International expansion with local approach: Interview with Asteria’s CEO Ives Declerck
The CEO of Asteria, Ives Declerck, is a warm and easy-going man for someone who runs a group with 34 production units in 10 European countries. He explains to Dominique Huret of Etiq&Pack the strategy of the group present in France with Impackt in the North, Stickem in Rouen, Lithopress in the East and Graphilys in Perpignan.
Where does the Asteria group stand today in terms of development and positioning in the labels market?
A European group of label and packaging experts, Asteria wants to maintain local roots in most European countries. Asteria may seem like the new kid on the block, but nothing could be further from the truth! Label printing has been our business for three decades. We were originally a family business, founded in Belgium in 1985, and have grown steadily over the last twenty years. In just five years, we have become the Asteria Group, an international player with 34 production sites from Estonia to Spain.
Your growth has been concentrated mainly in northern countries, with the exception of two sites in Spain. Is this the result of opportunities or a deliberate strategy?
Of course, our first activities were in Belgium, then in neighbouring countries such as France, the Netherlands and Germany, and then the Group started to expand northwards with Denmark and southwards with Spain. These acquisitions have expanded our portfolio exponentially. In just five years, we have become a pan-European player capable of offering a wide range of packaging products to customers of all sizes, from the very small to the very large. We have continued to make acquisitions in Northern Europe, including Finland’s Nordic Label and Estonia’s Data Print. All the companies in our group share the same entrepreneurial DNA: high flexibility and very fast delivery times. We’re proud of our heritage as a family business, and we naturally build links with similar companies in every country where we operate. Each of our portfolio companies has its own local specialisms and customer base, and we can now share this rich heritage and experience within the Asteria Group.
What are the Group’s next major objectives?
We aim to become the number one local partner in the European labelling and packaging market, serving companies of all sizes as well as multinationals locally, and becoming a sustainable leader in the sector by 2030.
Our strategy is to support our customers across Europe with expert advice in their search for innovative labelling and intelligent printing solutions. By investing in personalised service in every country and guaranteeing high quality and fast delivery times, the group is working every day to achieve this ambitious goal. Although Asteria is expanding internationally, proximity and a local approach in each country remain essential. Our customers come in all shapes and sizes: multinationals, companies with a strong international presence, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. Taking care of these customers is an integral part of our core mission. For several decades, as most of the sites were originally family businesses, Asteria has maintained strong relationships with local players. Our local businesses have found a catalyst for their growth by serving international companies that often have a presence at several sites.
Indeed, multinationals are a key segment for us, as we have the necessary multi-site geographic presence, capacity (in terms of staff and machinery), technologies such as colour management, a dedicated customer interface and flexibility in terms of capacity and solutions to meet the specific needs of these large international companies.
What are the key segments for the future?
Our capacity has been developed around high added-value labels and packaging, so we’re going to continue to expand in the food sector in general, and the convenience market in particular. We have many of the necessary food certifications (BRCGS, ISO, etc.) to guarantee a chain of safety, including for finishes and specialised products. In addition to food, we are targeting the cosmetics and home care sectors. On-shelf presence and brand interaction with consumers are key growth drivers for our customers, and we are ready to help them meet this challenge. Finally, we are interested in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. These industries are increasing their capacity to meet growing consumer demand, and Asteria has certified plants capable of producing the labels and packaging specific to this market. In these key sectors, seven of our flagship products will contribute to the majority of our growth in 2025 and 2026: self-adhesive labels, linerless, pouches, specialist IML labels, folded cartons, flexible packaging and shrink sleeves.
How important is new technology to your strategy?
There can be no international growth without innovation, and no innovation without technology. But technological innovation must always be at the service of customers: the shortest delivery times, optimum quality and business continuity. For 2025/2026, we will continue along this path. For example, pre-press automation enables us to process requests more quickly while reducing human error. By integrating this technology into the cloud, we will soon be able to mobilise resources at our local sites as and when required. It goes without saying that a solid IT infrastructure will be essential to support this development. All the Group’s entities need to operate on the same ERP system to ensure consistency between sites, efficiency gains and data analysis to identify new internal or customer-focused improvements. But innovation isn’t just about technology. Asteria is also investing in its operations to become a leader in reducing the ESG footprint of the label converting industry. By closely analysing the ESG impact of its suppliers and the materials used, Asteria is also committed to reducing its own footprint by investing in new machinery such as Comexi, Bobst, CO2-neutral HP inkjet printers and UV-LED curing. We are aiming for ISO 14001 certification for all our sites, which will be consolidated by an Ecovadis rating for the Group
How does the Asteria Group integrate corporate social responsibility into its vision and activities?
The global waste problem is a reality, and the unsustainable use of materials is accelerating climate change. We need to change our way of thinking. We need to take action and continue to invest in product innovation for sustainability. Asteria is ready to commit fully to this approach and is already actively promoting it to its customers. The fact that the market is not evolving as fast as the company is does not prevent Asteria from making sustainability its number one priority. Asteria Sustainable Solutions is our product range, launched two years ago and comprising four categories: Asteria LESS, LOOP, LOVE and LIFE. Today, we can offer a sustainable alternative for 90% of our products. These environmentally-friendly solutions guarantee the same performance, and we offer them at competitive prices. What’s more, in 2024 we began a partnership with UPM Raflatac to recycle liners directly at our customers’ sites.
