Well-known industry personality and general manager of Result Group, Michael Dossor is an active industry contributor, participating in education forums and on advisory groups helping to shape the packaging industry’s future.
PKN asks him about his career highlights and his convictions on the packaging industry's future.
How did you come to carve out a niche in packaging and what have been significant milestones along your journey?
Thirty-four years ago a “very green, but very keen” version of me was watching all my mates get apprenticeships and start to make money. I applied for a job as an apprentice service technician at Southcorp Technology Systems when coding and marking systems were in the launch phase, and was lucky enough to get the job. The GM of the division I was working for “took me under his wing” and I quickly progressed through technical training roles into sales. I went on to start up an Asia Pacific headquarters for a Belgian producer of inspection systems and then progressed though senior roles in self adhesive material supply and label printing industries before bringing all that experience together at Result Group.
Covid has brought to bear an extreme set of circumstances for packaging companies. As a leader, what have you found most challenging for your business?
Decision making amid uncertainty is not easy. Making bold decisions and taking actions that would feel risky in normal times was a challenge that not only myself, but more importantly the Result team, welcomed and eagerly embraced. So, against the backdrop of Covid destruction, Result surged ahead to lead the smart packaging revolution in Australia with the launch of a number of digital technologies enabling cross-industry solutions including brand authentication, counterfeiting, track and trace monitoring and consumer engaging content. Yes, we love to shake things up!
A highlight of this year would surely have been the very successful Hungry Jack’s Uno digitisation of packaging project. What do you think this means for the uptake of smart packaging in Australia?
I think this is one of the most exciting times for brands and we’ve seen some of the best work come out during the pandemic – work that is absolutely customer-focused. The Hungry Jack’s project is the perfect example of a brand that has turned a crisis (Covid-19) into their biggest creative opportunity.
Brands still need to find growth and to do so need a competitive edge and, in my opinion, a great strategy, creative, and smart packaging are key essentials to making this happen.
The immense marketing potential offered by smart technologies allows brands to have a voice. They can build closer relationships with their customers, share relevant product information, guide us through a technical problem or simply entertain us. The best part is the technology to create and execute such innovation exists now.
As the industry works on various fronts to establish infrastructure and strategies to meet the 2025 National Packaging Targets, what do you think is the biggest challenge that we face?
Despite recent efforts in packaging sustainability, there’s still scope for improvement. Sustainability in the packaging value chain can be improved by facilitating collection and sorting for recycling, composting and re-use. It may not be the most glamorous aspect of the supply chain, but its role is crucial. Sorting to a high degree of purity means polymers can be re-used and become more cost effective. And, more importantly, there are a number of simple steps that brands and manufacturers can explore to improve the recyclability and re-usability of their packaging.
Firstly, less variety may help. Matching label stock to the substrate it is being applied to is efficient packaging design that simplifies the sorting task.
Secondly, wash-off adhesives create a massive opportunity for sustainable packaging. Easy label separation in recycling improves the purity of the recycling material. Ultimately, efficiency in recycling can reduce the costs of recycled content materials.
Lastly, collaboration is key. Applied efforts on how to create ‘norms’ in packaging design, then recycling are in there early stages. Brand owner, packaging material suppliers, recycling organisations, key industry and government bodies must continue the journey we have embarked on.
What are your hopes for industry’s future?
2020 and 2021 have been challenging years yet, despite the unknown, so much has been achieved. We have a unique opportunity in Australia to pivot and lead change in a number of areas. Our market might not be as big as others abroad but that’s an advantage as we can move faster.
I am very optimistic for what we can collectively do to increase our export of fresh produce based food and beverage products. Adopting a framework of long-term innovation is the only way to prepare for emergence on the other side. The world has changed and industry is adapting. At Result, we’re prepared for the future, we’re staying ahead of the game, and we’re pretty excited about it.
This article was first published in the November-December 2021 print issue of PKN Packaging News, p30.
