[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
Hey guys, welcome to Distribution Unpacked, our brand new podcast. We are so excited to have you guys here. Chrissy, Steve, what’s new at Kimberly Clark?
[00:00:13] Speaker B: So much so thanks for having us here. Really excited.
[00:00:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:00:17] Speaker B: We are all about elevating the restroom experience. Thinking of how you move from just unpacking boxes to changing experience through our smart system, our onvation. Now we have this new smart fit. So overall we’re about customer experience and elevating it so that that matches whatever your customers at the end of the day are trying to expand for their customers coming into facilities knowing they’re clean and well cared for.
[00:00:44] Speaker A: I really thought you were going someplace different when you were like unpacking the restroom. I’m like, what’s going on?
What are we seeing as some trends for the new year and you guys are working toward or kind of big picture stuff.
[00:00:54] Speaker C: You know, sustainability has been a focus for us for some time.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: Thrive.
[00:00:57] Speaker C: Thrive, yes, exactly. You know, we had a program previously as Right Cycle that is now Thrive that we are really managing as a dispenser based program as well as a wiper recycling program. And it’s exciting. We can go take dispensers off the wall, get them recycled.
That sustainability mission has been really important to us from the beginning and we’ve had to learn how to do it being a disposable manufacturer.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: Right.
So our distribution folks, our day to day customers, are they taking the dispensers off the wall and shipping them somewhere? Walk me a little bit of how that works.
[00:01:29] Speaker C: Chris, did you want to touch on that?
[00:01:30] Speaker B: Yeah. So basically this is something really important for higher education customers that want to minimize their waste to landfill.
So if they’re looking at, if that’s a barrier to making a change, we’re able to take those dispensers or taking them off the wall and we’re breaking them down and, and making sure that they’re not going to landfill. We’re not necessarily fully recycling, but we’re making sure that it’s a zero waste proposition.
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Love that.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: That’s huge in higher ed.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: Very much.
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Yeah. So you know, the next question I really wanted to talk about was verticals and different end user markets. A big focus for us as we move into the new year is really aligning the vertical market strategy. So obviously we look at K12 higher at the education market.
[00:02:15] Speaker B: Right.
[00:02:15] Speaker A: Health care, med surg, non acute acute care, obviously health, you know, know government, Fed gov, local gov stuff of that nature and that enterprise. Walk me through, you guys talked a Little bit about education. What are some of those big verticals you guys are focusing on now and into the future?
[00:02:30] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean I think all of what you mentioned is at play where we think about innovating for is all you know we’re definitely looking at. Education is huge. We see office buildings coming back but as a different animal.
[00:02:45] Speaker A: Tell me more.
[00:02:47] Speaker B: Basically we don’t feel like it’s going to be at the same occupancy that it was. Will still be flexible workspaces but they’re looking for different uses so there’s more people coming in so hygiene becomes more paramount and. And making sure that they’re running efficiently. So using ways of managing spaces differently or multifunction spaces.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: I think it’s interesting because Castle, you know the. The company that runs key cards and give you some feedback on what’s going on. I think they’re starting to see now. And you guys tell me your opinion. You guys way into more data than we are. But the facilities are seeing the turn. It’s just at different times.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: Yes, exactly. So how do you manage it differently or spaces. Multifunctional spaces.
We’re definitely health care. A big initiative for us is we’re one KC with our business to business brands as well as our consumer brands and some acquisitions. Yes, we’ve been acquiring. Yes. Big things coming.
But for the immediate future with health care we’re looking at the really the patient experience and making sure they’re having that at home experience brands that they like smaller packs so that they know that it’s not being used by anyone else and making sure that they have that. That we’re reducing any possibility of hospital acquired infection with the use of. Of products.
[00:03:59] Speaker A: That’s awesome. That’s super cool. So I mean I know you guys probably don’t know this but like a cool band aid brand, you know dispenser. Is that coming?
[00:04:08] Speaker C: Is that going to be easy coming out with that?
[00:04:09] Speaker A: Is that the next thing that’s happening?
[00:04:11] Speaker C: We’re going to have to see. We have to work.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: We have young kids. So band aids are a whole status system.
[00:04:16] Speaker C: You know they usually sit in the cupboard for six months now. They go fast now.
[00:04:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:19] Speaker A: Or you’re like acquire so many of them because you don’t know you have them. I totally get that. I mean that’s good for business to have big boxes of band aids under my sink.
