The success of the Mauritian packaging manufacturer Dakri Cartons, particularly in Reunion, is due to its ability to meet a wide variety of quality packaging needs at competitive prices. An entire corporate culture is deployed behind this adaptability. Culture that relies on people to improve company performance.
Involve men in the evolution of work, make improvement a collective advance, a source of competitiveness and innovation : this ambition, which is that of any company, Dakri Cartons has been happily implementing it on a daily basis for several years now. Next to standard packaging, Dakri Cartons designs, produces and exports complex and personalized packaging for companies of all sizes and all types of activities. This ability to adapt explains how the family business founded in 1988 by Hanif Dakri, now run by Nazir Dakri and his sisters Somaya and Aysha, has become in thirty-five years not only the main producer of corrugated cardboard in Mauritius, but also a major player in its sector of activity in the Indian Ocean. This success, Dakri Cartons owes this largely to an industrial transformation which was accompanied by a new mobilization of skills, to the point of becoming a corporate culture.
The machine combined with humans
From a monthly production of 500,000 m2 of cardboard in its beginnings, the company increased to a daily production of 200,000 boxes ! Some three thousand references are sold each year. In 2023, the workforce amounts to 105 employees. To achieve this performance, Dakri Cartons replaced its fleet of semi-automatic cutting machines with fully automatic machines. By investing in four-color presses, the company has at the same time raised the quality level of its products while reducing its production times. This technical modernization resulted in a new organization of work. Thanks to automation, more resources and time could be devoted to innovation, au design, to quality control, to customer service.
Kaizen or the dynamic of improvement
One of the “secrets” of the Mauritian packaging manufacturer, it’s because he uses a Japanese method, le Kaizen, to integrate humans into the continuous improvement of its production process. This concept, which translates to “positive change”, evokes a dynamic of development in which all employees at all levels of the company participate. The result is a qualitatively impeccable company (Dakri Cartons is ISO 9001 certified) and at the forefront of innovation to meet an ever-wider and more targeted range of needs. The application of Kaizen manifests itself, among others, in the improvement of maintenance operations, quality and competitiveness issue. Drawing on digital technologies, it allows the company to develop a culture of predictive rather than reactive maintenance. Wider, this general culture leads to the implementation of the five “S” of the manufacturing industry aimed at minimizing waste and maximizing efficiency : trier (sort), ranger (straighten), to clean (shine), bring up to standard (standardize) and maintain (sustain).
Nazir Dakri : it is important to be transparent
The CEO of Dakri Cartons explains the vision of teamwork at the heart of the company's success and the role of the manager in its implementation.
Why did you introduce kaizen into your work culture ?
Kaizen is an approach to continuous improvement based on the idea that small, continuous positive changes can lead to significant improvements.. We wanted to apply the principle of kaizen as part of the work culture of Dakri Cartons because we believe that kaizen can lead to a culture of continuous improvement., employee empowerment, problem solving, collaboration and teamwork, efficiency and effectiveness, and sustainable improvement. We wanted to create a positive and innovative work culture that promotes growth, productivity and long-term success.
What is the role of the company manager in this approach? : give the impetus, lead by example ?
The role of the company manager is essential in this approach. We first need to set a clear vision and direction and communicate the benefits of kaizen and how it aligns with overall business goals.. The leader must create a safe and stimulating environment, provide resources and support, encourage employee involvement and track progress. In addition, a good leader must lead by example. If management does not believe in and support the program, it is useless.
Are you satisfied with the level of quality achieved by Dakri Cartons today and can the company go further? ?
As proponents of the kaizen principle, we believe that it is always possible to improve. Therefore, although we are satisfied with the quality obtained, we always strive to learn new ways to improve our processes. for example, Last year, our percentage of defective boxes returned was 0,02 %, but we are still working to find solutions to bring it down to 0%. So yes, the company can certainly go much further.
It is not common for a company to testify about its mode of operation. Is it a desire for transparency with your customers that pushes you to show them how and by whom the products they use are manufactured? ?
We believe it is important to share our knowledge and be transparent, not only to show our clients that they can trust our expertise, but also because we believe it is our duty to the community to share our knowledge and teach. We travel and learn a lot from foreign companies and whether our knowledge can benefit our employees, customers and suppliers, why not share them with them.
A CODE OF RESPONSIBILITY
The Mauritian company has adopted a “perennial code of moral conduct” as its rule., equivalent of European CSR (corporate social responsibility). Concretely, ethics applies to all tasks and everyone is invited to watch out for possible shortcomings that could occur in the conduct of operations. This is part of continuous improvement. Environmentally, the company is Forest Stewardship Council™ certified (FSC™ ) which guarantees the origin of its cardboard supply. She is also known in Mauritius for sponsoring an orphanage.
