Plastic Cups Industry

die hardframe December 8, 2009 T equal of Contents INTRODUCTION 2 application/Product Category Overview 2 commercialise Size 2 ingathering of Product Category 3 Recent Product Innovations 3 marketplace Sub-Segments 4 MARKET SECTOR RESEARCH 4 Differentiation 5 Value to Consumers 5 Fit in the Market 5 determine Strategies within Market 6 NEW PRODUCT INFORMATION 7 PRICING STRATEGY, TACTICS, AND THEORY 8 CONCLUSIONS 9 BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 Introduction pains/Product Category Overview The Food operate promotional material manufacturing deals with plastic crossroads much(prenominal)(prenominal) as plastic bowls, loving loving cups, plates and cutlery.The assiduity encompasses compactaging for the dwelling house, commercial design and g everyplacenment institutions, such(prenominal) as schools and correctional facilities. Specifically, the proceeds universe developed belongs to the reusable cup folk, in which the primary national competitor is solely loving cup Company. Alt hough the Foodservice advancement manufacture was impacted by the economic situation, the challenges proved beneficial for the industry as they led to figure of speech-on in reaping innovation. More notable, the colour of point of intersections, making them less(prenominal) harmful to the environment, has be fall a signal of the ever-changing times.Additionally, the reason for the resiliency in al most(prenominal) harvest-festival categories in the industry, is the issue of consumers downgrading their, sp stop overing on dining out and increasing their spending on home cooked meals. As consumers continue to downscale they impart be spirit at for more than expendable items to use in their homes. The foodservices promotional material industry contains already established firms, such as solo form Company, however, our harvest-time allow service a quoin in the grocery not efficaciously reached by some otherwise vendors. Market Size Recycled, reusable plastic eroding finds its place in the disposable sector of the industry under the segment, Cups and Lids. This commercialize accounts for several(prenominal) segments of plastic w be Cups and Lids, Containers, Dinnerw are and others. In addition, the market includes several end-use markets such as restaurants, retail lines, and various institutions. With respect to the cup and lid market the U. S. is predicting sum ups over the course of a four- xiimonth layout. It has been speculated that in the midst of now and 2012, demand for this respective(prenominal) segment pass on continue to grow by approximately 4. 3 percent to a figure of $7. 8 billion. spirit further ahead, we show predictions that this industry is expected to planetually reach $16. 52 billion by year 2015.This growth has been associated with increasing away-from-home expenditure, and dual-income families with reduced time for making magnify home cooked meals, finds immense applications in restaurants, institutions, and retail stores among others. Increase in the tote up of working women and changing trends in ethnicity slang besides led to great indulgence in foodservice disposables. While these arent figures directed at the cup market in its entirety, research has noticed a close correlation between purchasing plastic dinner political partyware (i. e. plastic plates and eating utensils) and the signifi smoket accession in plastic drink ware.Its been noted, however, that of the foodservice market, cups and lids are anticipated to lay down the quickest growth in profit from now until 2015. This is expected to be fueled by the increasing demand in environmentally favorable cups, such as compostable cups or recycled content cups, allow add note generate account gains as these cups tend to be high in charge than schematic cups, and so generating a respectable profit. Growth of Product Category The unaccompanied cup company was engrafted in 1936. Solo was and still is one of the biggest companies in the plastic disposable cup industry. In 2006, the company posted gross sales of over 2. billion clams. Since the founding of the consumer packaging industry, growth has been exponential. The industry is multi-billion dollar commerce and one that most consumers contribute to at one load or another. Plastic cups are now an everyday item in many hoi pollois lives and beat literally countless uses. With the modern, fast lifestyle, convenient, disposable plastic cups are practical. There are also niche carrefours that are still plastic disposable cups but they have a bit of flare to them. Some of these products include insulated plastic cups and cups that have dedicate grips added to them.The first Solo red, basic cup that most people neck was introduced in late 1972. Since then, the startleularity has grown exponentially. What used to be just a family consumer product has now morphed into a product that is used by advantageously-nigh of the biggest corp orations in the world. 