Success Stories
Titan IBC
Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership
The services provided by Nebraska MEP at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln definitely added value to our business and were substantial in solidifying our financial position in 2017. I would definitely recommend this program to others.
Doug Tegtmeier, Director of Operations
Implementation of Lean Marketing System
Beatrice Container Systems, which also operates under the name Titan IBC, is located in Beatrice, Nebraska. This organization primarily operates in the Industrial Vessels, Tanks, and Containers industry within the Fabricated Metal Products sector. This location has been operating for approximately nine years and employs approximately 23 people.
The company manufactures high quality stainless and carbon steel intermediate bulk containers (IBC's) to meet today's industry standards. The product line incorporates the most popular sizes—180 through 550 gallon capacities—with additional sizes available upon request. In addition, the company carries a vast inventory of replacement parts to fit most all IBC's manufactured.
Situation
Beatrice Container Systems was seeking avenues for increasing visibility of their company’s product offerings to grow sales. Doug Tegtmeier, Director of Operations, participated in an “Exponential Marketing for Manufacturers” webinar hosted by Nebraska MEP where he was introduced to a four-step Lean Sales and Marketing system. The system optimizes and leverages a company's current marketing opportunities and processes to allow growth to occur without having to increase the sales and marketing budget.
Solution
Titan IBC implemented all four steps of the Lean Sales and Marketing system. The process involved uncovering and creating a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for the company and then integrating it into the company’s sale process. This was accomplished by working with Nebraska MEP to facilitate the completion of market research to develop a unique USP to differentiate the company and its products from the competition. All sales staff were trained on the USP, making sure it was integrated into their communication with customers. Marketing to the existing customer base increased and became more targeted, resulting in improved profitability for the organization.
Results
Utilizing the training and knowledge obtained during this process, Titan IBC achieved the following impacts:
- For the first 6 months of 2017, retained sales totaling $250,000 from existing customers
- For the first 6 months of 2017, realized new sales of $250,000 from existing products
- Invested $10,000 in workforce training of existing sales staff which, in turn, saved the company $50,000 by eliminating the need to hire an additional salesperson
- Retained 23 jobs
- Invested $110,000 in plant and\or equipment