1:1  An Occasional Conversation Series Presented by GreenSeed Contract Packaging

Mike Aykroid Explores Food Contract Packaging and the Key to a Good Night’s Sleep

You wouldn’t expect the new Manager of Strategic Partnerships at GreenSeed Contract Packaging to talk about sleep quality. But there it was. The topic came up in the first five minutes.  

GreenSeed’s Mike Aykroid works with the world’s largest CPGs, taking packaging operations off their worry list. He grew up in Glenview, Illinois, number six of 10 children – six brothers and three sisters. Midwestern values shaped Mike as a person.

You can take the boy out of the small town, but you can’t take . . . you know the rest. “I usually tell it the way it is,” he said. “Every discussion has a consequence, and you have to tell people the honest truth. In my family, the questions just fly out of the mouth, there’s no holding back. You’re honest and you bring forth your concerns and questions pretty much all the time.”

Transparency defines his work ethos. This is when the topic of sleep came up. 

“I always go down the road of taking that project and that person and what they are responsible for to a point that allows them to sleep easier at night. This happens when the job is running well. When they don’t have to manage the day-to-day of co-packing. I came to GreenSeed because they have the team members to allow me to sleep at night.”

Sleep is actually a rising problem. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention found 32.6% of working adults reported sleeping six or fewer hours per night in 2017-2018, up from 28.4% in 2008-2009. The pandemic has since “normalized” burnout. In a study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 56% of participants indicated an increase in sleep disturbances, sometimes referred to as “COVID-somnia.”

OK, you might say, but this is food contract packaging. What does sleep have to do with it?

The answer, dear reader, reveals how CPGs are shifting strategies.

McKinsey’s July 2020 report entitled “What Got Us Here Won’t Get Us There: A New Model for the Consumer Goods Industry,” points out: “Many CPG companies have been renovating the brand equity of their large brands, imbuing them with more purpose, more originality, and more relevance.” 

McKinsey states CPGs need a new “how to win” model as they surrender unit growth to smaller brands positioned to scale amidst lower consumer loyalty. 

While the article is remiss in connecting sleep quality for a CPG packaging ops team to supply chain performance, perhaps a good night’s sleep is the success indicator everyone hopes for, but few talk about.

More Than Packaging, Continuous as Improvement

Packaging operations is an amalgam of interests. Leadership wants profitability. The procurement team looks for capability, capacity and cost-effectiveness. The co-pack manager is concerned about price reduction, process improvements and repeatable systems. All plan for continuous improvement.

“A good night’s sleep has to mean a company is continuously improving processes,” said Mike, “to reduce the tolling and price of the project as a whole. The people we work with are judged as drop-pulling for the length of the run.” 

Mike says reducing price over time helps CPGs meet goals on different levels. “This is how we think through projects,” said Mike. “It’s not just getting a project in and running it. You have to continuously be thinking about packaging savings, a way to reduce labor and help with packaging changes that deliver cost savings down the road and increase speeds. One of our clients is a Fortune 50 CPG. Our contact there knows that I know these projects have to have a process improvement process in place. We take a proactive approach to better the process.” 

Over time, good systems and processes bring costs down and help CPGs forecast the tolling rate, giving packaging ops teams sound reasons to catch more zzzs. 

Trust Improves Sleep

Trusted relationships impact our lives. It’s no different for CPGs outsourcing packaging operations. 

“We have a platform for people to handle projects,” said Mike. “We have the quality people in place. We have the purchasing group. We have the operations team to manage the timeline, ship dates and delivery. They do what they say they’re going to do.”

But what happens when an unexpected crisis triggers sleepless nights of worry? Trusted relationships make you resilient. At a previous company, Mike was running a product and a beetle infestation broke out. “My hair started going gray over this problem, but my customer probably lost his hair. To this day, my client remembers most how it was handled and how it was fixed more than the problem itself.”

Goodnight, Sleep Tight

Life experiences shape us. Mike’s father sold business forms. “My father would leave on Sunday night and come back late Friday night. He would do the quote and give the quote back in person.” Mike said. “My father used to make us call one of his friends, tell him who we were and why we were calling. I think that’s why I can pick up a phone and call somebody any time. My father made us do it at a very young age.”

Reflecting on his youth, Mike added, “Net worth is measured differently than the money you have. I tell my three boys, sleeping good at night means you did the right things.”

If you’re considering contract packaging and want a good night’s sleep, contact Mike Aykroid at (847) 420-5849 or email him at MAykroid@GreenSeedCP.com