This year, Aerosol Service is participating in several key trade fairs: ADF Paris Packaging Week, Cosmoprof in Bologna, and PLMA in Amsterdam. How do you assess the value of these events for Aerosol Service—in terms of gaining new contacts, developing its offering, and building its brand image?

Each of these events plays a different but complementary role for Aerosol Service. ADF Paris Packaging Week is the world's most important trade fair dedicated to aerosol technologies, bringing together experts, brands, and suppliers from around the world. For us, it is primarily a space for discussions about innovation, design, and new product concepts. Our goal there is to inspire, develop our offer, and build an image of a partner who understands trends and can translate them into production.

This is a good moment to remind you that our innovative solutions have won numerous awards at this event, including a prestigious distinction in the ADF Innovation Awards competition during the previous edition of the Aerosol Service trade fair. These awards are highly significant, as the competition is judged by an international jury composed of experts and representatives of global brands such as L'Oréal, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Henkel, which underscores the reliability and prestige of this distinction. On the other hand, it is a strong signal to visitors to the fair that we not only manufacture, but also create solutions that shape the future of aerosol packaging.

Cosmoprof Bologna, on the other hand, is a key venue for establishing new business contacts and talking to global brands. There, we focus on presenting the full range of Aerosol Service's contractual capabilities – from R&D to scalable production. I would like to remind you that Aerosol Service is not only about aerosol products, but also a whole range of solutions for the beauty market, which is particularly well represented in Bologna.

I must admit that this is my favorite trade fair. I had the pleasure of meeting many outstanding personalities from the cosmetics industry there. Many of these encounters gave rise to ideas that turned into inspiring projects. Today, the results of these projects can still be found on store shelves in Poland and abroad.

PLMA in Amsterdam is more sales and operations-oriented. It is an event where we focus on cooperation with our retail partners' private labels and developing contact services. Discussions here are often more precise and concern cost efficiency, production flexibility, and speed of implementation. It was here that the discussions began which later resulted in our largest completed projects.

That is why we treat PLMA as an absolutely strategic opportunity to talk to the biggest players on the market. Visitors come with ready-made purchasing plans and clearly defined expectations, which significantly increases the quality of business contacts. That is why we often have our largest representation here, so that our specialists can provide comprehensive information to all interested parties on the spot. 

How can customers and potential customers arrange a meeting with the Aerosol Service team during the trade fair?

We want our meetings to be well-planned and substantive, which is why we attach great importance to effective planning. Customers can arrange a meeting in several ways: by contacting us directly by email or LinkedIn, through contact forms on the website, or via networking platforms available at the relevant trade fair. We provide ample advance notice of where and when we are available and invite you to contact us.

I would like to remind you that our task is not only to seek new customers; we are very pleased that our presence at the fair also provides an opportunity to meet with our existing business partners. These are meetings that we particularly appreciate.

Of course, we are also open to spontaneous conversations at our stand. In practice, we have quite a few of them, and many of them later result in new projects.

Since we are talking about meetings with customers and conversations held during trade fairs, I would like to move on to what happens after the initial contact. From the perspective of a Key Account Manager, what makes customers decide to work with Aerosol Service, what are our biggest advantages over other contract manufacturers, and what can new partners realistically expect from the first conversation to final production?

From my perspective as a Key Account Manager, customers most often appreciate our comprehensive approach. What I mean is that we are not just a manufacturer—we are a partner who actively advises, identifies risks, and proposes solutions as early as the concept stage. And that is exactly what we care about. Sometimes, when talking to customers, I joke that we are a "Friendly Company" because we want to see not only profit in business, but also interpersonal relationships. By the way, let me remind you of my favorite advertising slogan by Soichiro Honda – "First Man, Then Machine." Sometimes, not everything goes smoothly and pleasantly in a project; problems can arise suddenly and unexpectedly, often beyond our control—we have experienced COVID, broken supply chains, and various other issues, but we always look for common solutions and never leave our partners alone with their problems. I think that it is precisely these moments that truly test the values we represent.

In summary, we see our advantage as an individual approach to cooperation, combining flexibility, technological experience, and very close cooperation between the sales, R&D, quality, and production departments. Customers can expect a clear path—from the first conversation, through testing and validation, to stable, repeatable production. And we always remember that our partners are real people, whom we want to feel confident and comfortable working with Aerosol Service at all times.

We are talking about the real benefits and value we offer our customers, so it is worth asking about the challenges they face on a daily basis. What are the most common problems that customers report to Aerosol Service—both at the concept stage and during production—and how do we help them solve them? Have you noticed any new trends or difficulties in customer inquiries recently, and what is most appreciated about our offer or approach in our cooperation today?

Customers often come to us with ideas that are attractive from a marketing perspective but difficult to implement from a technological or cost perspective. What's more, many of these ideas need to be implemented immediately.

