Berlin Packaging extends streak of 99% on-time product delivery to nine years straight

Berlin Packaging, a leading full-service supplier of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures, today announced it has extended its 99% on-time shipping performance record to 108 consecutive months, an unbroken achievement dating back to June, 2004. The company credits its emphasis on operational excellence, including these nine straight years of just-in-time delivery of containers and closures, as a major contributor to its ten-fold revenue growth between 1988 and 2012.

Berlin Packaging became the first supplier of rigid packaging to measure and publicly report its on-time shipping performance nine years ago, and it remains the only company to reveal its on-time delivery statistics. On-time delivery provides numerous benefits for packaging customers. It boosts customer revenue by avoiding stockouts and allowing customers to fill orders on time; it reduces customer operating expenses by eliminating carrying costs, facility costs, and shrinkage; it improves customer productivity by eliminating machine down-time and refocusing employees on more value-added activities; and it frees up customer cash flow by reducing the inventory that sits on the customer's floor.

Today Berlin Packaging's inventory stocking programs:

• Average over 15,000 shipments per month to customers of all types located across North America.

• Utilize more than 5 million square feet of warehouse space owned and controlled by Berlin Packaging from coast to coast, with over 70 company warehouses and third-party locations in use.

• Serve nearly 80% of Berlin Packaging customers, reflecting the priority that customers place on ensuring supply of critical packaging items in order to meet filling schedules and fulfill purchase orders on time.

Berlin Packaging's 108-month achievement is made possible in part by the company's multimillion-dollar Oracle enterprise business software as well as the discipline strengthened by the company's ISO 9001:2008 certification. "When speaking with customers, we consistently hear they are seeking on-time delivery of their product," said Andrew Berlin, Berlin Packaging's Chairman and CEO. "Good quality, competitive prices, and smiling service are very important, but unless the product is delivered when promised, it's not doing the customer any good."

Berlin's on-time record has benefited many leading manufacturers and brand owners including White Mountain Pure Foods, a Texas-based maker of all-natural and vegan foods. "Berlin Packaging and their staff go out of their way to ensure we get the supplies we need, when we need it, week in and week out," noted Jeff Murray, White Mountain's CEO. "Due in large part to Berlin's performance, we maintain a 100% fill rate and an excellent reputation of dependability with our customers, which is as good as money in the bank."

BioLife Plasma Services, a plasma-collection company that works with Berlin's Dangerous Goods division, also sees the benefits of on-time delivery performance. "Berlin consistently provides on-time delivery to all 62 of our BioLife locations throughout the U.S.," commented Bryan Peterson, Purchasing Manager. "This high degree of execution is appreciated and needed to maintain the efficiency of our centers."

"Berlin Packaging's incredible on-time delivery record speaks to the innovation and commitment of the company and its employees. Through our ongoing investments and focus, we've been able to create, without a doubt, the most efficient supply chain in the industry," said Larry Rydzewski, Berlin Packaging's Chief Operating Officer. "Nine years of on-time performance speaks volumes about our commitment to reliability and exceptional customer service."

Berlin Packaging began analyzing its delivery performance in mid-2003 as a means of evaluating its customer service. The company discovered a strong 95% on-time shipping record and then implemented new procedures to improve performance even further, first breaking the 99% barrier in mid-2004 and holding at that level or higher since then.