How Central Extrusion Planning is helping Wipak strengthen customer service through smarter, more connected operations

As customer expectations continue to evolve, manufacturers face increasing pressure to deliver greater reliability, flexibility and transparency across their supply chains. At Wipak, meeting those expectations is an important part of our Horizon 2030 ambition to operate as one connected group while delivering consistent value to customers across markets.

One initiative helping turn that vision into reality is the Central Extrusion Planning (CEP) project, a key part of Wipak’s Smart Operations transformation. The project is reshaping how extrusion capacity, inventory and demand are planned across the organisation, moving from primarily site-based planning toward a coordinated group-level approach.

The goal is not simply to introduce new tools or processes. It is to create greater visibility across the network, strengthen collaboration between teams and enable more proactive decision-making that ultimately benefits customers.

Looking beyond today’s orders

Wipak operates in a highly complex manufacturing environment, serving customers with thousands of product variants across multiple markets. Coordinating production and inventory across such a network requires more than simply responding to incoming orders.

The Central Extrusion Planning project focuses on increasing visibility across the supply chain, enabling teams to identify future requirements earlier and make better-informed planning decisions. By looking further ahead, Wipak can align capacity, inventory and customer demand more effectively, helping to reduce uncertainty and support more consistent service levels.

As Marko Obrknezev, Supply Chain Director, explains:

“The whole project is about increasing transparency, thinking ahead and solving problems before they become a problem.”

This forward-looking approach supports a stronger foundation for long-term growth while helping Wipak continue adapting to changing customer and market needs.

Breaking down silos through collaboration

While technology plays an important role, the transformation is equally about people and ways of working.

Historically, planning decisions were largely managed at site level, reflecting the strengths of a business that has grown through strong local operations. As Wipak continues to evolve, however, there is increasing value in viewing the network as one connected system, where expertise, capacity and resources can be coordinated across the group.

The CEP project introduces a central planning organisation that works across sites, helping to create a shared view of demand, capacity and inventory throughout the network. This supports closer collaboration between Sales, Supply Chain and Operations while also contributing to Wipak’s broader ambition of operating as one unified group.

According to Marko Obrknezev, the benefits extend beyond operational efficiency:

“We are not only talking about supply chain transformation. This is a cultural transformation of Wipak.”

By bringing teams together around common objectives and shared information, the project is helping strengthen collaboration across the organisation and build new capabilities for the future.

Creating value for customers

Although much of the work takes place behind the scenes, the ultimate goal remains clear: creating a better customer experience.

For customers, reliability and predictability are critical. They need confidence that their packaging partner can support their production plans and help them respond to changing market conditions.

The CEP project is designed to strengthen Wipak’s ability to provide this consistency. Improved visibility across the network will help teams balance demand and capacity more effectively, identify potential constraints earlier and support more predictable lead times over time.

As planning capabilities continue to mature, customers can benefit from a more transparent and responsive supply chain that is better equipped to support long-term partnerships.

Combining expertise with digital innovation

A major milestone in the transformation has been Wipak’s partnership with RELEX, a leading provider of supply chain planning solutions. Earlier this year, Relex was selected as Wipak’s S&OP software partner, supporting the company’s efforts to build more advanced planning capabilities across the organisation.

With more than 25,000 active SKUs moving through the business, planning decisions involve a significant level of complexity across products, customers and manufacturing locations. Relex will provide planners with enhanced tools to analyse data, improve forecasting capabilities and gain greater visibility across the network, supporting faster and more informed decision-making.

Importantly, technology is only one part of the transformation. Alongside new processes, centralised expertise and stronger collaboration across teams, digital tools help create the foundation for a more proactive and data-driven planning environment.

Building capabilities for the future

The Central Extrusion Planning project has already reached several important milestones. The CEP organisation is now established, key planning roles have been filled and responsibility for most extrusion lines has already transitioned to the central planning team.

For Marko Obrknezev, one of the most rewarding aspects of the initiative is its broad impact across the business.

“I’m very excited about how holistic this transformation is. It includes the cultural change, the organisational change and the software element.”

As Wipak continues its journey towards a more connected and collaborative operating model, Central Extrusion Planning demonstrates how people, processes and technology can work together to support better decision-making, stronger customer service and long-term operational excellence.