From Print Magazine to Empire: History and Relevance of CORRUGA.EXPERT

Interview with Igor Tkalenko, CEO & Founder and Nadia Tkalenko, International Relations Manager at SuperCorrExpo 2024.

Now, I’d like to welcome Nadia and Igor Tkalenko. They are from CORRUGA.EXPERT, an online magazine that formerly served the Eastern European corrugated industry. As we know, the ongoing war in Ukraine has profoundly impacted the corrugated industry there. I hope you can share some insights about that.

We are from Kyiv. We understand that the world may be growing weary of our war. But right now, missiles are striking Kyiv. Our children are there, and, of course, we can’t stop worrying about them. Still, I must focus on the corrugated industry. I am a journalist and have been writing about corrugated board for 24 or 25 years, starting in the early 2000s.

It’s unusual for our market, but I created the first corrugated board magazine in our region, covering 15 countries of the former Soviet Union, including Russia and Ukraine.

Our magazine was based in Kyiv, Ukraine, and our audience included about 400 corrugated board producers, their employees, and plant owners.

Now, we are in a very difficult situation. Many of our partners in Russia support Ukraine and stand with us in this crisis. However, it has become dangerous to communicate with some Russian partners, as it poses risks to both them and us. Everyone is on high alert, looking for spies, and while this isn’t directly related to the corrugated industry, it affects everything.

CORRUGA EXPERT Team – Konstantin Shabunevich (Commercial Director), Alexey Smirnov (SMM manager), Illia Shvachko (Editor-in-Chief and Web master), Igor Tkalenko (CEO & Founder)

It is related to the corrugated industry because it is an essential sector. It must continue operating despite the incredible hardships you’re facing. Are you now publishing in English?

Everything happens for the best. The war has brought us to the global market. Now, we write not only about the corrugated industry in Eastern Europe but also worldwide.

We began preparing this information in English and publishing it on our platform. We noticed that people needed and were interested in this information. In addition to English, we also publish in Ukrainian, Spanish, and Russian.

After two and a half years, we now have 42,000 subscribers worldwide, including 13,600 on LinkedIn.

We’ve realized that our news, whether focused on our region or global events, resonates with our audience and beyond. Although it wasn’t planned, we’ve become somewhat international—almost like a global magazine.

I’ll make sure we link to your website on the podcast page. Hopefully, you’ll soon be ready to rebuild more of the Ukrainian industry. As a journalist, you’re interested in seeing the industry rebuild and attract young people. But what I’m really excited about is the game you’ve developed to help people learn about the corrugated industry. Tell me a little about that. It’s a game, right?

We are so excited to be here at this show. We came up with the idea of a game called Corruga Empire. We have corrugated box producers, suppliers of equipment, and more.

You’ve really got a bit of everything on there.

Yes, it’s good educational material and great for team building.

Is it Monopoly-based?

One night, during an air raid alarm, people were sitting in the metro station underground. Some tried to sleep, some prayed, and some played games like Monopoly. This gave me an idea. I thought, “Maybe we could create a more interesting game involving box makers, suppliers, and equipment producers.” We could make a “Corruga Empire” game, similar to Monopoly.

When we started, companies like International Paper, Smurfit Kappa, and WestRock were separate entities, but now they have merged, creating a real monopoly.

We began developing the game with the help of my friend, a designer. We wanted it to be realistic and interesting for creators. When we played in Kyiv, some creators from plants asked if they could join us. We needed their advice to make the game more realistic.

Here, you see the creators’ area, the peripheral area, the converting area, and the storage. All this machinery and equipment are shown to help young people or new employees learn about the industry. By playing this game, they can learn history, technology, and more.

For example, players can buy equipment and must understand its cost, advantages, and payback period. These companies can be found at the SuperCorrExpo. We saw that people in the corrugated industry were interested in this game.

One plant owner in Poland showed me a beautiful corrugated chair he made for a visit by the Catholic Pope. This inspired me to include scenarios in the game where players must make chairs for large events.

Given the current war, we also included cards where a player’s plant might be destroyed, leading to bankruptcy. Sometimes, players might need to make coffins, reflecting the harsh realities of life.

We try to gather all this information and ask exhibitors and visitors at exhibitions, as well as corrugated producers, to send us cases from their lives. These stories will be part of the game’s history.

I’ll put a link on the landing page for anyone who has great stories they would like to see immortalized in the Corruga Empire game.

But again, we’re talking about a game and an industry that has to go on, grow, and attract young people, right?

It has to. Collecting these sometimes crazy stories about what we are asked to do will attract young people.

Nadia and Igor, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing your story. It’s been great to meet you at SuperCorrExpo. I look forward to when you can bring more of your customers and share their stories as well.

Thank you.

Participation in the game

By participating in Corruga Empire, you will ensure that players see your company in the best possible light, associating your brand with innovation, quality, and industry leadership.

We believe that your involvement in Corruga Empire will not only be beneficial for your brand but also enhance the overall experience of the game, making it more realistic and engaging for all players.

Please let us know if you are interested in this unique opportunity. We would be delighted to discuss further details and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for considering our invitation. We look forward to the possibility of collaborating with you on this exciting project.