“What we discovered early in the transition was that we had a common language and business. The Zellwood employees are focused on safety, quality — including SQF (Safe Quality Food standard) — productivity, and we serve similar customers. As a combined company, we can take what is good and move towards great.” says Marc Doiron, Head of Molded Fiber Operations at Huhtamaki North America.
Huhtamaki took a significant step towards expanding its growth within the molded fiber industry, specifically for egg cartons and egg flats, in April with the acquisition of Zellwin Farms in Zellwood, Florida. Now after 100 days into the integration, both companies are seeing a successful transition with a focus on safety, efficiency, and collaborative innovation.
The former Zellwin Farms, has been serving egg producing customers throughout the Southeastern US from a single site for more than 20 years. It is a successful operation and obviously an attractive business that fits well with Huhtamaki's history in molded fiber and other recent expansions.
“When we started working with the team, we found a very nimble, engaged and innovative workforce. We have already learned so much from their ability to solve problems and innovate.” says Larissa Larrabee, Huhtamaki Controller who is leading the transition team.
Bringing employees into the Huhtamaki family
Any acquisition brings a big change for the employees and a fair amount of unknown.
“Immediately following the acquisition, we received great support from Huhtamaki’s HR, IT, Finance, Operations and Safety. We appreciate that support and the speed with which everyone came together. It has helped everyone adapt and immediately alleviated concerns” says Christina Stewart, Zellwood Controller and a 10-year employee of the company, who is co-leading the transition with Larissa Larrabee.
Making safety the top priority
The team in Zellwood make safety the top priority, like Huhtamaki, but the integration did require harmonization of best practices and a review of every aspect of the operation. Marc Doiron also drove home the safety message with employees by demonstrating Huhtamaki’s core values of CARE DARE DELIVER.
“We want employees to know that a strong safety culture is paramount in all our locations. It’s not just words. We want them to take an extra minute before they begin work to think about safe behaviors and to make certain that they are working in a safe environment. We genuinely care about their safety, and that we deliver on our commitments.”
The road ahead
The first 100 days have set a solid foundation to continue the momentum and trajectory towards great success and opportunities in molded fiber egg packaging.
