5 Key Procurement Benefits for a Leading Food Manufacturer: a Case Study

The client featured in this story is a leading name in the milling and bakery sector in Finland. 

As with any business in the food manufacturing industry, this food manufacturer needs to be able to access a wide range of essential supplies for different use cases to keep their operations running smoothly and meet the evergrowing demand.

The context: changing circumstances

The company’s Quality Controller (our interviewee) is tasked with ensuring that all products meet the high standards of safety, reliability, and customer satisfaction set by the company. To achieve this, she oversees quality control processes and conducts detailed product checks, such as sample quality checks, to identify any issues or areas for improvement. 

In addition to these, she is also responsible for keeping the operations in the food processing plant running smoothly. This includes sourcing and purchasing essential supplies for food manufacturing, such as gloves, cleaning equipment, and cleaning chemicals.

The Quality Controller has been part of this company for the past 30 years and she has seen their product offer and headcount skyrocket to 3x the original size.

As this food manufacturer continued to expand, its Quality Controller and her team realised their procurement needs were evolving too. Their new circumstances called for a more responsive supply chain that would allow them to stock a broader range of products in a timely manner to maintain production, manage their spending, and reduce the likelihood of supply chain disruptions. 

The challenge: expanding the inventory

Before discovering Droppe, this Finnish food manufacturer relied on just a few suppliers to provide them with the right model of nitrile gloves they needed at their food manufacturing plant. At the time, their procurement process mainly consisted in communicating with their supplier by email. 

As the food manufacturer expanded its product line, the Quality Controller and her team realised the importance of offering a diversified selection of gloves to meet the needs and preferences of their growing workforce and use cases. This included taking into account factors such as allergies, among others.

However, this development also posed the challenge of finding a single, reliable source for different types of gloves. 

As for most industrial buyers, it was essential for the Quality Controller and her team to save time on sourcing and bypass lengthy price negotiations with multiple suppliers.

The solution and its 5 procurement benefits 

In 2020, the Quality Controller learned about Droppe and decided to give the industrial marketplace a try. The main reason for her interest was that Droppe’s product catalogue featured a particular brand of nitrile gloves that were a critical item in her inventory.

The first wholesale order with Droppe was placed in 2020, and straight from the first touchpoint, the Quality Controller was impressed by the attentiveness of her dedicated Wholesale Manager. 

Since then, Droppe has become this food manufacturer’s go-to source of disposable products and this raises the question: why? 

The Quality Controller we interviewed has identified 5 major positive outcomes of purchasing from Droppe:

1. Availability: Since 2020, having their essential supplies available 24/7 without disruptions has been the #1 benefit of purchasing from Droppe. Ongoing availability is crucial when production is high and the food manufacturing plant has to keep up with rising demand.
   
   
2. Competitive Pricing: Droppe’s pricing is highly competitive and falls within the same range as her previous supplier. By purchasing from Droppe, the Quality Controller and her team have been able to lower their procurement costs and allocate more resources to other critical areas of their business.
   
   
3. Variety: Droppe’s marketplace offers the Quality Controller and her team access to a diverse range of gloves that meet various use cases and workers’ needs, including latex-free options, all in one place. This has helped them save time by eliminating the need to source from different suppliers and negotiate prices.
   
   
4. Fast delivery: The Quality Controller has found the fast delivery of products from Droppe to be a major advantage. The products arrive quickly and on time, which has allowed the food manufacturer to maintain its production schedule without any disruptions or setbacks and minimise any potential delays or downtime.
   
   
5. Top-notch customer care: The food manufacturer has a dedicated Wholesale Manager who is proactive in maintaining contact and ensuring that the company’s production needs are met. Since the production needs can be quite fluctuating, the Quality Controller and her team prefer to order supplies as they are needed. She finds it valuable to have a trustworthy contact person who thoroughly understands their use cases, objectives, and needs. This ensures that they receive all essential products on time and provides them with peace of mind, knowing that they are dealing with a reliable partner.

Conclusion

The case of this Finnish leading food manufacturer demonstrates the importance of a responsive supply chain in a dynamic and multifaceted industry like food manufacturing.

By working with Droppe and having access to a wide range of suppliers and products at competitive prices, the food manufacturer has been able to keep their operations running smoothly with timely deliveries, and meet the diverse needs of their workers and use cases while keeping control of their spending. 

Last but not least, the strong bond of trust between the Quality Controller and their dedicated Wholesale Manager exemplifies the importance of exceptional customer care and proactive communication in fostering successful partnerships. 
Whether you’re running a restaurant or a food manufacturing plant, we understand that access to a comprehensive catalogue of supplies and fast delivery are crucial to keeping your operations running smoothly.

1000+ satisfied wholesale buyers are now relying on Droppe for their procurement needs, so check out our industrial catalogue including 100+ trusted European suppliers and their selections. If you need assistance with sourcing the best products for your use cases or to streamline your procurement, get in touch with our experts and let’s work together to find the best solutions for your unique needs!