APPLIED Adhesives | Packaging Solution Case Study

Big Company, Big Challenges

When APPLIED Adhesives met with a co-packer of a well-known Midwestern beverage company, they were producing more than 19 million cases annually and even had their own beverage brand sold into the market. Although they were successful, they were also dealing with numerous headaches, including late deliveries, unexpected price increases from suppliers, ineffective adhesive application, and frequent, unplanned downtime along with emergency equipment maintenance issues.

When experiencing overwhelming circumstances, changing vendors can seem more daunting than maintaining the status quo. APPLIED Adhesives offered one cohesive package that solved multiple problems.

One Company. Multiple Solutions.

Instead of changing multiple vendors hoping to get better service in each respective problem area, the customer chose to work with APPLIED Adhesives, a full-service adhesives solutions company that could help them overcome all their challenges in one holistic package:

Late Deliveries

Late Deliveries
Unplanned Maintenance

Problem: Late Deliveries
Prior to working with APPLIED Adhesives, the customer’s suppliers were on probation with 26% of deliveries arriving late, well below minimum scorecard performance expectations. The need to expedite products as a result added significant cost to the manufacturing process.

Solution:
Better logistics through an extensive North American presence.

With APPLIED Adhesives, the customer has received 100% orders, delivered in full and on-time.

Problem: Unplanned Maintenance
In this customer’s case, there were two main reasons they continuously dealt with unscheduled maintenance:

Improper Adhesive Application

This led to production woes, such as box flaps opening and stringing allowing bags to protrude and cause re-work offline, by hand. Slowing down their BIB lines was the only way to prevent issues – an untenable resolution.

Unreliable Equipment

Because their current units were constantly needing repairs, they experienced unplanned downtime, further hurting the bottom line.

Solution:

Banish Downtime With the Right Adhesives, Equipment and Service

The customer found that they were unable to tackle all their issues by working with their current supplier because this supplier ONLY offered adhesives – not a comprehensive package of adhesives, equipment, parts and service that APPLIED Adhesives could bring.

Procuring the Right Adhesive at Competitive Prices

Many companies believe ordering directly from manufacturers will save them money. While they may get a slightly lower price, they miss out on the best value and lowest total cost. Further, these companies don’t have access to the benefits of added service and support provided by APPLIED Adhesives.

Selecting the Right Adhesive for the Application

APPLIED’s lab testing capabilities ensured the customer was using the right adhesive in the right amount to avoid gumming up equipment or wasting money on too much adhesive.

Providing Ongoing Equipment, Parts, Service and Training

Many APPLIED Adhesives clients struggle to staff enough maintenance personnel to sustain a solid preventive maintenance program. The customer signed a contract with APPLIED Adhesives that included preventive and emergency maintenance as well as training for their staff. As a parts manufacturer, APPLIED Adhesives also provided critical quality spare parts and dispensing equipment for their facilities that helped save thousands of dollars over expensive OEM equipment.

The Financial Benefit of a Cohesive Solution

Choosing APPLIED Adhesives allowed the customer to realize additional value and cost savings that a single service adhesives provider cannot achieve.

APPLIED Adhesives can provide a total service package including preventative maintenance, emergency maintenance, complementary health checks and proactive visits.

This type of comprehensive service is unique to the industry and ensures that customers’ operations run smoothly regardless of staffing constraints, because APPLIED Adhesives has your back every step of the way.

A Midwest-Based Beverage Manufacturer

“APPLIED brought to us a solution for our current equipment, including annual PMs for all the machines and discounted parts that we were previously paying at most times double the price to source them from the supplier directly. Lastly, APPLIED ensured us they would help us get our glue usage down and ensure top performance . . . We felt that APPLIED was providing a holistic solution rather than simply shipping us material.”

- Procurement Analyst

End Anxiety With a Partner Who’s Beside You at Every Step

Changing adhesives is never an easy endeavor for a customer, especially if they have multiple locations to consider. APPLIED Adhesives reassured this customer by:

Lab-testing recommended adhesives to ensure proper results before hitting the line
Pre-trial planning that ensured a smooth process prior to the transition
Holding location-specific kick-off calls to address any concerns and review all logistical details, such as the need for mechanics or other support personnel
Documenting each line with adhesive and equipment settings – tagging each line with target specifications
Meeting targeted savings goals through line optimization

APPLIED Brought Peace of Mind

“Previously, all of our facilities' packers were utilizing a different case glue. Moving to the ASURE CC0530 caused a lot of unease as many of our facilities had bad experiences with a different glue than what we were previously using. However, APPLIED made sure that we went through two trials at our La Crosse and Watertown facilities of the material with technical support on-site to ensure that the correct adjustments were made in order to run the adhesive. This helped ease the nerves of our facilities. After that, we had buy-in to move forward with the new case glue.”