Our role is to translate these challenges into realistic, feasible projects – we look for different solutions – we propose alternative raw materials, recipe modifications, process optimization, or phased implementation. Recently, there has been a clear increase in interest in sustainable solutions, shorter production runs, and greater flexibility – and it is our consultative approach that is particularly appreciated today. We do not dismiss customers with a statement that "it will not work"; instead, we engage in the search for solutions. These are often long and arduous activities involving many meetings and consultations, but the reward is realizing the customer's idea just as they dreamed it and "delivering" on time. It is precisely these more difficult projects that allow us to show our capabilities and make the customer realize why they should work with us.

It is somewhat challenging when our client is just beginning their adventure with aerosols and is often surprised that the implementation process takes an average of 9-12 months—we have to devote a large part of the schedule to the necessary tests—we then look for various ways to shorten this period, but it is not always easy.

On the other hand, customers who come to Aerosol Service can be at very different stages of their project—from the initial idea, through a developed marketing concept, to projects that have encountered difficulties with another manufacturer. So each case is different and requires an individual approach, but that is exactly what we provide to our customers.

Now I would like to take a broader look at the role of Key Account Manager. How has this function changed over the last few years, what does good customer service really mean today in conditions of high time and cost pressure, and what skills are now essential in working with key customers—and which ones were practically unnecessary 5–10 years ago?

The role of Key Account Manager has changed significantly and is constantly evolving. Customers need answers to their queries faster and faster, they want detailed solutions and a high degree of flexibility. So today, it's not just a customer service representative, but also a coordinator of the entire design process, a business advisor, and a liaison between the customer and the organization. With high time and cost pressures, good service means quick decisions, clear communication, and the ability to manage expectations.

Our customers want to be looked after by a committed partner who is also an expert with whom they can discuss all issues related to the product, who knows the market and can immediately propose ready-made solutions, while also being ready to explain how these will affect the costs and time required to complete the project. And that is exactly how we operate.

Since we are talking about the role of Key Account Manager and long-term cooperation with key customers, I would like to ask about the foundations of these relationships. In your opinion, what builds customer trust in the long term, what role does transparency play—even in difficult moments of a project—and does it happen that customers return to Aerosol Service after experiences with other production partners? What most often determines such a decision?

Personally, I believe that trust is absolutely crucial in customer relations. That is why it is extremely important for our business partner to be aware that we deserve their complete trust.

Trust is built through consistency, keeping agreements, and transparency—even, or especially, when a project encounters difficulties. Customers greatly value open communication and prompt information about risks rather than "sweeping problems under the rug." Production projects rarely run perfectly, so open communication about risks, challenges, or the need for change builds credibility and a sense of security.

We are aware that trust develops gradually with each subsequent project and each decision made jointly with the client. From the perspective of a Key Account Manager, it is crucial that the client feels that there is a person on the other side who is genuinely committed to their business, understanding both market goals and operational or cost constraints. And that is how it is—our clients' successes are our successes, and we treat their difficulties as our own. Only such a genuine approach can form the basis for lasting and strong business relationships.

As for the second part of the question – yes – it does happen that customers return to Aerosol Service after working with other manufacturers. This is most often due to a lack of flexibility on the part of the previous partner, poor communication, or failure to meet deadlines. With us, they find a partnership approach and genuine commitment to their business. Of course, we never take the opportunity to portray our competitors as untrustworthy; in fact, we often work with other manufacturers, and sometimes we even carry out projects together.  

Finally, I would like to look to the future. What changes in customer approach do you think will be crucial in the coming years, what role will personalization of offerings and consulting play in contract manufacturing, and what will ultimately distinguish the best manufacturing partners on the market in the near future?

Understanding the direction of change in which the market is heading is the basis for a company's success and competitive advantage. This applies in particular to customer relationship management, or rather, business partner relationship management, as this is the term that should be used to describe, and I am convinced will increasingly describe, the relationships between market participants.

A closer partnership based on trust and professionalism is the direction we see. We realize that in the coming years, the approach to cooperation will have to evolve along with the growing complexity of the market, cost pressures, and dynamic regulatory and consumer changes. Customers will not be looking for production capacity—they will be much more likely to seek partners who understand their business model and can actively support product development.

Personalization of cooperation, understood as an individual approach to customer needs, their target market, and brand development pace, will play a key role. Partners, not just sellers, who are trustworthy and at the same time ensure full professionalism, will gain a clear competitive advantage.

So, as I mentioned earlier, an important element of future cooperation will be the growing role of consulting and involvement in projects. Our partner must feel that we are in this business together, that we are partners, not just sellers and buyers. Of course, this must be accompanied by comprehensive market and technological knowledge, which is why I mentioned professionalism as an essential element of trust and relationships.

I am convinced that customers will choose those contract manufacturers who can offer the benefits mentioned above, anticipate challenges, and propose solutions before problems arise. It is this approach that will define the future, and we want to offer our business partners exactly that today, before others offer it tomorrow.