KraftPal manufactures sturdy, lightweight, and recyclable corrugated pallets using a high-speed automated method. Its goal is to enhance the way organizations carry and store commodities in terms of performance, cost, sustainability, and efficiency.
Gregor Brajovic, Founder & CEO of KraftPal, talks for our Names With Stories series about the original source of inspiration for starting the company, what’s the meaning behind the brand name, and what’s new and interesting in their future plans.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how KraftPal got started?
The KraftPal project started in 2012 under the PalletKraft brand and with the so-called “M-Pallet” as the test product for the market. The first pilot production unit and R&D center were built in Maribor, Slovenia. In the following years, Kraftpal worked intensively on developing and testing the architecture of the pallet models to meet the requirements of global supply chains. The concept for manufacturing technology was prototyped in parallel. Throughout the years, the project has evolved to a point where KraftPal is now able to provide both.
How did you get the KraftPal.com domain name? Why was it important to get that one exactly?
We produce pallets out of Kraft paper/cardboard. Combining the words “Kraft” – a paper with high tear resistance and associated with all kinds of packaging and also means strong in the German language – and the word “Pal,” which means pallet and also a good friend, therefore “KraftPal” blend made perfect sense for us. Coupled with the word “Technologies,” the KraftPal Technologies registered brand reflects our core mission to provide the World with leading-edge technology solutions and fulfill our vision to revolutionize the pallet market.
What value do you think KraftPal.com brings to the KraftPal brand? Do you own any other domain names?
We believe that the value of a brand and an Internet domain comes from the value that the actual product brings to customers and not the other way around. This is even more true for innovative products for the B2B market, which no one would care about if they would not provide significant advantages and have the potential to change the World.
We believe that the brand name and the internet domain itself would not matter in our case if we did not have a fantastic product. But on the other hand, it’s great that we were able to find a brand name that is short, memorable, and represents our story, which is important for everyone who comes in contact with us.
Gregor Brajovic, Founder & CEO of KraftPal
We own quite a few Internet domains, but we are working on consolidating them to simplify our online presence and communication with our customers.
What was the vision and purpose of your company when it first started and how has KraftPal evolved as a brand since?
At KraftPal, we have always believed that we could become the first company to find the key to producing cardboard pallets with performance comparable to wooden pallets and the production technology to make them efficiently, consistently, and in large quantities, and thus unlock the great potential of corrugated pallets for the mainstream. In the beginning, it was critical for us to develop the appropriate technological solutions and ensure intellectual property protection to gain and maintain our competitive advantage. Today, we are proud to have overcome all these challenges and become a global leader in accelerating the transformation of supply chains to environmentally sustainable solutions. Our vision is to offer the market the first carbon-neutral pallet alternative that replaces wooden pallets and helps prevent hundreds of millions of trees from being cut down worldwide.
In your profession or area of expertise, what are some of the bad brand naming recommendations you’ve heard?
There is nothing to highlight as we try not to focus too much on other and bad examples, but too long, complicated, and/or even offensive brand names are never good.
What do you do to make sure your marketing is effective?
We believe that marketing innovation can only be effective through an expert approach. That’s why at KraftPal, we never miss the opportunity to learn more about our products from our customers, partners, and market experts. Our marketing at this stage focuses on educating the market through online (advertorials) and offline channels (conferences, industry magazines) with the goal of raising awareness of the sustainability and cost-efficiency of cardboard pallets and providing examples of best practices from the industry. In addition to developing studies with outside experts to back up all of our claims with data, we frequently collaborate with students and professors working on their studies related to our products and industry. We also have a very strong digital presence through optimized search engine optimization, but we need to improve our multi-channel online marketing approach by creating more engaging and educational content. To further improve our brand awareness, we will continue participating in local, regional, and global award competitions, such as the World Packaging Organization’s Global Star Awards. We will also start exhibiting at relevant regional and national events, such as Fachpak in Europe or Pack Expo in the USA.
What would your advice be to entrepreneurs who are just starting out?
It might sound clichĂ©, but our biggest advice is never to lose an opportunity to learn and improve yourself and always be on the lookout for opportunities to grow – they most often come hidden as heavy tasks, bad clients, or hard slammed doors. And don’t forget about the ethics, the world would really need more people living by the highest ethical standards right now.
Never to lose an opportunity to learn and improve yourself and always be on the lookout for opportunities to grow – they most often come hidden as heavy tasks, bad clients, or hard slammed doors.
Gregor Brajovic, Founder & CEO of KraftPal
What do’s and dont’s can you share when it comes to branding and naming?
The brand name is just the beginning. Keep it simple and use the logos and colors consistently. What really matters is what you build around in terms of product and customer experience. An award-winning logo and a wonderful color palette will not get you long-term business if the product is mediocre and the customer experience is poor. It may help you attract attention and make a good first impression but not much else.
What is next for KraftPal?
KraftPal is currently in an intensive development phase aimed at developing the market and building production capacities. Our goal is to build over 60 new production units in the US, Europe, and the Middle East within 5-7 years, thus increasing our global annual production capacity to over 100 million pallets. At the same time, Kraftpal will introduce two new concepts: worlds first pallet mega-factory and carbon-neutral pallet while accomplishing carbon neutrality itself.
You can follow KraftPal on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or visit their website to find out more about the company.
How does your brand name match your company vision? What new horizons can a better name open? Get in touch if you feel your brand deserves a better name, we are always happy to help.
branding business CEO domain name founder Gregor Brajovic interview KraftPal naming stories
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