Glanbia Nutritionals was approached by a Fortune 100 food company to see if we could provide a premix for a non-allergen, sachet pouch. The finished product would be used in clinical nutrition applications, so it had to meet the strictest quality and safety standards. As we learned more about their needs and production plan, we realized that we could deliver more than a high-quality premix—we could offer a complete manufacturing solution.
We proposed an end-to-end approach that brought procurement, formulation, blending and packaging all under one roof. This solution would simplify their vendor ecosystem, reduce procurement time, bring the production process under one quality protocol and enable complete traceability in the supply chain. Not to mention get them into market as fast as possible.
Accomplishing our proposal meant adding new capability and capacity in record time, without compromising the exceptional quality standards of the Springfield, Missouri plant that helped us win the business. But we were up for the challenge and made a major capex investment in a sachet packaging line. This included x-ray, checkweigher and conveying equipment, as well as product transfer systems from blender to bin to packaging line, plus new packing and cold storage rooms.
We began construction of the new line in Spring 2015. By closely collaborating with the customer we were able to hit every critical deadline—packaging line validation in six months, full production validation in nine months, and finished products manufactured two months later. Since production started in early 2016, we’ve produced and delivered millions of sachet pouches, across nine different SKU’s.
We’re proud of this relationship, not only for the exceptional business results it brought our customer, but also because it exemplifies the Glanbia Nutritionals’ way. We delivered exactly what was needed, and went above beyond by bringing a complete solution to the table. We proved ourselves a true partner by backing up our solution with a major investment of our own capital. And we extended our core competencies to help our customer succeed. The result? A finished product with outstanding quality and performance. A procurement and manufacturing process with less risk and simpler day-to-day management. And a new partnership that we look forward to growing for years to come.