Country: Czech Republic and Slovakia

Category: Point of Sale

DS Smith’s “Harmonika” is a food-category POS display engineered to combine shopper impact, supply-chain robustness, and sustainability in one circular, PPWR-ready system. It ships flat, locks to a reusable QP 600×400 mm pallet in seconds, and opens into a 14-shelf, high-visibility merchandising tower that keeps SKUs upright and shoppable even as stock runs down. The result is more facings, better on-shelf availability, and faster shopper pick-up with less store labour and waste.
Harmonika wins on efficiency. Co-packers receive the mono-material body flattened in a protective sleeve, add optional components (top card, price rails, inserts) from a secondary pallet, and complete five intuitive steps: expand, lock the body, fix to the QP with two locks, slide in RRP units, and cap with the transport over-sleeve. After a brief learning curve, assembly plus filling takes under three minutes—around sixty percent faster than typical multi-part corrugated displays—reducing co-packing cost, touchpoints, and energy use. This right-first-time workflow supports lean operations and reduces total cost of ownership.
It wins on selling power. Four optimised RRP footprints fully cover each shelf; smaller RRPs are snugged by simple corrugated inserts. Shelves are set at a gentle upward angle so tablets, bars or pouches stay proudly vertical and visible rather than slumping forward. Shoppers can approach from multiple directions and always see product frontally. Tall, clean side panels plus an interchangeable top card deliver strong brand blocking. One platform flexes to promote up to twenty-five SKUs or flavour variants, enabling agile, data-driven campaigns without reprinting the structure.
It wins on safety and logistics. Corrugated construction is robust yet forgiving, reducing handling risks and damage to both display and goods. The fixed 600×400 mm footprint palletises two-sided and ships four filled displays per EUR pallet to distribution centres, improving cube utilisation. A filled unit can weigh up to sixty kilograms; the locking system and rigid spine stabilise the load during forklift handling and aisle moves. Retail teams receive a consistent, stable unit that can be wheeled directly to the sales floor and made ready in minutes.
Above all, it wins on sustainability. The primary structure is mono-material corrugated board designed for high-yield recycling; components separate in seconds at end-of-life. The QP pallet is a reusable asset; price rails contain thirty percent rPET; the transport wrap is corrugated. Efficient board utilisation and lightweighting cut embodied carbon and total cost. The end-of-life routine takes about three minutes: remove rails, flatten the body, and return the pallet—closing the loop.
Harmonika embodies eco-design, circular economy principles, recyclability, renewable fibre sourcing, low carbon footprint, material efficiency, waste prevention, right-sizing, and recovery. It aligns with EPR objectives, supports DPP-ready data capture, and demonstrates genuine design-for-recycling. In short, DS Smith proves that premium visibility, speed, safety, and sustainability are not trade-offs but a single integrated platform—future-proof, scalable, and ready to accelerate responsible growth today. Built on renewable materials and circular logistics, Harmonika advances zero-waste retail theatre, boosts sell-through, and showcases sustainable innovation—efficient, modular, reusable where relevant, recyclable everywhere, and measurably lower CO₂e across its lifecycle overall.