The celebration will include a performance piece from calligraphy artist Lassaâd Métoui, known as the “Poetiqué de l’encre” (ink poet).
Like many remanufacturers doing business today, MBP started small – with just three people. Looking back, CEO Franck Toffa says it shows how much the industry has changed since then.
“What happened 20 years ago with MBP being founded by three guys, that’s impossible today,” he says.
“There has been so much consolidation that there are very few small companies in general,” adds Toffa. “They have all either been bought or gone out of business – so anyone trying to start small is going to have a very tough time competing.”
Today MBP has expanded from three people to 130, and has added a new factory in Morocco in addition to its headquarters in the ancient and scenic area around Nantes. However Toffa still says he would call the company “medium sized”.
MBP estimates that it sells around four million remanufactured inkjet cartridges a year, alongside 250,000 toner cartridges, as well as a cartridge collection operation.
Toffa told The Recycler that the company’s environmental policy has always been an important part of MBP.
As well as operating its Praxis Environnement collection scheme since 1997, the company works with environmental organisation AVSF to ensure a new tree is planted for every cartridge purchased from its PrintECO range.
Looking ahead, Toffa is confident for the future of the company: “We are expanding all the time in different ways. We constantly look for organic growth with new business,” he said.
See the upcoming November issue of The Recycler magazine for more about MBP and the anniversary celebrations.