[00:04:26] Speaker B: The early stage tattoo is getting the band aids.
[00:04:29] Speaker C: Can I make a mention to your comment about technology and being data driven And I think one thing we focused on with your teams this week at your meeting is our Smart Fit Innovation Technology. Because what we’re doing is we’re being very that it’s very purposeful. We even can have a door counter to show a cleaning staff of when they should be able to come in based off of their own cleaning protocol of when they should come in to clean the restroom.
So it’s keeping up with now that the traffic’s flowing through. From occupancy standpoint, they’re understanding when they can go in versus waiting for that opportunity and not guessing of when to go in. They know when that time is, whether they’re getting a ping through the service app from onvation.
And we’re really seeing the Smart Fit Technology, you know, move forward and really given us an opportunity to bring a different experience to the rest.
[00:05:12] Speaker A: I think that’s critical. I mean, it’s great to see IoT finally working in a way that makes sense. Actually driving down, if you think about the TCO story that we always talk about, putting the right associate in the right place to actually create a better experience and maybe lower labor costs at a global level for an organization. So I think that’s so exciting.
[00:05:30] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: And I think for distribution, your angle on it, it really allows the distributor to also bring more value. So now they can redeploy that labor to do proactive maintenance, do other, sell other products, other solutions to make that facility run better versus just running around checking dispensers.
[00:05:49] Speaker A: That’s great. So obviously, you know, KCP Pro is, you know, a huge winner for us and obviously with our customers. But then there’s the consumer side a little bit. Walk me through a little bit of how that’s being simplified for our customers to purchase and kind of win with all of the great consumer brands that you guys have today, you’ve acquired and into the future.
[00:06:05] Speaker B: Yeah, well, for now, the acquisition is not fully.
[00:06:08] Speaker A: No, no, no, all good.
[00:06:10] Speaker B: But. But yeah, I think Consumer SPR has been an amazing partner with consumer and that’s something that is going to continue. We. It gives the opportunity to bring Huggies, Depends, Kotex, all of these brands to your customers to have in facilities or to be giving out. And when you think about hospitality, having the ability to have those swimmers when they need them in the hospitality experience, or making femcare more available within an office building facility.
So there’s just. It opens up so many more opportunities to service your customers, bring them what they need and have, you know, it’s a perfect parallel. It’s bringing the same Brands forward.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: Let’s talk a little about femcare, femme hygiene and all that. You know, it’s always been there, obviously, and it’s gotten a ton of steam recently as state regulations and government regulations have come in. What is the outlook for Casey moving forward on FMCare?
[00:07:05] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, we have the leading brand with Kotex. We already are bringing it to market in the away from home space.
I think we’re still, we’re seeing the biggest adoption in those hospitality spaces, schools, anywhere that wants to be giving them out. Our biggest piece is that we’re seeing the interest within government. So we’re seeing governments look for solutions because there’s just a greater awareness around this. And when you think about safety in the washroom and keeping it clean, hygienic, that’s an area where a bloodborne pathogen is entering the space. So making sure that you’ve got that safety covered.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: Steve, when we think about our customers, you know, our distribution, our shared distribution partners and stuff, and I know there’s best brands and all that kind of stuff, what are some of the best ways for those distribution partners and dealers to integrate and work with your team to continue to tell the great story?
[00:07:56] Speaker C: Absolutely. Well, I think consumer plays a piece here too.
[00:07:59] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:59] Speaker C: Because these are brands that they see on the retail shelves, but now they’re walking into restrooms and seeing brands and now they can see opportunity because SP has become such a great stocking partner of the consumer brands themselves. That all still flows through our sales team. All right, so the continued collaboration, I think that’s what this week brings in itself. We have to make sure our teams are tied together. And there’s always a lot of changes happening in the market if as long as those distribution partners know who their wholesale specialist is or at minimum their SPR account manager or Janssen account manager.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: Yeah, they’re going to be able to
[00:08:28] Speaker C: get an answer back from us, from our supported consumer team as well as our B2B sales team.
[00:08:33] Speaker A: That’s awesome. That’s super exciting. One of the things we’re playing with this year is really talking about how do we leverage the great brands you guys have. But what are some of those, those solutions you guys offer? I mean, we could talk brand, we could talk product all day long and how to place it properly and why to sell it and all that. But Chrissy, Steve, as you guys think about our customers, what is one or two solutions that they can take as a win. To win a new end user?
