Success Story
Details
This company specializes in the design and manufacture of packaging supplies. Products range from corrugated, carton and boxes to high impact retail custom designed enclosures and point of purchase displays.
From 2005 through 2007 the company suffered from continued shrinking market share due to increasing low cost foreign competition, primarily from China. As a result, 2007 sales decreased 17% and employment decreased 14%.
The company, with assistance from the University of Southern California’s Western Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (Western TAAC), became certified as trade impacted by the US Dept. of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) in April of 2007.
Western TAAC and the company’s management developed a strategy to improve efficiency, increase productivity, and develop and brand a sustainable, green packaging initiative to keep current with increasing customer demand.
The company is in its 4th year in the implementation phase of the TAA Program, and has successfully implemented one information technology project, one marketing project and two quality management system development project. Since beginning its public/private sector partnership with the TAA for Firms Program, sales increased 8%, the company was profitable again for the 4th consecutive year, and productivity improved 46% to $539,286 sales per employee.