80% of Solos sales come from these outstanding corporations such as Starbucks and fast food restaurants who use other, smaller containers as condiment holders. What started out as just simple cups has evolved into aboutthing much more roomy and diverse. The aforementioned condiment containers are an example.Another example would be the lines of complete tableware that some companies now offer. They are entirely plastic and disposable, just like the cups. The industry has grown from just a simple singular product into all separate lines and product trees. The expansion from the beginning is enormous. Recent Product Innovations In the plastic tableware industry, lines have blurred between disposable and reusable. With many disposable cups now existence marketed as dishwasher guard, low-grade dinnerware has become single-use for some market segments, but multiple-use for others. The Green movement has also influenced this industry.Increasingly, consumers are ordain to spend more on products make from recycled or biodegradable materials. several(prenominal) companies have taken advantage of this new market segment by promoting green product lines. MicroGreen Polymers, for example, is a Seattle-based company that manufactures disposable coffee cups wee-weed from recycled pop bottles. The company uses a thermoformed plastic technique that infuses tiny bubbles into the plastic, resulting in a more bang for your buck product. In addition to resisting temperatures up to four hundred degrees, the product also be fifteen to twenty percent less than competing products.Another eco-friendly tableware producer is EcoProducts, which makes plastic-looking cups that are do from compostable corn. The cups require less faculty than a traditional plastic cup to produce, resist heat up to 145 degrees, and compost in exactly 45 days. Solo Cup Company, the market percentage selecter in plastic cup manufacturing, has also come out with a line of green products called Bare. It is the first across the country available full line of food service and consumer products made of recyclable or renewable materials, and because Solo has the stigmatise recognition that emerging companies take upt, it has a unique advantage over the competition.Another recent product innovation is the beveled cup design that allows for a slip-free grip of the beverage. Solo has released products with this lineament called Grip Cups, while Hefty released a similar product called the on the loose(p) Grip Cup. Advancement in the industry is the development of color-changing plastics which are being used in the turnout of low-grade cups. The company MoodCups uses this technology to produce customizable cups for large-scale nodes that substitute color in response to contact with cold-blooded temperatures.MoodCups is one of a variety of companies which currently utilize this technology, but thus far the products are only available in mass orders o f 250 or more quite an than in family-size quantities. Market Sub-Segments There are deuce main market sub-segments for this product college learners and home users. College disciples (24 and under) are a great deal impairment sensible, with less sensitivity to quality. Additionally, this segment already uses this causa of cup for playing drinking games, keg parties, and everyday cup use.Kooler cups provide be a d desolate to this segment because of their unique color-changing technology, low value, and versatility. Home users, generally sort out as those consumers 25 and older, are interested in value quite an than impairment alone. The ability to use the product we have created, Kooler Cups, at dinner parties or in everyday settings pass on add value to the product for this segment. As with college students, these cups go out draw in home users looking for that dinky extra bit of flare to throw in at a home party or with the kids.Market Sector look for The fron t man of myriad off- stakes oblation substitute products to the classic Solo cup creates a unique challenge in this product category. While Solo carcass the number one competitor in this product category, almost monovular products are available to consumers at a lower court that are software programd under generic and store brands. Throughout our in-the-field set research, we found that the store brand alternatives to Solo cups were consistently priced much lower than same name-brand products. DifferentiationOur product volition compete with existing products in the market sector through characteristic antitheticaliation rather than low damage. Kooler Cups will be considered somewhat of a novelty item by offering consumers the ability to own a disposable cup that is more manoeuvre and different that other items they see by major competitors. Kooler Cups are temperature set off cups that change colors which add excitement and allows for the consumers to see that the beve rage is the perfect temperature. This bluster is currently not part of the market our product is go in and this is a main reason it will be successful.Additionally, Kooler Cups are made of a harder plastic that is both(prenominal) inexpensive and manufactured of a higher(prenominal) quality material than competing products. By producing Kooler Cups with a higher quality material, we spate ensure that the product is dishwasher safe. Value to consumers These unique features bring a whole new set of desirable and valuable traits of disposable cups to the consumer. The higher quality material establishes a large part of the value of the product as