British corrugated packaging manufacturer DS Smith opened its first hybrid Customer Innovation Center in Lisbon, Portugal this month.
This site is designed to enable the development of innovative packaging through exchanges between customers and DS Smith experts, both remotely and in person. Two Customer Innovation Centers will open soon in France. "The locations will be in the West and the North" says DS Smith, who can't give more details at the moment.
In order to allow a fluidity in remote exchanges, the hybrid Customer Innovation Center is equipped with audiovisual technology, augmented reality equipment, an LED wall as well as pan tilt zoom (PTZ) cameras capable of being moved and zoomed automatically.
"The acceleration of business digitization spawned by the health crisis has given rise to 'hybrid consumers' who expect agility and excellence in all shopping environments, whether physical or online, says Yann Blanc, marketing and innovation sales manager at DS Smith Packaging France. This trend also applies to companies, which must adapt to this new context to meet the needs of their customers, whose expectations are now closer to those of everyday consumers."
After the opening of the Lisbon center, DS Smith, which employs 30,000 people in 30 countries, plans to open centers in all regions where it operates by the end of 2023.
