have stepped up our efforts to develop quality raw paper resources. Through in-depth market research, we have established cooperative relationships with more quality raw paper suppliers to ensure the quality and market competitiveness of our products. At the same time, we focused on finding cost-effective products to cope with the pressure from price fluctuations in the market.

 Secondly, we have optimized our internal operations. By improving the efficiency of each position and introducing advanced management tools, we have succeeded in reducing operating costs. These measures enabled us to optimize resource allocation and improve overall operational efficiency while maintaining our original competitiveness. In addition, we actively explored new market opportunities. Despite the slowdown in domestic economic growth, we sought new growth points by expanding our international markets, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Through our presence in these emerging markets, we were able to diversify our risks and capture new business growth opportunities.

Despite the challenges of the global economic slowdown, we believe that with the solutions we have adopted and the concerted efforts of all our employees, we can expect to achieve even greater growth in the near future. China Paper Packaging: The paper packaging industry has changed dramatically in recent years. In response to the different needs of your customers, has your company sufficiently expanded and optimized its products to meet the increasingly diverse needs of the market? Can you briefly introduce your raw paper products to our readers? Songjiang Mo: In recent years, the paper packaging industry, both in the domestic and foreign markets, has experienced significant changes, and the needs of customers have become more and more diverse. In order to cope with these changes, our company has continued to expand and optimize our product line to meet the diversified needs of the market.

Initially, we focused on the supply of raw paper for high-strength corrugated board, boxboard kraftliner and all-wood pulp kraftliner, which have a wide range of applications in carton packaging. However, as market demand changed, we gradually expanded our product line. Now, we not only provide traditional carton paper products, but also add a variety of new paper grades, including: cultural paper, specialty paper and food paper. Cultural paper is mainly used in the printing of books, magazines and artwork, while specialty paper covers a wide range of applications, such as waterproof paper, high temperature resistant paper, etc., to meet the needs of different areas. Food paper, on the other hand, focuses on food packaging, which complies with food safety standards to ensure the quality and hygiene of food. In addition, in order to better serve our customers, we also provide personalized and customized services. If customers have special paper grades or specific personalized needs, we are able to customize them according to their requirements. In this way, we are not only able to meet the individual needs of our customers, but also able to provide our customers with very cost-effective products, thus helping our customers to stand out in the competitive market.

China Paper Packaging: Currently, how does your company ensure the stability and efficient operation of the supply chain in the face of increased uncertainty in the global supply chain? Has Manfred International Paper introduced a new model in raw paper supply chain management to improve the overall supply efficiency?

Songjiang Mo: Ensuring the stability and efficiency of the supply chain is our core task in the current context of increased uncertainty in the global supply chain. To meet this challenge, we at Manfred International Paper have taken a series of measures to enhance the reliability and efficiency of our supply chain. First, we at Manfred Paper have established stable strategic partnerships with dozens of large domestic and international paper manufacturers.

These partners include well-known suppliers and producers in the industry, and we ensure the stability of raw paper supply by signing long-term cooperation agreements and regional authorizations. This strategic cooperation not only provides us with a reliable source of raw materials, but also gives us an advantage in price negotiation and supply priority, effectively reducing supply chain risks.

Second, we have also introduced an advanced supply chain management model. Through the implementation of a more scientific inventory management system, we are able to monitor inventory levels and supply chain status in real time, and adjust our procurement plans in a timely manner to respond to changes in market demand, thereby reducing uncertainty in the supply chain. The implementation of these measures has not only enhanced our overall supply efficiency, but also strengthened our ability to cope with the uncertainties in the global supply chain, providing a strong guarantee for the company's sustainable development. 

China Paper Packaging: How has the customer structure of Manfred International Paper changed with the internationalization process? Are there specific types of customer groups that are increasing? How does your company adjust its products and services to meet the needs of different markets? Songjiang Mo: With the advancement of internationalization, the customer structure of Manfred International Paper has indeed changed significantly.

As I mentioned earlier, Manfred International Paper has introduced cultural paper, specialty paper and food paper, etc. With the broadening of our product lines and the continuous expansion of our markets, our customer groups have gradually diversified. In the past, our main customer base focused on cartonboard customers, who mainly purchased high-strength corrugated paper and kraft paper to meet their carton packaging needs. Now, we not only serve traditional cartonboard customers, but also attract a large number of cultural paper, food paper and specialty paper customers. For example, cultural paper customers include book publishers and art producers, who have high requirements for paper quality and printing results.