consumer will pay less for a reusable cup that is able to be disposed at the consumers discretion.This feature allows for a range of uses at an affordable price which leads to a decrease in consumer disappointment with the accidental destruction or loss of the product. Additionally, the products material provides value by being dishwashe r safe which will decrease the interruption of germs or resi cod that may occur with hand wash only cups offered by major competitors. The new material will also add to the ease of cleaning the product, saving the consumer time as well as money because they will need to purchase the cups as frequently.The color change features adds value by bringing an element of surprise and excitement to whatever event the product is used at. For the inexpensive nature of the product, this feature will be a major betraying point and will lead to a higher perceived value by consumers. Fit in the market Kooler Cups will participate in the disposable food service products market with products manufactured by major companies like Solo Cup Inc. Kooler Cups will be available at a equal price to other products in the market because they can be considered disposable even though they are not necessarily one-time use cups.We will software and sell Kooler Cups in comparable quantities to its competitors in the market to encourage the survival of the fittest of this product for gatherings where many cups are required. Pricing Strategies within Market With several outside factors affecting the profitability and bottom line of a firm, determine plays a crucial role in reaching that yield. Understanding the costs associated with the product (cost of goods exchange and operating expense) is the first step before ascertain an appropriate price scheme.The cost of goods sold accounts for the various costs that go into fruit of the good as well as shipping and handling expenses. In addition, operating expense takes into consideration the costs associated with overhead, marketing, payroll, and office supplies. The price outline used should more than cover these expenses to result in a respectable profit. With respect to the Palouse region, it appears that our main competitor, Solo Cups is employing a promotional pricing strategy. This strategy is best used as new products are introd uced into the market, or in our case, to stimulate demand for an already-established product.The demand for this well established product comes with respect to seasonal changes, given the special events occurring during those seasons. During the fall and winter months, Solo cups are found on sale because of the influence of the two most common sports in our area, football and basketball. With the multitude of residents who tailgate as well as attend or host pre-game parties, breakeven on sales of cups are surely met and exceeded with the use of effective promotional efforts. Also, it was noticed that during off seasons such as late spring throughout summer, the plastic cup industry aims to target the outdoor(prenominal) enthusiast crowd.This group includes those involved with barbequing, casual camping, outdoor sporting events, as well as general picnicking. With this, Solo can maximize reach of its target audience under various shifts, both seasonally as well as activity-based by providing a recognizable price during these respective months as well as using other products to help promote their cups. Upon visiting local stores such as WinCo, Wal-Mart, Rosauers, and Safeway, we sight that Solo Cup places a significant emphasis on product biting as they are determined to set an inviting, yet utile price.In WinCo, Rosauers and Safeway, they take advantage of end-cap displays generally strategically positioned with complementary products such as Americas beverage of choice, Busch Light and Keystone beer. This type of strategy grabs the consumers attention through use of effective signage, as they are stocking up on supplies for any given event. Given the availability of wide aisles, such as the bordering aisles at Wal-Mart, Solo can position its cups at conveniently located product islands.These islands are also generally shared with other complimentary items, namely Busch Light and Keystone beer as well as twelve pack cases of soda. This is especially effec tive because people will pass these islands on their way to satisfy their regular shop lists, being reminded of their need for cups and beverages, if not already realized. New Product discipline Our product is a xvi ounce plastic cup. The features that distinguish Kooler Cups are that they are reusable, dishwasher safe, and color-changing.We believe that by adding these, our product will have value associated with it that the products we are competing with do not have. These features add extra cost to the production of the cups however, these will be strong selling points to the consumers and will bring in the volume of sales needed to counter the extra costs. By having Kooler Cups made as reusable and dishwasher safe cups, they are more appealing to a broader market, ranging from the household parent who is purchasing to entertain guests, to the college student who is looking for an affordable option as a party cup, and everyone else in between.If