Actiade Printing, which specializes in digital printing and small and medium batch envelope reprinting, was, like most companies in the sector, heavily impacted by the health crisis. At the beginning of the Covid crisis, the printer ceased all activity for almost a month.
A salutary shift towards a recycling activity
But the company based in Fontcouverte in Charente-Maritime (17) has several strings to its bow. Indeed, Actiade has been developing for several years, in parallel with its printing activity, a paper collection activity called Croq'papier. A diversification which proved particularly beneficial in this difficult period and allowed to ensure the perenniality of the company.
"?Pour for the first time since the company has been in existence, the recycling part made more turnover in July than the imprimerie? part", explains Pascal Monget, the director of the company.
Although this is an anecdotal fact - the printing business has since recovered - it nevertheless reflects a fundamental trend. According to the director, the turnover of the two activities should balance in 2021.
Collection of waste paper to make recycled pulp
Born 5 years ago, Croq'papier collects and destroys all types of paper (paper archives, cardboard, etc.). The company works with the recycled pulp factory located in Château-Thierry in the Aisne region of France belonging to the German group Wepa. The mill (formerly Arjowiggins) has an annual production capacity of around 150?000 tonnes of premium recycled pulp made from office waste paper.
After a cessation of activity of about a month during containment, Croq'papier has now returned to 100%, and even a little more. "?Cette period was used by a number of companies to de-archive, so we saw a volume of archives important?" explains Pascal Monget. Today, the company is able to handle large volumes.
As far as the printing part of the company is concerned, the activity is still suffering the consequences of the crisis on the events sector. The volume of envelopes to be personalised - which is the specialisation of the printing works - has also fallen by a good thirty per cent, the director points out. According to him, part of the market will not return, even if the crisis were to end, due to changes in customer habits (digitization of procedures, etc.). Hence the need to opt for diversification.
