ORLANDO, FL (February 13, 2013)—On January 27, IFDA announced the top results of a new foodservice manufacturer benchmarking survey, naming McCain Foods USA as the 2013 IFDA Partner of the Year for garnering the highest cumulative score in the survey. The awards presentation took place during the opening dinner of the IFDA Partners Executive Forum, a top-to-top meeting between distributors and manufacturers. The survey benchmarked 50 leading foodservice manufacturers who participate in the IFDA Partners Program.
Terry Walsh, executive vice president and COO at Maines Paper & Food Service, presented the award and shared his company’s perspective on McCain Foods as a trading partner. In receiving the award Frank Finn, president of McCain Foods USA, thanked the IFDA Board of Directors and IFDA members “for this great acknowledgement” and said “all of us at McCain are here together to work with our distributor customers to make this a special industry in which we work.”
In addition to the 2013 Partner of the Year Award, two additional companies were recognized for excelling in individual categories of the survey. IFDA Chairman Tom Zatina, president of McLane Foodservice Distribution, presented the category awards, which included an Achievement Award for Excellence in Supply Chain presented to General Mills, and an Achievement Award for Excellence in Product Innovation presented to Sugar Foods Corporation.
The new benchmark survey was completed by IFDA distributor members and measures performance in five areas viewed by foodservice distributors as vital to success in serving a complex operator community. The manufacturers ranked in the survey received individualized reports summarizing their results in each category. In brief, the criteria look to measure whether a manufacturer: 1) actively engages as a strategic partner with distributor customers, 2) have a progressive approach to the supply chain, 3) have a strong commitment to local sales and marketing support, 4) have a clear focus on product innovation, and 5) consistently work to address issues critical to the success of the distribution industry.
In presenting the award, Walsh shared that McCain Foods ranked number 1 for their engagement as a strategic partner with distributors, a criterion that asked IFDA members to consider important issues involving trust and communication. They include whether the manufacturer takes the time to understand the distributor’s business, the manufacturers integrity in business dealings, their handling of shared proprietary information, and their articulation of objectives and priorities.
Read more on the IFDA's website: http://www.ifdaonline.org/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=858&z=6
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