Becoming a leader in delivering exceptional packaging customer service doesn’t come from resting on previous successes.
It takes true commitment to improving everything about your business — looking at your suppliers, hiring the right people, listening to your customers, improving your production methods, and much more.
It’s a process Pipeline Packaging has always taken great pride in as part of its packaging customer service. Today, we were good. Tomorrow, we need to be better.
A Culture Based in Continuous Improvement
Liz Walker is an experienced process and performance improvement leader with almost 30 years of experience in the manufacturing, automotive, and distribution industries. She joined Pipeline Packaging last winter as a continuous improvement manager. It has been a seamless transition.
“It really is true when we say, ‘Good People at the Core,’” said Walker. “I’ve been here for almost a year, and I’d say Pipeline has the optimal culture and mindset for continuous improvement. Ultimately, this translates into better packaging customer service.”
Putting Continuous Improvement into Practice
Walker educates and trains employees about continuous improvement at the corporate office and at each of Pipeline’s 10 distribution centers. With this training, our employees learn to look for waste and opportunities for improvement.
Continuous improvement projects range from Kaizen Events to improve the process for order entry, to 5S events at one of the distribution centers, or to simple problem-solving activities focused on a specific quality opportunity to create better packaging customer service.
Walker explained that one of the foundational methodologies in continuous improvement is 5S. 5S is a systematic and structured approach to workplace organization. The objective is to create a well-organized, clean, and visual workplace where anyone can easily find every tool and item needed, identify abnormalities, and maintain production flow. This will lead to reduced wasted time, the elimination of safety hazards, a more quality product, an improvement in customer response time, and better packaging and customer service.
Continuous Improvement Instills Ownership
Continuous improvement is a critical piece of the Pipeline culture; we encourage employees to look for ways to improve our daily operations. Insight from the individuals who work in packaging customer service is invaluable in determining what needs improvement and how.
Pipeline entrusts employees with a personal responsibility to continuous improvement. At an employee-owned company, this translates into huge performance advantages.
Creating the Optimal Workflow Systems
Backed by decades of experience and a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Walker’s specialty is designing process flow.
“When I think of the roots of production flow concepts, my mind immediately lands on Henry Ford, whose concepts perfected the automobile production line,” she said. “What’s amazing is that we can still see the impact of these efficiencies in today’s industry.”
Through its own commitment to packaging customer service, Pipeline hopes to continue the legacy of providing quality products at competitive prices with simplified processes all for the customer’s benefit.
Continuous Improvement in Action
Thanks to Pipeline Packaging’s commitment to outstanding packaging customer service, a neighboring Cleveland company has been a long-time customer. The chemical manufacturer produces emulsions, polymers, specialty chemicals, and engineered surfaces for a variety of industries including agriculture, automotive, and healthcare.
Pipeline supplies drums for this customer’s work in oil and gas exploration. The chemical manufacturer eventually contacted Pipeline about its packaging customer service, particularly handling its custom assembly and warehousing to reduce production costs.
The distribution center team at Pipeline recently participated in a 5S event focused on the area where we assemble our customer’s product. According to Mike Letner, the Pipeline Packaging sales representative who works directly with this customer, the results have been noticeable.
“We’re always looking to improve our packaging customer service, and this is a great example,” said Letner. “And when we’re able to, it results in long-lasting, successful relationships.”
Assisting with the chemical manufacturer’s packaging and shipping workflow became as easy as 1-2-3. First, Pipeline palletized and assembled the drums. Next, the customer received the prepared drums and filled them with the product. Last, the packaged product was shipped right back out.
“We welcomed the opportunity to help our customer improve,” said Letner. “And we aligned our processes to meet the customer’s need for a more efficient production process.” Letner said "Pipeline’s packaging customer service has enhanced workflow, improved efficiency, and reduced costs for the customer. This customer’s satisfaction has resulted in a decade-long relationship with Pipeline Packaging being its sole industrial drum supplier,” said Letner.
In line with the principles of the 5Ss, Pipeline Packaging is committed to continuous improvement when it comes to packaging customer service.
Powered by Good People at the Core
Offering the perfect combination of packaging customer service and products requires one special component: the people helping customers achieve success.
At Pipeline Packaging, employees take ownership of their roles and the company’s success, which ultimately translates to customer success. We like to call this keeping Good People at the Core.
Employee culture is so strong that in 2014, founder and owner Chris Page sold his ownership to the employees as part of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. The move symbolized the company’s recognition of the vital role employees play in packaging customer service. So now, not only do employees serve the company, but they take personal responsibility for its success or failure.
Start Working with Those Good People at the Core
By empowering employees through internal initiatives designed to develop innovative solutions for our customers, Letner said Pipeline always strives to deliver the best customer service.
When you work with Pipeline Packaging, you know our Good People at the Core will deliver the best packaging customer service available. See how Pipeline can serve as your comprehensive packaging solutions provider today.