Food paper customers are involved in the food packaging sector and place great importance on paper safety and compliance with food standards. In addition, we have also started to serve some specialty paper customers, who have special requirements for the functionality and specific properties of paper, such as waterproof paper and high temperature resistant paper. In addition to the domestic market, in terms of the international market, the number of our customers is also growing. With the expansion of our business in places such as Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, we are gradually attracting customers from these regions. The requirements of these international customers for paper products may differ from those of our domestic customers, and we have adjusted our product specifications and services to meet the specific needs of different markets by gaining a deeper understanding of the needs of each regional market. In addition, we have strengthened our service network in the international market and improved our response time and service quality to our international customers through our localized service team and logistics system. This has not only helped us stay competitive in the domestic market, but also won more customer recognition in the international market. China Paper Packaging: In your opinion, what role does service quality play in the current fierce market competition? How does your company shape brand differentiation by building a perfect service system? Mo Songjiang: I think that service quality plays a crucial role in the whole business activities.

On the one hand, the customer's assessment of the supplier does not only depend on the quality of the product itself, but also on every detail of the whole service process; on the other hand, stable product quality and quality service are the cornerstones of winning customers' trust. Without these two, it will be difficult for enterprises to stand out in the competition. Similarly, we at Manfred International Paper deeply recognize the importance of service quality and know that we cannot gain customers' trust without stable quality and excellent service. Therefore, we have built a perfect service system within the company to shape the differentiation advantage of Manfred International Paper brand. Within the company, we always follow the guiding ideology of “attitude determines everything, details determine success or failure, goals determine the direction, and actions make the future”, and strictly require each position to do their best in each work link. We believe that it is this strict requirements for service quality and continuous improvement that has helped us establish a good brand image in the market. First of all, we focus on the cultivation and improvement of service attitude. We believe that the service attitude of our employees directly affects the experience and satisfaction of our customers. Therefore, through regular training and assessment, we ensure that every employee has professional service skills and a positive service attitude, and is able to proactively respond to customer needs and provide solutions.

Secondly, we emphasize on the detail management in the service process. Whether in order processing, product delivery or after-sales service, we strictly control every link. By establishing a comprehensive service process and quality control system, we are able to identify and solve problems in a timely manner to ensure that every customer experience meets expectations. In addition, we set clear service goals and achieve them through continuous action. We conduct regular customer satisfaction surveys and continuously optimize service processes and improve service quality based on feedback. This customer demand-oriented service model has helped us to continuously improve our service level and gain a unique brand advantage over the competition. China Paper Packaging: Looking ahead, what are the long-term goals of Manfred International Paper? What strategic breakthroughs does your company hope to achieve against the current backdrop of your globalization? Songjiang Mo: Our long-term goal is to develop Manfred International Paper into a leading paper company that is well known in the industry both at home and abroad.
 

In order to achieve this goal, we have set a clear strategic direction and are focusing on promoting two key strategic breakthroughs in the context of the current globalization development. First, we will steadily increase our existing domestic market share. The domestic market remains our core business area, and we will continue to optimize our product mix and improve our service quality to ensure the satisfaction of our existing customers. At the same time, we will also strengthen cooperation with existing customers and tap market potential to consolidate and expand our market share. Secondly, we will vigorously develop foreign emerging markets to lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of our company. In the process of globalization, emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and other regions show great growth potential. We will rapidly expand our market share in these regions by establishing more offices and partnerships, gaining a deeper understanding of the needs of each market, and providing customized products and services. Through the implementation of these strategic initiatives, we believe that Manfred International Paper will create greater value for our customers and gain a foothold in the global paper market.

Afterword: Nowadays, against the background of accelerating globalization and increasingly fierce competition in the market, Manfred International Paper has demonstrated its strong market adaptability and global expansion capability by virtue of its forward-looking strategic vision and continuous innovation of products and services. By steadily expanding its product lines, deeply laying out emerging markets, and optimizing its global supply chain, Manfred has not only solidified its leading position in the domestic market, but also gained wide recognition in the international market. As Mr. Songjiang Mo shared, Manfred International Paper has always been focusing on customers' needs and has won the trust of many customers by providing high-quality products and personalized services.

Looking ahead, Manfred will continue to uphold the concept of “Innovation, Quality and Service” to maintain its competitive edge in the fierce market environment and continue to pursue a breakthrough in globalization strategy. In the era of challenges and opportunities in the paper trading industry, Manfred International Paper is moving towards a higher goal with its keen market insight and steady business strategy。