View innovation as a process, not a product. That’s the mentality of Abe VanWingerden and his team at Metrolina Greenhouses, and the company has plenty of proof to show it works.
For starters, Metrolina installed a new TTA transplanter, and the company was able to go from 800 flats per hour to 1,200, which allowed it to get another turn in before Mother’s Day. Then there’s the new 5-micron water filtration system. The cleaner water has resulted in lower chemical use and an increase in the quality of the plants.
But those are just the beginning. In fact, those only cover Metrolina’s greenhouse innovation. The company also focuses on store and consumer innovation.
“You’ll find us as a company bucketing our innovations into one of those three areas,” says VanWingerden, Metrolina’s co-owner. “We’re constantly filling those buckets up and then deciding what to use and what not to use.”
A recycling program it has with Lowe’s and Wal-Mart is one example of store innovation.
After the store sells the product, the customer can return the trays to Metrolina for it to reuse or recycle, and consumers can also return their pots and trays to the stores. For consumer innovation, Metrolina offers a refill program to consumers, which is a combination in a landscape pot, so the consumer can take it home and drop it into their own container. The program is a big hit, representing 10 percent of combination sales.
But the company didn’t come up with all of its successful ideas on its own.
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Specifics Name: Metrolina Greenhouses Headquarters: Huntersville, N.C. Founded: 1972 Production space: 162 acres of greenhouse; 30 acres outdoor Major crops: Poinsettias, mums, spring and summer annuals Major customers: 98 percent big-box stores: Lowe’s, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club Number of employees: 625 full-time. Around 1,000 during peak time. Annual revenue: Around $150 million |
“Our goal is – whether you’re an employee, an owner or you’re in our stores – to always be thinking of what’s a better way to do it,” he says.
Looking for improvements can be an easier way to be innovative.
“You’ll get very frustrated from an innovation standpoint if you feel you’ve got to get the big one, because I don’t think you really know when you hit the big one anyway,” he says.
And have fun with process.
“Innovation is a process not a project. Innovation is not an event, it’s a way of doing business,” he says. “No matter what size you are you can apply that.”
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3 Tips from Abe Vanwingerden 1. Copy and paste is okay. “To think we individually, whether we’re a big company or small company, can come up with every idea to be unique and stand out is untrue. It’s how you execute those ideas that drives your uniqueness, not the idea itself.” 2. But on the other hand, be who you are. “Copy and paste is okay if you’re copying an idea. Don’t try to be another company. Copy and paste good ideas, but execute flawlessly. You’ll run out of good ideas periodically, but you never run out of, or have too much of, good execution.” 3. Talk to your consumers. “It’s not intuitive for a lot of folks. But it’s the only way you’re going to understand what your consumer wants and why they want it.” |
For more: Metrolina Greenhouses, (800) 543-3915 or www.metrolinagreenhouses.com
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