Amidst the dismal unemployment rates, continued housing crisis and other sluggish economic indicators is a quiet but encouraging sign of resilience - the food manufacturing industry. While other industry sectors have lost thousands of jobs in the last 2-3 years, North American food manufacturers have maintained or added jobs during the same time period. Most food companies would admit this has not been a period of economic boom, but more like a steady hold in the storm. However, storms do create the perfect environment for evaluating business models, production practices, external partnerships and internal resources, thus challenging the status quo. In doing so, innovation can be applied to all areas of the business creating momentum for regeneration into the next growth cycle. So, despite – or perhaps because of – difficult economic times, SVZ-USA and our customers are seeking out and preparing for new growth opportunities.
2011 marks 10 years of operation for SVZ’s processing facility in North America. During this time, we have successfully built a business serving a range of market segments (beverage, flavour, dairy, baby food, fruit preparation) primarily with fruit ingredients. To further enhance our product offering and reach into other market segments like bakery and savoury, several new product launches are planned for 2011/2012. In addition to the new products currently under development, SVZ’s investment in a new low acid aseptic line will increase sales opportunities and provide valuable alternatives for the market.
To better serve existing and future customers while accommodating anticipated growth, SVZ-USA has recently reorganized our sales team. The fundamental strategy begins with specific customer-level planning. The Sales Team is positioned to address our customer/prospect base in two ways with separate Field-Sales and Inside-Sales functions for maximum effectiveness. In addition to the appointment of Timothy Jaeger as Sales Manager, we welcomed Matthew Glencoe and Nathaniel Kupko to the team, both holding the position of Account Manager. Together with Campbell Cooper in Business Development, they are responsible for Field Sales.
The Field Sales segment is focused on strategic accounts keying in on more face-to-face time with the customer and expanding the relationship beyond Purchasing to include R&D, Marketing and Operations. With a large geography to cover, one criterion is efficiency based on regional dedication. Organic customers are assigned to match account manager expertise. Smaller accounts and spot customers are handled by Inside Sales as well as most new customers where they are assessed or developed for Field Sales assignment as appropriate. Agata Willis is responsible for Inside Sales, and Riikka Johnson is the Sales Assistant.
There is seamless cooperation between Field Sales and Inside Sales. A renewed emphasis on “total customer service” is being developed by Agata Willis. The newly enhanced sales team design will increase our ability to support customer initiatives, bringing total organizational resources to bear in meaningful and productive ways for both SVZ and our customers.
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