Overview

When a trusted packaging partner faced the risk of missing a critical customer deadline, they turned to Summit for immediate support. The project involved a large-scale food and beverage display program requiring extensive gluing of oversized corrugated pieces. With throughput falling behind expectations and nearly 70,000 units to complete, the partner needed a capable, responsive production extension that could move quickly without compromising quality.

Summit responded with speed, operational discipline, and cross-location coordination. Within days, Summit assessed the process, validated production capability, completed quality readiness checks, and began executing the work at higher efficiency than the original production line.

The Client

The client was a peer and partner organization in the packaging and co-packing space, supporting a major food and beverage customer. Their immediate challenge was tied to a large and complex display production order that had to be completed and shipped on a tight timeline.

The Situation

The partner was running into production issues on a high-volume job involving large corrugated displays. The work required extensive gluing, and the physical size and complexity of the displays made the project difficult to execute at the required pace. Their efficiency and throughput were not where they needed to be, creating a real risk that the order would not be completed on time.

The scale of the project added urgency. The total order involved approximately 70,000 units, and Summit ultimately supported just over 10% of the total production volume.

The Challenge

The partner needed more than overflow capacity. They needed a production partner that could quickly understand the process, replicate the work, meet quality expectations, and help protect the end customer’s ship date.

The core challenges included:

●      A complex assembly process involving oversized corrugated displays

●      Tight production and shipping deadlines

●      Throughput levels below what the project required

●      The need to validate quality and process capability quickly

●      The need for fast mobilization across facilities and teams

Summit’s Response

After receiving the call on a Friday, Summit immediately joined a cross-company meeting to assess what support would be required. By Monday, Summit had team members on site at the partner’s facility to observe the process, understand the work, and determine whether the job could be replicated within Summit’s own operation.

Once Summit confirmed it had the capability to execute, the partner’s quality team visited Summit’s facility on Wednesday to conduct an audit and confirm readiness. This ensured Summit could begin production with the right process controls, quality expectations, and operational alignment in place.

Summit also moved quickly to expand production capacity. Additional equipment was shipped from Summit’s Kentucky location to its New Jersey facility, allowing the team to accommodate more of the required work and accelerate output.

The Impact

Within one week, Summit was executing the same process at 20% better efficiency than the partner had been achieving.

Summit completed the first production load the partner requested and then went further, completing a second load before the required ship date. This gave the partner critical schedule relief, helped protect their customer commitment, and demonstrated Summit’s ability to step into complex production environments with speed and confidence.

Beyond the Project

The engagement also opened the door to a deeper partnership. About two weeks into the project, a team from the partner company visited Summit’s New Jersey facility to observe the gluing operation and explore additional capabilities. During that visit, they learned more about Summit’s blister packing capabilities, which created a new opportunity for the partner to expand what they could offer their own customers.

Because the partner did not have blister packing capabilities internally, Summit’s offering gave them a path to pursue new customer opportunities while relying on Summit as an execution partner.