a consumer were to go to the gro cery store and purchase a pack of Solo brand cups, they would use them for the evening, and throw them away at the end of the night just like any other trash. However, with Kooler Cups, the consumer is able to use the time after time, making our product a much correct value over the life of the cup. Kooler Cups will be the life of the party with the color changing technology. This feature will appeal especially to college students looking something extra to have at their party, as well as being a strong selling feature to mothers who go hopping with their children. It is a feature that is sure to be determining factor in the minds of potential consumers, and will result in Kooler Cups gaining a sizable amount of market share from the product launch. Kooler Cups will be positioned on the shelf where all of the other plastic party supplies are located. They will be at a higher price point than most of the competing products because of the reusability and color changing features of th e cups. Kooler Cups will be offered in packs of twelve, even though many of the competing plastic cups come in packages of twenty.Our product cost would be too high if we offered packs of twenty, so at packs of twelve, the price will seem closer to the competing cups, even though the price per cup will be much higher. The Kooler Cups will sell in packs of twelve cups, and made so that they are stackable. The design of the cup will have a more modern of a look, with a slight outward curve on the upper half of the cup. It will be constructed out of Polypropylene plastic (No. 5), which is a food safe plastic that is dishwasher safe and more durable than Polystyrene (No. 6) that Solo brand cups are made out of.Polypropylene plastic is also able to be engineered to have thermodynamic qualities. Forecasting the demand of our product has turn up to be somewhat of a difficult task. After looking at many different factors, the estimated monthly demand in the first year of Kooler Cups is 155 ,000 packages of Kooler Cups. This was found by looking at the total amount of college student in the United States which is about 14 million. We estimate that probably about 3/5s of college students participate in drinking, which would bring the number of college age drinkers to 8,400,000.Assuming that each drinking college student consumes about 3 plastic cups a month that would bring the number of cups used monthly to 25,200,000. We are estimating an initial market share of 5%, which would equal 1,260,000 cups purchased monthly. That is 105,000 packages of cups sold per month, and we added an additional 50,000 cups to be consumed by other markets such as households. This gives us a monthly demand of 155,000 packages of Kooler Cups. Pricing Strategy, Tactics, and Theory Our plan is to weapon a price-skimming strategy to establish Kooler Cups as a competitor in the market.By pricing the cups slightly higher than our primary competitor, Solo Cup, we will communicate high product va lue and capture the price dead market first. While the price for a package of thirty sixteen oz. Solo cups ranges from $2. 67 to $5. 49 (depending on the distribution channel), we will package our product in twelve cup packages for approximately $3. 99. Because our production cost per cup is much higher due to the higher-grade plastic used for raw materials and the thermodynamic technology, offering the same package size as Solo would make the price per cup difference obvious.However, packaging the cups in sets of twelve accomplishes two goals 1) increasing the customers propensity to purchase the product because the package price is within an acceptable range of competitors prices, and 2) reinforcing the reusable feature of the cups (i. e. , if theyre reusable, wherefore buy thirty of them? ). Once the price insensitive market is saturated, we will lower the price slightly to capture more price sensitive markets. Logistically, this strategy makes sense for a company starting with limited production capacitor.As a result of high startup costs and olive-sized brand awareness (and, consequently, low initial revenues), we will only have the capital to produce limited quantities of the product in the beginning. Then, as brand awareness increases and we begin to re-coop our startup costs, we will generate enough change flow to increase production capacity and decrease our cost per cup. With a lower cost per cup, we can lower the price without eroding our margins. Because our product has a differentiating feature (the color changing technology), we wont be forced to compete on price.Additionally, since there are no comparable substitutes for this products differentiating feature, we can be the ones to determine its value. Rather than choosing between a name brand Solo cup and a store brand cup that looks virtually identical, customers are choosing between a trade good (the classic disposable cup) and a whole new product entirely. Firms often times find too muc h comfort in their pricing strategy, and are too optimistic, that they fail to realize what could go wrong with regards to sales or driven demand. As a business, its crucial to break these what-ifs, if you will, to determine the next plan of action.It