Performance Wrap Up

New packaging equipment enables Buckhead Beef to increase productivity and enhance its brand equity.

Thanks to the addition of its new thermoform systems, Atlanta-based Buckhead Beef recently bumped up efficiency on its dry-aged beef packaging lines by 33 percent. Moreover, the company gained enhanced versatility, including the ability to create more user-friendly, attractive packaging with equipment featuring an easy-open component, eliminating the need for knives.

The equipment — two Multivac R270s and four larger-capacity Multivac R530s — enabled Buckhead to manufacture two product ranges. Additionally, the company purchased seven more high-capacity rollstock systems and one semi-automatic high capacity chamber unit: the Multivac B-500.

“We needed packaging equipment that would increase our volume and offer us the flexibility to accommodate different product lines,” explains Cory Check, marketing director for Buckhead Beef. “More than improving our efficiency, the new packaging systems contributed to building our brand equity. The knifeless feature was vital to this upgrade and significantly differentiates our product. Our customers find it easy to open our product and are protected against injury that may be caused by a stubborn package.”

The company also benefited from the system’s seal integrity feature designed to keep packages from opening prematurely in shipment, on store shelves, and in the hands of customers.

“Perception of quality is a major concern and we needed a packaging system that would back that up,” Check concludes. “The Multivac system offers a great solution. It has best-in-class seal integrity so our packages are sealed tightly until our customers want to open them. Hitting that target accurately is key.”

Multivac Inc., phone (816) 891-0555 or (800) 800-8552, fax (816) 891-0622, or visit www.multivac.com

Cold Wear

RefrigiWear crossed the 50-year-old mark dressed for frigid climes.

Dahlonega, GA-based RefrigiWear Clothing Company celebrates five decades of producing and marketing insulated industrial outerwear, accessories and equipment, supplies, and personal protective equipment for use in cold conditions from –50°F to 50°F.

The original RefrigiWear line included eight styles of under and outer garments. The line soon expanded and the company began supplying two hats, a pair of mittens, and quilt socks — positioning itself early on as a provider of head-to-toe coverage.

Another expansion yielded a line of 25 different styles of apparel, eight headwear items, four pairs of gloves, and three boot styles. The company also introduced its WeatherGuard line of insulated blankets and bags. As RefrigiWear’s Iron-Tuff line gained converts among outdoor sportsmen and industrial workers, the business reach also stretched into Europe.

Established in 1954 under the leadership of brothers-in-law Mortimer “Mort” Malden and Myron Breakstone (of Breakstone Dairies), the company operated in New York until 1991, when the business relocated to a 73,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse facility in Georgia.

Current owners Ron Breakstone, president, who joined the company in 1975, and his business associate Mark Silberman purchased the company in 1988.

RefrigiWear Inc., phone (706) 864-5757, fax (706) 864-5898, or visit www.refrigiwear.com

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