The group consists of Auraprint (Finland), Arca Etichette (Italy), Carini (Austria), Digi-Paq (Belgium), Eshuis (the Netherlands), IPE (Spain), and Mercian Labels (the United Kingdom).

“Concordia does not sell anything itself and is not a legal entity; rather, it is a strategic alliance of independent companies. We share information about market trends, technology, and best practices, and we challenge each other to improve. This naturally also creates commercial benefits, for example in the procurement of raw materials,” says Francesc Egea, CEO of IPE.

There is no membership fee, but membership requires commitment to certain responsibilities. Each member company appoints one representative to the Concordia board, which meets twice a year at the production facilities of different member companies. Several subcommittees operate under the board, and Auraprint’s CEO Jussi Oksanen is a member of the procurement committee.

“Our cooperation is most strongly reflected in joint procurement of raw materials. We combine our purchasing volumes, allowing us to procure with significantly greater strength. At the same time, we share experiences regarding suppliers, quality, and service,” Oksanen explains.

The strength of joint procurement lies in improving the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies against large corporations by joining forces.

“However, the final procurement decisions are always made independently by each company. Cooperation improves the competitiveness of the group’s members but does not restrict their own supply chains,” Oksanen adds.

The Concordia board meets remotely every other month. These meetings focus on the status of procurement and future needs. In addition, the technical and production committee meets twice a year in the form of workshops and factory visits.

“We can gain information and learn about new technologies and investments without everyone having to figure everything out independently,” says Peter Overbeek, CEO of Eshuis.

Increased reliability of supply through cooperation

All member companies manufacture self-adhesive labels, but as different companies also produce other products, members can, if necessary, sell each other’s products.

“One of the major benefits of Concordia is the ability to transfer production to another company while still managing the customer relationship oneself. This is much easier with trusted partners than by outsourcing production to a completely unknown operator,” says Adrian Steele, CEO of Mercian Labels.

One of the greatest advantages is improved resilience in crisis situations, which became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Group members are committed to supporting one another even in unexpected situations that may cause major disruptions to production.

“Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we learned how important broad material availability is. We are now better prepared for similar situations. When entering into new customer relationships, it is also a major advantage to be able to say that we are members of the Concordia Group, as there are now seven reliable partners helping each other in potential delivery challenges,” says Roberto Sala, CEO of Arca Etichette.

The future Concordia Group will be even more comprehensive

The Concordia Group aims to expand geographically. Currently, the group comprises seven companies, but according to Simon Sohm, CEO of Carini, the goal is to grow to around ten member companies.

“We still lack coverage, for example, in Ireland, France, and Eastern Europe. The ideal member company has a turnover of approximately €10–50 million, is owner-managed and independent in its decision-making, and its management team must be able to communicate in English. An appropriate size enables agility and fast decision-making, which is an advantage compared to large corporations,” Sohm explains.