By Prime Advantage

Dakota, Ill.-based Berner Food & Beverage produces a variety of private-label food and beverage products, which include shelf-stable dips and sauces, bottled lattes and coffee energy drinks. Its products are made to the highest industry standards and help its customers compete with national brands.

Berner, which makes approximately 70% of all private-label cheese sauces and spreads in North America, 85% of private-label salsa con queso products, and 90% of all private-label aerosol canned cheese products, attributes much of its continued growth to a successful partnering strategy that ensures its suppliers are capable of providing superior quality, service and timely deliveries. The ability to identify and manage suppliers that can align with its corporate and operational strategies is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage.

Continuous packaging related problems cause bottleneck, downtime and lost revenue

Berner was encountering a frustrating problem at the end of its production line, where case shrink wrap designed to cover and seal its finished products was continually getting stuck in the wrapping machine the company had recently purchased.

When wrap would get stuck in the machine, it immediately halted the production line. Berner tried moving to a heavier grade of plastic wrap, at the suggestion of its supplier. The heavier wrap continued to jam the wrapping machine, while also costing about 30% more than the originally specified wrap which was causing the machine downtime.

Berner then began an urgent search outside its existing supplier base for a solution to this expensive problem.