becomes entirely necessary during the initial stages of product development and marketing, to come up with something known as a switch case scenario. So, with this scenario in mind, what if the demand for Kooler Cups plummeted during the first three to six months, creating a significant decrease in our sales figures? Would we just call it quits, and loose before too much of our time, money, and efforts are wasted? Well, the primary strategy behind price-skimming doesnt say to bail, but instead reduce price if that initial market isnt purchasing our product.The idea behind this strategy resides in the fact that there are different pricing phases over time to generate profits with respect to various price-sensitive markets. If, in our case, consumers arent buying during the initial phase of pricing first 3-6 months, we will reduce the price to try and capture the next segment, using an effective promotional strategy. For example, we would extend a $. 50 off coupon on the outside of the package, as to not degrade the price or brand of the cups, but increase the value leading to higher sales volume.This will keep extend the consumer base until, eventually, we have maximum market potential given our product. Looking on the other end, if sales skyrocket given a drastic increase in demand, there are a couple different options to consider increase capacity while maintaining (or even lowering) price, or apply a slight price-increase to counteract demand. Seeing as the product is rather new into the market and un- established, most would agree that the appropriate strategy to take would be to slightly increase price without coming across to customers as charging an unreasonably high price.A brand new business, such a s ours, would not hold the necessary resources needed to expand and increase capacity (i. e. purchasing new equipment or hiring additional people). The next best alternative at hand would be a slight price increase until demand starts to level off again. *Conclusion * The disposable sector of the Foodservice Packaging industry is comprised of single-use products such as plastic bowls, cups, lids and cutlery for the commercial, government and home use sectors.The specific product category that Kooler Cups will be competing in is titled Cups & Lids, and includes disposable beverage products made from various grades of plastic, Styrofoam and molded paper. This category is projected to have the highest revenue growth between now and 2015, due largely to innovations in environmentally friendly products such as compostable cups and cups made from recycled materials. Solo Cup Company, the primary competitor in this product category, has overwhelm market share and posted sales of $2. 4 bil lion in 2006.Created in 1936, Solo enjoys well-established brand equity and has the advantage of low production costs due to its high volume manufacturing. These factors allow Solo to retail its products at a premium price, resulting in high profit margins. By differentiating our product based on its unique characteristics, we will enter the market as a high-quality alternative to the classic Solo cup. With its color changing technology and durability, Kooler Cups will compete in the market by providing the customer with a uniquely valuable product. Bibliography Ammended Annual Report. Solo Cup Co.. N. p. , 1 Jan. 2006. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. . Cold Cups & Lids. EcoProducts. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. . Cups & Lids to 2012 Market Research, Market Share, Market Size, Sales, hire Forecast, Market Leaders, Company Profiles, Industry Trends and Companies including Solo Cup, Dart Container and Georgia-Pacific. _ The Freedonia Group Market Research _. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Nov. 2009 . http//www. freedoniagroup. com/Cups-And-Lids. html. Cups & Lids. Market Research Reports Business Market Research Reports & Industry Analysis. N. p. , n. d. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. http//www. marketresearch. com/product/display. asp? productid=2021950. Dunn, Collin. MicroGreen Recycled Plastic Cups Cut modify and Waste TreeHugger. TreeHugger. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. http//www. treehugger. com/files/2006/02/microgreen_recy. php. Our Values, Vision and Mission. Foodservice Packaging Institute. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. http//www. fpi. org/EXPAGES/ourvalues. asp. Packaging Industry Related News. IDS-Packaging Online Information Resource, Exhibition, Conference, Packaging White Papers, Suppliers, Products, and much more.N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Sept. 2009. http//www. idspackaging. com/packaging/us/newsrelease. html. REVOLVER. ONESHOT CORPORATION. N. p. , n. d. Web. 7 Dec. 2009. http//www. one-shot. com/solocup_r. html. Solo Cup Company Company indite from Hoovers. _H oovers Business solutions from _Hoovers. N. p. , n. d. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. http//www. hoovers. com/company/Solo_Cup_Company/hsxrti-1. html. US numerate Press Releases. Census Bureau Home Page. N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. http//www. census. gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_