Growing the Business
Growing ViskoTeepak’s Packaging offerings in the U.S. has proven to be challenging over the last few years. Although we have experienced decent growth, proving to customers that the thermoformed films, pouches, and high barrier shrink bags we offer are high quality products, has been challenging. Whether it’s price, lead-time, relationship, or something else, we’ve heard many reasons for not moving forward. That’s why I wanted to mention a success story that Steve Calvert, Southeast U.S. Business Manager, has had.
The Road to Success
Steve calls on a mid-sized regional meat processor based in Tennessee. They produce a variety of meat products, including but not limited to hams, bacon, and poultry items. They have been a customer of ViskoTeepak for many years. Their multiple product lines call for a variety of casings, primarily fibrous and Nova items. While we have had success and built a strong relationship with this customer, they still split their casing purchases and are not exclusive to ViskoTeepak. However, the relationship developed over the years has led to a growing trust in our company and capabilities.
When the customer began experiencing some issues with one of their current packaging suppliers, they reached out to Steve with an opportunity to become a primary supplier on one of their main products, an unprinted shrink bag for a ham they supply to a national sandwich chain. A quick qualification process yielded positive results and pricing was competitive. So, they moved this item to ViskoTeepak. Over the last year, we’ve sold more than 500,000 of these shrink bags. This success has opened doors for other applications, a bone guard bag for ribs and thermoformed films.
