Located in beautiful Mill Cove, Vale Packaging has been an employer in our municipality for over 20 years and has been experiencing some exciting growth recently. Our Senior Economic Development Officer, Erin Lowe sat down with co-owner, Uriel Guerrero to learn a bit more about this great local company.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about Vale for those who might not be familiar with the company?
Ed Baker and Carla Rafuse started Vale Packaging Ltd. 22 years ago, and it was originally started to manufacture and sell thermoforming machinery.
They came to realize that it was much better to produce packages than to produce the machines because it was taking too long to sell the machines.
Approximately 95% of Vale’s plastic packaging is produced for the food industry. Types of packaging includes such items as bowls for salads, cake domes, meal trays, etc. (see picture for examples). Vale can create anything that you would see in a supermarket that is in a plastic packaging.
Vale produces almost everything from PET due to it being highly recyclable. Vale operates a zero-discharge facility as well. All the plastic scraps get ground up and re-packed and sent back to the original manufacturers of the plastic to reuse it. As a result, no plastic goes into the landfill.
Q: How did you come to co-own Vale with your business partner?
Last year Jim (Cox), and I took over the company. Ed Baker and Carla Rafuse continue to be very integral to the operations of the company. Jim and I met while working in the oil and gas industry in Alberta and we both have ties to Atlantic Canada: Jim is originally from Stewiacke, and I lived in Newfoundland for four years. We were looking for an opportunity to do something different; something where we could have our own sense of purpose and have more impact on our community. We were fortunate that Ed was ready with a succession plan and was looking for someone that was willing to grow the company and keep it going for as long as possible. Both Jim and I have young families and we made the decision to move out here for the long haul. We saw this as a great place to not only own a business but to raise our families as well.
Q: It’s exciting times with the growth you have been experiencing, what has that been attributed to?
We are experiencing this growth because of the effects of covid. It shone a light on many problems with the supply chain, such as the dependency on a lot of foreign goods especially things like packaging. A lot of companies had to stop production because of supply chain disruptions. This is not just impacting those companies who import from China, it’s also those Canadian companies who import from the United States; many companies from the US decided to prioritize their local market which meant many Canadian companies were left hanging. As a result, companies have realized that having a local partner is a safer approach. All through covid we didn’t miss a single shipment to our customers. We had to take an extra cost by increasing inventory dramatically but our ability to deliver to our customers reflected very positively in the industry.
Q: Can you tell me about your expansion plans for Vale?
We acquired an 18,000 sq ft building located next to our existing facility in order to increase production and warehousing.
We are also purchasing new machines that will give us some extra capabilities to process biodegradable plastics and do some new designs that we have not able to do to date. The machines will be more modern and energy efficient and will incorporate more innovative technology.
We are also expecting to hire about 5 additional staff as machine operators; we currently have 20 employees so that would represent a 20% increase in the number of roles, which is decent growth for us. We would like to employ local workers; a lot of our staff have been here for 10-15 years.
What makes Vale Packaging unique?
Two things make Vale unique:7
One: we are a very innovative company who can produce custom packaging. We can take something from an idea, to prototyping samples, right through to commercialization. Many companies work with a distributer where every product looks the same which makes it difficult to differentiate your product from your competitors. When you have something that is designed for your purposes you reduce waste and your product stands out from the competition.
Two: our customer service. We always answer the phone and make sure that we solve the questions that our customers have. That’s what makes us different than the other bigger companies.
What do you love about having your business located here in the MOC?
I love everything about it here. I love the place. I love the area. I love the drive. The drive to work every morning is along the ocean and I just take in every morning how beautiful it is. I love the people I work with. Pretty much everyone is from the community. Makes it a special place because everyone knows everyone, and we care for each other. Everyone is a neighbour and that is a nice feeling.
What makes Vale a great place to work?
We are a flexible company, have a clean facility, and nice environment for working. We have a great culture and great people, we care for each other – almost like a family owned company. We have flexible hours – no hard shifts and can always work around what people need. 50% of our staff are women – this is significantly higher than average for manufacturing companies which is around 20% - 30%. That is a huge difference when compared to other manufacturing firms which speaks to our great culture.
What’s next for Vale?
We want to continue to provide great service and continue to grow. We are looking at where the industry is going in terms of packaging and want to keep up with societal and technical innovations as w0-+ell as provide the best materials that are sustainable for the planet.
We are taking a trip in October to Europe and the US to look for technology and to understand where the packaging industry is moving. Europe is usually ahead of us when it comes to sustainability and innovation, and we want to tap into the market and the technology associated with that to make sure that we keep Vale at the front of those technology changes.
The other big thing we are looking at doing is receiving PacSecure Certification for the plant – this certification guarantees that packaging is done of the highest quality. This is an international certification that once received will open up new markets for us.
For more information on Vale Packaging, check out their website at www.valepackaging.ca, or find them on Facebook and LinkedIn @valepackaging.