Success Story
Details
The company is engaged in the growing and marketing of tropical fruit. Its products include canned fruit, juice, and fresh fruit. Imports of tropical fruit have captured a large share of the domestic market based on cost advantages enjoyed by the foreign producers. As a result, the company’s sales declined 17% and employment declined 26%.
The company with the 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 June 1994.
Western TAAC and the company’s management developed a strategy to restructure internal operations, reduce operating costs, and add new products. To implement this strategy the company implemented higher volume cultivation, streamlined production operations, and redesigned fresh fruit packaging and shipping containers.
In May 1995 the company began participation in the Post Approval phase of the TAA program. Over a three year period, Western TAAC and the company’s management implement five production engineering projects that were key factors in expanding processed pineapple production and reducing operating expenses.
These projects along with other strategy implementation led to outstanding growth and stability for the company. As a result, in the eight years since the company began working with the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms program, sales increased 14% to$94.6M, employment increased 9% to 1,475, the company achieved its most profitable year in 8 years, , and productivity improved 4% to $64,136 sales per employee.