continued on page 00 y HEALTH www.industriouspublication.com ISSUE 00 | 2013 THE INDUSTRIOUS PUBLICATION 00 MEGA DISPOSABLES SA www.megadis.gr 00 THE INDUSTRIOUS PUBLICATION ISSUE 00 | 2013 www.industriouspublication.com F ounded by a group of engineers under the guidance of C Vitouladitis, an expert in disposables manufacturing, MEGA Disposables has managed to combine technical expertise with consumer insight throughout the years, and has followed a vision to produce innovative mega brands. In the 33 years of its life, MEGA Disposables has become synonymous with top quality and is recognised for approaching personal hygiene with innovation, with the utmost respect to the need of consumers for skin-friendly materials. This innovative positioning gradually transformed the MEGA Disposables SA, is a Greek company that started from scratch and grew into a thriving business trading in a range of high quality disposables: sanitary napkins, panty liners, baby diapers, wet wipes, cotton and incontinence products. One of the most technically advanced manufacturers of personal hygiene products, it holds the number two position in Greece (after P&G) in this category and number one in several others. Sophie Roche looked at the company in more detail for the following article. Worldwide company from a small producer of ear swabs to the manufacturer of an entire personal hygiene disposables range, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and very strict quality control procedures. Now, with more than 300 employees, MEGA Disposables holds the number two position in disposables in the Greek market, exports to more than 25 countries, and experiences continuous growth in select contract manufacturing with well-known multinationals. SALES GROWTH Growing organically, MEGA Disposables’ turnover has more than tripled since 2000. When comparing figures from 2009 and 2012, the company’s sales grew by 22 percent, its personnel increased by 11 percent and it maintained profitability and credibility whilst also continually investing. This can in someway be attributed to MEGA Disposables’ focus on the consumer, its utmost personnel motivation and strong preference to produce what it sells. Awarded a number of credits, including the ‘Diamonds’ honour by Statbank since 2011, the ‘Strongest Companies in Greece’ by ICAP since 2010 and the ‘Ruban d’Honeur’ certificate by the European Business Awards for outstanding performance, best practice, company ethics and innovation, it is also ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety) certified. Regulations are important to MEGA Disposables’ industry, particularly for its new range of ‘sensitive’ and ‘all-cotton’ products, which combine top absorbency levels with exceptional skin-friendly properties. All products in the range are tested and certified for their quality standards and skin-friendliness by well- respected international institutes: baby diapers are recommended by the Hellenic Association and Paediatric Dermatology and Oeko-TexR Standard 100 certified to confirm the absence of harmful substances, whilst feminine hygiene products have been dermatologically and gynaecologically tested and are recommended by the Associations of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians in several countries where the company is present. The first ‘sensitive’ sanitary napkin was launched in Europe in 1997 under the brand, ‘Every Day’; this line now holds 37 percent of the market share against multinational leader P&G. Following its success, the first ‘All Cotton’ top-sheet panty liner was launched in Europe in 1998, which has become the leading product of its type in Greece for the last decade, with a 43 percent market share. Launched in 2004, its special ‘Sensitive’ fem care range for women suffering from menorrhagia is also extremely successful, whilst its production of the first ‘Sensitive’ baby diaper in 2011 received the Oeko-texR certificate and was characterised as yet another successful launch, as the product’s market share increased by more than 15 ppt in less than 2 years. EMPLOYEES AND THE ENVIRONMENT A company that views quality as paramount, MEGA Disposables ensures that all its products are of a very high standard: from training its personnel in specific production processes, to installing online inspection cameras, to working alongside a consumer complaints index, which reports less than three complaints per million of packs sold. It is finely tuned to the wants of its customers and as such, feels that MEGA Disposables, its customers and its personnel all grow together as a big family; it appears its employees share the same view. A motivated workforce, the employees of MEGA Disposables feel proud to work for a company that has increased personnel despite the economic crisis and supports their living standards by securing their income, providing them with excellent working conditions and being attentive to their needs. In addition, MEGA Disposables also continues to invest in Greece while many other companies outsource their products to cost-effective countries outside Europe, particularly those in Asia; the company is committed to contribute to the loss of European jobs. As well as corporate social responsibility, the company is also an advocator of environmental protection and implements its concern in a number of ways. Recycling more than 70 percent of its solid waste, all liquid waste is treated to be certified for watering plants and high tech filter cartridges have been invested into by MEGA Disposables to collect 99 percent of dust emitted during production. It has also developed an eco-friendly technology over the last 10 years, which took a number of research and development resources and the modification of certain production processes; this project was a complete success and an indication of the company’s dedication to improving the eco-system. MACHINERY AND EXPORTS The company invests in state-of-the-art machinery, leading-edge quality assurance systems and highly qualified personnel continually. In the past decade, MEGA Disposables invested almost €90 million in new machinery equipment, quality control systems, and plant infrastructure. Implementing these investments, the company has achieved much export growth. MEGA Disposables began its export sales in the 1990s and now attributes 32 percent of its total turnover to international markets. Aiming to become a major player in the global industry of hygienic Innovative D isposables Expanding N SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN S ECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPE ECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPEC SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SP PECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIM CIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIM ECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN N SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIME MEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN MEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SP CIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIME EN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN MEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPEC IMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SP N SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPE SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN S ECIMEN SPECIMEN SPECIMEN