Managing the manufacturing process has been a great challenge and opportunity for Meredith Hubbell and the team at Wilbur-Ellis. As manufacturing process manager, she shares about the level of endurance the past two years have required of the branded products manufacturing footprint.
Her role includes involvement in the internal manufacturing sites for Wilbur-Ellis’ branded fertilizers and adjuvants. This spans two main sites in California and Texas with additional manufacturing in Oregon, Michigan and California.
“Having to work with the supply constraints has been a unique opportunity–a lot of raw materials come from overseas,” Hubbell says. “We work closely with the sales team, their sales forecasts, and take it back to the manufacturing group. We’ve been able to make do by having different sort of alternatives that we can give to our growers”
She notes the fertilizer supply chain has been a particular challenge because of the raw material supply and geopolitical conditions.
Wilbur-Ellis is making investments in its manufacturing such as a new tote filling system at one site which cuts filling times from 15 minutes to five.
Additionally, Hubbell shares the company is bring new products to the market, such as Foli-Gro Tidalwave, which is a micronutrient products featuring a unique seaweed extract.
Both of those are examples of what Hubbell shares is “looking at the full picture.”
“All of us—growers, retailers–are working for the same reason, to feed people,” she says.
Listen to the full podcast to hear how Hubbell details the past two years have required a greater level of endurance than anyone could have guessed, but she also says in the next year, she sees constraints lifting and even more success.
