Tag: Unique

Tug-of-War

Written on by frain-sales

Customers appear to be attracted to uniqueness and differentiation as well as similarity and consistency when it comes to products. With the amount of options available, the best of both worlds is attainable.

Companies, nonetheless, are at a constant tug-of-war with consumer-targeted items that can be identically reproduced efficiently and effectively. This challenge has prompted diversity (i.e. flavor explosion), boosted consumer interaction, and increased product quality.

At the beginning of the millennium, for instance, men were the predominant group of craft beer drinkers. That, however, shifted in recent years as craft beer climbed in popularity among a diverse group of drinkers. Craft breweries adapted by providing a “full-flavored beer movement” focused around quality. Some breweries -although typically small- even began production to sell at markets to accommodate their followers.

It appears that craft brewers found the niche in keeping the constant tug-of-war balance some companies face:

  • Adaptation
  • Quality product
  • Efficient and effective production

Companies must adapt to consumer demand and must do so quickly. At Frain, we just don’t provide packaging and processing equipment. We provide solutions. We help our customers quickly adapt to market changes and maximize revenue.

Every unit that leaves our warehouse is completely inspected, refurbished and configured to our customer’s product specifications. Our integration, automation, and other service options are also customized to their application for the most efficient and effective production.

Identically reproducing quality products that are unique in the customer’s eye is ultimately the difference between surviving or winning the tug-of-war. Frain can get you there.

 

Resources:

https://www.brewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Demographics-of-craft-beer.pdf
https://www.brewersassociation.org/press-releases/small-independent-brewers-continue-grow-double-digits/

Segway Season is Here

Written on by frain-sales

DSC05991-2Segways are an extremely popular form of touring Chicago during the peak summer season. Although not as common, they are also used for other purposes like commuting from point A to B.

With parts on one end of Frain’s warehouse and refurbishing area on the other, moving around rapidly and productively helps us improve efficiency, quality, and turnaround time.

That is why the Frain team ingeniously uses Segways- along with tricycles, electric pallet jacks, or forklifts- to get from the shop to the sales floor, accounting, shipping, parts and more.

Although not on Segway, Frain gives customer tours of its 1.2 million square feet warehouse either on foot or in a golf cart. Customers can see our 50+ engineers and technicians completely refurbish a single machine or complete line, view an inventory of over 9,000 machines, take a glimpse at an in-house 150,000 parts fleet, and learn more about successfully integrating individual machines to complete lines.

From our inventory, factory acceptance test, field service to our in-house commuting, Frain is unique.

A Wild River Ride!

Written on by John Henry

I suspect that most of you are happy with Amazon’s speedy deliveries but always want them to be just a little bit faster. I know I am and do.

We also love the idea that they will provide drone delivery, lockboxes at the corner store and other innovations to provide us with almost instant delivery. Faster is better, right?

I’d not thought much about this from the manufacturer’s standpoint until a couple months ago. For most of my clients, Walmart is their most significant customer, accounting for half or more of sales. They are usually their most challenging customer as well.

I found an exception when a client called me in to help them reduce setup and changeover times. Walmart was a biggie for them, of course. Amazon was even bigger and tougher, particularly on delivery times.

Their current contract Amazon requires 36-hour shipment. Their upcoming contract will require 33 hours. I’ve never seen shipping requirements expressed in hours instead of days except in some special circumstances. I was amazed and still don’t see how this is possible unless FEDEX/UPS are picking up almost hourly.

This company had almost 1,000 SKUs so keeping inventory is out of the question.

They’re not there yet but I see Amazon pushing them towards single piece manufacturing with short cycle times. Buy one, make one. In hours, not days. And cheaper too, please.

Vicky Smitley of the Contract Packaging Association spoke about mass customization at Pack Expo earlier this month. She (and all of us, really) want exactly what we want and we want it now. As a customer, she wants it all. As a manufacturer, it drives her crazy.

You’ve gotta do it. If you don’t your competition will and you will be left behind.

They key to meeting this challenge is total commitment by everyone, starting with marketing/product design. Products and packages must be designed for small batch manufacturing and nimble changeover.

Lines and plants must be designed for nimbleness and everyone in the plant, top to bottom, must understand the strategic importance.

Delight your customers, one unique product at a time.