PakTek-Artios: Unleashing Growth in B2B Business Relationships

This case explores the relationship between PakTek, a leading manufacturer of packaging and processing machinery and complete filling lines, and its key customer Artios, one of the world's fastest growing FMCG manufacturers, that serves major global brands as well as national retailers and smaller, independent brands. The B2B customer-supplier relationship has evolved over a long period through different lifecycle stages, from inception to close collaboration, fast growth, and ultimately maturity and (potentially) decline. PakTek is now at risk of losing one of its key customers. Learners first explore key facts about the B2B buyer-seller relationship based on a concise introduction of key case facts (Pre-Reading Material) handed out prior to the case discussion. Next, learners assess the buyer-seller relationship in class based on two additional case documents in which key stakeholders from both parties share their respective views on the situation, i.e., the 'Customer Perspective' and the 'Supplier Perspective'. New Insights gained allow learners to take stock of the relationship's status quo ('as is'), identify its strengths and weaknesses, explore gaps between the firms' ambitions and their respective goals, and define a strategic roadmap ('to be') that will reignite their collaboration and grow the relationship in the future. The PakTek-Artios case sets the stage for a lively discussion of collaboration and value creation in a Business-to-Business (B2B) customer relationship. While brief, the case brings up an exceptionally broad set of questions that can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways.