This week, my Liquid - We Make It Easier! Euro 2023 Road Trip brought me to Arla Foods in Jönköping, Sweden, where we had a conversation that illustrated how to build trust between companies and their vendors.
But before I get into that, I need to apologize to my dog Casper, who was not allowed into the factory. He still seems a bit upset with me.
Arla’s Victor Carlstedt discovered me a few years ago thanks to my LinkedIn posts, and it has been a pleasure getting to know him.
Arla is one of the few producers in Sweden that does Aseptic processing. Since this technology is barely present in the country, there are no vendors who have experience that Liquid does in supporting such operations.
Vendors in Sweden don't even know how to put these systems together, never mind how to keep them running properly. This is simply because they rarely encounter them.
We do this every day of the year, but people with experience in this area are more expensive. Fortunately, Victor and I were able to have an open and frank conversation around costs vs. benefits. We are going to be more expensive than you are used to, I told him. He responded by saying that they are already paying a lot, but they aren’t getting the results they need.
Our ability to talk in such an open and specific manner bodes well for our future relationship. Our mutual goal is to improve the profitability and efficiency of Arla’s food production. We are not adversaries, but instead are partners. It is so wonderful to act in this manner.
