More than 50 years ago, Nicholas Assaly founded Paramount Paper Products Ltd., an industrial packaging company, to meet the demands of Montreal’s thriving manufacturing industry. He had an innate ability to understand customers’ needs and help them succeed by ensuring top-quality products and services.

Today, his daughter Deborah Assaly and husband John Bilikas continue to run the company with the same approach: provide one-of-a-kind customer service and ensure their clients profit from Paramount’s wide range of products and knowledge.

New Exclusive Products

As a medium-sized industrial packaging company, Paramount provides a diverse product line to the food and beverage industry, the apparel industry, as well as distribution centres and a third-party warehouse. These products range from corrugated cartons and products, poly bags, industrial papers, films, protective packaging, tape and shipping supplies. In addition to packaging, the company recently added a line of extra-strength sanitary cleaners.

Under a new trademark called Husky North, Paramount released four new industrial cleaners;

– a degreaser that penetrates and dissolves industrial strength grease and dirt. The degreaser is strong enough to clean engines, heavy machinery, outdoor equipment and tires, as well as fulfill household needs. It will safely clean pots and pans, appliances, tubs and spas.

– The Husky North floor cleaner safely performs all cleaning jobs, including damp mopping and light cleaning to remove greasy messes. It is a low foaming, non-stripping multi-purpose cleaner that is easy to rinse.

– Paramount designed a new hand soap that is made from ingredients that clean industrial dirt and grease. However, the formula does not contain irritating impurities and will not dry out skin. Paramount suggests using it in industrial and mechanical areas, facilities and at home.

– A window cleaner is also in the development stage. This is just the beginning of an entire line of industrial and consumer line of soaps and cleaning products.

Creative Packaging Solutions

The company’s mission is to continually provide customers with simple, cost-effective packaging solutions. It is constantly looking out for the best new products. Paramount recently partnered with a leading U.S. packaging design and engineering firm Compadre LLC to sell an innovative shipping container called the Kübox.

The DuPont Packaging award-winning Kübox “fills the void” between one-use corrugated boxes and more permanent wood crating and plastic cases. It is designed to ship things that are too heavy, fragile, or expensive to ship in a cardboard box, according to Paramount’s description.

Paramount provides products to many well-known companies. It is the key supplier of the Canadian winter sporting apparel company, Kombi Sports Inc. Paramount supplies packaging products to other well-known brands, including the clothing company, GUESS.

Above and Beyond

Paramount’s core principle is its commitment to customer service which is driven by team members who live the company philosophy. “Our biggest attribute is our customer service. Everybody in the company is very well educated on all our products, in all customers and in customers’ needs. And we make sure that our customers are extremely well serviced. Once they know about our service, it is hard for them to leave.”

The service does not stop with quality products. Paramount also educates customers on how to use packaging correctly, and conducts warehouse and packaging audits to help businesses implement solutions that reduce the labour and costs associated with shipping.

“We find the right packaging for the manufacturer and often we stock what they need on our floor. In the food industry,” she explains, “we have a lot of customers for example, that sell to Loblaws. When Loblaws says it has a special on chicken that week, the chicken producers need to ship without delay. If they don’t have their packaging on hand they are in trouble – they cannot fulfill their orders. But they are never stuck because we carry a certain amount of inventory on hand for them; they always have just in time delivery from us.”

To ensure that customers never run out of the necessary supplies, they receive monthly reports on their inventory levels and information about seasonal trends to ensure everything is shipped as needed. Paramount ships from either of its two warehouses in Montreal and Champlain, NY, which ensures the products arrive on time. “The products we carry are guaranteed, if it doesn’t work I take it back,” Assaly adds.

Paramount is committed to reducing its carbon footprint with environmentally friendly products that do not comprise on quality. The packaging industry took an early lead in sustainability and Paramount continues to follow these trends. Currently, all of its corrugated cartons are made of recycled material and it often purchases plastics that biodegrade.

Future goals

Looking to the future, the company is pushing to become increasingly unique in the marketplace. Paramount plans to continue exporting to the U.S., as well as open additional distribution centres in the country. Paramount is open to exploring online sales opportunities and recently became a prime vendor for Amazon.

As advice for women working in male-dominated industries, Assaly shares some encouraging words. “Make sure to always stay strong to your convictions. Set goals and don’t let anybody distract you from them,” she says.

Delivering on its Promises

Paramount has ensured customer loyalty over the years, primarily by delivering on its promises. “One of my pride and joys is that we have been around for so long as a loyal supplier to our customers, and, in return, our customers have been extremely loyal to us,” Assaly explains. “Respect is of Paramount importance to me and has become the culture of our company. This also extends to type of customer we have, which is also extremely respectable. Doing business in this way is much appreciated.”

www.paramountpaper.com