Ramondin: expansion part of a strategic growth plan

Following a series of recent expansions, Spanish closures company Ramondin has strengthened its portfolio of capsules, champagne hoods and screw caps and expanded its footprint into new markets, new chief commercial and marketing officer Nagore Basabe told db.

Innovation and sustainability are key to Ramondin’s success, Basabe points out, and these twin pillars of the business have seen it through the turbulence of 2020 while strengthening its portfolio. The company dates back to 1890, a fact that has enabled it to remain close to its customers and their evolving needs, she says.

“We have done this trip together, sharing the evolution of the final consumer needs and answering them in the most efficient way,” Basabe points out, citing the launch of new products and solutions, such as using tin as an alternative to lead in 1992, or its pioneering use of water based inks on tin in the early 2000s.

“We have invested high level of resources towards more refined and exclusive ways to customise our products. For the same reasons, we have adapted to new market trends, for example, launching our screw cap project for still wines, Inspiral,” she says.

The company has recently expanded by acquisition in recent years, as part of a global strategic plan. In 2017 bought Chilean screwcap company Inesa, becoming the market leader in Latin America and the only player in the region with a complete closures portfolio. Champagne-based sparkling wine overcapping business Seticap was acquired in October 2018 to compliment the company’s existing capsules and wire caps business and put it at the heart of a highly specialized and quality driven region, and the acquisition of Janson Capsules was signed in January 2020. This has boosted Ramondin’s footprint in the French and US market and allows it to leverage the company´s industrial and commercial platform to deliver the best products and service to its customers.

“It has definitely strengthened our portfolio, and improved global reach and we are very excited about the prospects these acquisitions bring to the company,” Basabe said. “Together we are producing more than 3 billion capsules worldwide and exporting 90%. We are now the leaders in five of the top eight markets: LATAM (Argentina & Chile), USA, Spain and France.”

Sustainability is “our centre of gravity”, Basabe adds, pointing to major KPIs monitored to reduce and eliminate waste and save energy, with latest built new plants designed to be zero emission. Ramondin has proudly created the e-cap solution – the only plastic free polylaminate capsule. Meanwhile, 100 % recyclable tin remains the preferred choice for premium products in wine, spirits and champagne, “delivering the highest quality perception for the consumer together with a sustainable blueprint.

Obviously 2020 has not been without its challenges, but Basabe argues that since the start of Spain’s lockdown in late March 2020, the company recognised it had to remain ‘open for business’.

“We designed a plan which, looking back, we can proudly say that was the right choice – all nine plants in five different countries remained at full capacity, while measures recommended to protect the health and safety of our teams were implemented,” she says.

“We stayed very close to our customers, which in this sector is highly appreciated, and shared weekly updates through our social media channels to ensure our customers and partners were up to date,” she says.

“In these moments of uncertainty we must ensure that the basics of our business are always delivered: Quality of our products and strict fulfilment of the lead times, on time, in full.”