[00:08:55] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, just to. I’ll take that first, but, you know, the seamless experience that it’s not just the brand offers. Maybe it’s a dispenser collection. People don’t want a mishmash of stuff in the restroom. Right.
[00:09:07] Speaker A: Win in the restroom.
[00:09:08] Speaker C: Absolutely. So if you have a white dispenser, you know, soap dispenser on the wall next to a black, you know, hard roll towel dispenser, you want a seamless experience. And what KC’s really done is they’ve taken their collection lines in Scott Essential, Scott Pro, and Icon, and given every customer in every segment the opportunity to be seamless across their restroom experience.
And I think that’s where we, we really thrive and can show that to an end user customer. It’s amazing how it could set them apart from.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: And I don’t know if anyone’s using this term, but I don’t think there’s anything sexier than when you walk into a restroom. And it has all of the new icon dispensers.
[00:09:43] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:44] Speaker C: When you can customize it. Right.
[00:09:45] Speaker B: You can say anything you want here.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: Well, I just, you know, I’m not sure that we’re. I’m sure that the team at Casey is not thrilled that I call it a sexy dispenser, but it is, it sounds great. It looks great. Yep. And then, you know, selfishly, from a marketing perspective, when you can put your brand on it. Yeah. I mean, I remember when I was the diplomat in South Florida and you guys had all the new dispensers up and it was all branded. It was. What a great experience. I think I’ve seen it with some of the new stadiums now.
[00:10:07] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:10:08] Speaker C: And who’s not brand. Who doesn’t love their brand? Especially a school that loves their mascot and wants to, you know, just have it in front of you. It shows a collaboration and it’s more of a partnership than just putting any dispenser.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: I couldn’t, I couldn’t agree more. I think it’s, it’s a fun way to tell a story that you didn’t think about before. So not only is it a great dispenser, so there’s great innovation there, but how to tell the story a little bit differently in a restroom in a place you’re not thinking about it. I think it’s an awesome. It’s an awesome product.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Yeah. I think what it does is Steve hit on it perfectly. It makes it easier for your customers to digest our line and bring the value to their customers. And then with Icon, the sky’s the limit because we’re bringing this best in class ability to customize the face place so it’s a pretty face, but it’s also functional. It’s giving them a great dispensing experience that’s consistent and high capacity towels with brands that the users are going to know and trust.
[00:11:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I think you guys have done a spectacular job. You know, we talk about good, better, best. You know, I remember in college we would do that. But I think you guys have done a wonderful job of really illustrating good, better, best and it helps any customer whether you’re looking for just something easy or something a high end experience. So well done to you guys.
As we think about the new year, SPro is getting ready to launch a new campaign and really kind of looking at our brand a little bit differently. You know, the B2B Space brand is always something interesting. But when we specifically think about sp, our new tagline is all about simplifying complexity. And we have plenty of opportunity to simplify complexity internally at SP and externally with our customers. But when you guys think about that, what does that mean to you and how can we take that mantra and be something successful as a partnership into the new year with our customers?
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Yeah, I, I think that’s a really good question for us because sometimes we can make things a little too complicated. I would say actually the, the portfolio, simplicity, simplicity, simplification, it’s all good.
Got that one made. That one I’m still struggling to spell.
[00:12:02] Speaker A: Simplifying complexity. Thank God there’s like the red line and you know, helps you.
[00:12:07] Speaker B: But I think in general, you know, when we think about the sale of the ppe, we’re getting focused in what we’re bringing to the market.
We’re bringing our world class brands and we’re bringing solutions that can help protect and be and, and make that hygienic experience. So that wraps into our consumer brands and then also probably set the stage for the acquisition coming.
So we’re really trying to focus our portfolio and where we can bring the most value with domestically focused products. And, and I think that when we think about what we’re bringing for the sales organization, I really, our sales team is focused on, on you and your experience as our wholesale partner.
[00:12:51] Speaker A: That’s awesome guys. Thank you so much for joining us.
[00:12:53] Speaker C: Thank you, Adam.
[00:12:54] Speaker B: Yeah, thank you.
[00:12:55] Speaker C: This has been fantastic.
[00:12:56] Speaker B: You are great. This is your n.
