Sassaby teams with two premier U.S. manufacturers: Technimark & Chili Plastics

Drug Store News,  June 24, 1991  

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Sassaby teams with two premier U.S. manufacturers: Technimark & Chili Plastics

(San Diego...June)... With the first Sassaby product being shipped this month to the country's major mass merchandisers, Sassaby CEO Howard Katkov and President Leonie Mateer are responding to the tremendous demand by focusing on the issue of manufacturing. From its October '90 corporate start up and product design through shipping, sales have already surpassed objectives for the first full year. Sassaby makes its industry trade show debut at the NACDS.

Sassaby searched coast-to-coast to find the manufacturers most able to produce a high volume of high quality organizers. Technimark, Inc. in Randleman, NC and Chili Plastics, Inc. in Rochester, NY are in full production with state-of-the-art plastics injection molding operations, packaging and assembly plants and distribution centers committed solely to Sassaby.

According to Katkov, it was vital to find the most |premier' plastics molders and manufacturers to handle the job. The search was for multi-manufacturers with the capabilities that were required by Sassaby for its future production.

"We faced an incredible manufacturing challenge," says Katkov, who recalls starting last October 1 with great clarity. "We had no design and no manufacturers then...but we did have great people who had vast experience, dedication to teamwork, and the ability to focus on the job at hand. Jon Stabler, Vice-President of Manufacturing, was totally focused on seeking out one or more top-of-the-line manufacturers to meet Sassaby's needs. The selection was narrowed from 25 possible candidates to the winning 2... Technimark and Chili Plastics. Seven months after the company was created, our first organizer was coming off the line. Mother's Day...at 6 p.m.

Phillip Warlop, President of Monitor Mold and Machine Company of Akron, Ohio, and his group built 43 plastic injection molding tools for Sassaby in first quarter '91. It took this type of effort to produce what we believe are revolutionary cosmetics and jewelry organizer boxes."

Matrix Enterprises in San Diego, headed up by Ernie Stewart, is also cited by Katkov as the company that produced the essential Sassaby prototypes for buyer sales presentations.

Product designer, Brian Lovell, President of B-LIN, San Diego, is also responsible for coordinating with PMS Consolidated to keep all products on the cutting edge of color technology.

Says Stabler. "With Technimark and Chili, we believe we are going forward with two very strong, capable, and experienced manufacturers. We believe in their dedication to producing the highest quality product, and they in return, believe in our success. That is why Sassaby has broken the standard industry tradition by signing long-term contracts with our manufacturers, that has formed a quasi partnership for success."

Technimark's President Don Wellington describes his joint manufacturing agreement with Sassaby as a new kind of |grass roots' involvement with a customer...from start to finish of product development.

"My company got involved right up front with Sassaby, from design capability to final engineering designs and construction...following through to molding and assembling (he compares this to the automotive trade that forms strategic and successful alliances with suppliers). Technimark has dedicated approximately 50,000 square feet for Sassaby production, and we run seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We have the capability of running about 10-12,000 boxes a day with about 120 Sassaby-only personnel. And all of our equipment is of U.S. origin."

Chili Plastics President Ron Follansbee also states proudly that all equipment and tools are U.S. built. His 40-year old company has also built an impressive, reputation in manufacturing, assembly, and distribution among many Fortune 500 corporations.

"We're very excited about our relationship with Sassaby and its total program. We're enthusiastic about the product itself, its design concept, its dedication to producing quality product, and its complete understanding of the marketplace. When we joined forces with them, we knew that the climate was right and the product was right. Living with Sassaby from the conceptual to the consumer stage offered us great new growth opportunities. At full capacity, we can produce about 10,000 boxes a day...we run a 24-hour day operation."

Katkov sums up Sassaby's strong manufacturing capabilities as a |team that has combined resources of over 185,000 square feet with approximately 300 employees and over 60 molding machines up to 750 tons each'. He also cites the company's commitment to consumer and buyers demands by making an early decision - prio to Sassaby going out into the marketplace (|before one sale was made') - to produce back-up double tooling which provides twice the molding capacity and insures shipping of the organizers in a timely manner.

Sassaby's dedication to excellence and its corporate philosophy of hiring |nothing less than America's best manufacturers' is expected to make Sassaby the success story of the 90's within its category.

COPYRIGHT 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.
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