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Red Gold has been producing premium quality tomato products since 1942. Red Gold produces premium quality canned tomatoes and tomato-based products for retail, foodservice, private brands, and club stores. The Red Gold family of consumer brands includes Red Gold, Redpack, Tuttorosso, and Sacramento. Exceptional quality and operational excellence are the shared values that contributed to the employee-created mission statement: “To produce the freshest, best tasting tomato products in the world.”

Situation:

At Red Gold, they are proud of their success, but that doesn't mean that they are content with it. They realize there is always room for improvement; new challenges to meet and new directions to explore in order to “produce the freshest, best tasting tomato products in the world.” True to that mission, they are constantly refining and reinvesting in their technology; seeking out new innovations, developing new production processing. Red Gold selected Purdue University's Technical Assistance Program to cooperate in these efforts.

Solution:

The program supplied Red Gold employees the tools they needed to be successful and more productive. Data collection methods, problem-solving techniques, and lean manufacturing tools were a few of the aspects of improving efficiencies learned from TAP.

Continuous improvement throughout Red Gold offers each team member opportunities for professional and personal growth. Much has been accomplished with Purdue's Technical Assistance Program by making room for creative ideas and providing resources to implement new processes. The program has expanded Red Gold's foundation of knowledge equipping them to seize the opportunity to align these lean tools with their business objectives.

Results:

These techniques have save Red Gold thousands of dollars. “The Purdue TAP training has been a valuable addition to our Peak Performance Lean Initiative at Red Gold,” says Gary Middlesworth, manager of continuous improvement. Jeremy Conn states that he has “been impressed with the TAP trainers' abilities to apply hands-on learning to the production floor.”

Red Gold continually invests in the education of their people – their most valuable asset. “TAP is complementing our efforts,” says Brian Reichart, president & CEO. “Through constant improvement of manufacturing processes, continuous research and development, and unceasing refinement of marketing and sales plans, we are steadily growing ourselves and our company. I see progress with TAP.”

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