Holiday Gift Tins

Don't forget, if you are looking for #Holiday #Gift #Tins to put your cookies, muffins, cakes, candies in but you don't need big quantities you can get them direct from the manufacturer at http://www.shopindependentcan.com Your one Stop Tin Shop for the holidays! Oh... And they are all still made right here in the USA. #USAMADE

If you need larger quantities (orders over $350) call 909-923-6150 and we can send you our wholesale price list.

Independent Can Company's Online Store

For years now our customers have been asking us:

Where can I purchase your tins online?
Do you have an online store?
I would like to purchase a few cases of tins can you help me?

WE NOW HAVE A SOLUTION!

Independent Can Company is proud to present http://www.shopindependentcan.com our new online store specifically focused on our smaller customers who would like to purchase 1 - 10 cases of tins at a time.   Use the coupon code " Blogger " and you will receive 5% off your first order.

We have already been asked; What if I want to purchase from the site and order more then 10 cases. If you will be purchasing often and can meat a $350 minimum per order we will be happy to set you up with a traditional wholesale account by calling 909-923-6150.  If you have questions let us know.

Ryan D. Huether
Vice President of Business Development
Independent Can Company
Western Specialty Container Division
909-923-6150

I95 Business - Independent Can Company

According to research, only 12 percent of family-owned 

businesses are still operating and viable by the third generation. 

With two fourth-generation progeny at the executive level, 

Independent Can Company, a family owned business since 1929, 

has already beaten the odds.

“We operate the company from a core set of values we developed 

with our employees,” explains company President and CEO, 

Rick Huether. “Fair, Flexible, Market, Customer and Improvement 

Driven, Dedicated, Responsible, and committed to Teamwork. We 

hire, fire, retire and promote using those values to guide us. It’s 

what’s allowed us to not only survive but also thrive over the years. 

We work hard, but we’re committed to having fun while we do it. 

We all agree that if that ever changed, it would be time to do something else.”

While he has no day-to-day responsibilities, second-generation

owner, Doug Huether, must still be having fun. The 86-year-old

chairman of the board reports to work every day, making his

way through the 370,000-square-foot company headquarters in

Belcamp, transporting the mail, greeting employees and asking

questions that he expects to be answered. He still maintains an

offi ce and regularly challenges staff members regarding customer

care and product movement. “He overheard me once explaining

the difference between two cans to a customer and was concerned

they would be jeopardizing their product if I was switching them

to a lower grade can,” remembers Donna Sichette, company

marketing specialist. “I explained to him that I was reaffi rming

their decision to stay with the better can for quality. He’s very in

tune to everything we do here.”

A popular adage about family businesses states that the fi rst

generation starts it, the second generation builds it, and the third

generation kills it. A third-generation member of the business, Rick

Huether defi es that notion. “One of the fi rst things my dad had to

get used to was me wanting to obsolete things,” Huether admits.

“When I started working here and tried to change something, he

would argue that the company already made an investment and

we should run like before. I had to show him that our customers’

desires were changing and that if we didn’t give them what they

were looking for, someone else would.”

“Rick has a gift for knowing what we should be involved in,” says

sister and fellow board member, Cathy McClelland, who works in

sales. “He’ll have us invest in tooling for a new product before any

of our customers actually ask for it. That way he knows we can be

ready to deliver when the time comes.”

Huether joined his father’s company in 1975 after a call from

then-sales manager Bob Link, a.k.a. “Uncle Bob,” asking if he was

interested in a sales position that was opening up. “There was never

a plan to just follow in the family business,” he declares. “I worked

here every summer and holiday since I was 14. I never worked

in the offi ce. I was usually the dirty one under the equipment or

packing stuff that came off the equipment. I always enjoyed it. I

also enjoyed working with Uncle Bob. I was in graduate school

and needed a job, so I interviewed.”

Cathy McClelland moved from New Jersey when her husband,

Mac McClelland, was hired by Independent Can – a job she

didn’t even know he had applied for. “I was planning on redoing

my kitchen in New Jersey when Mac announced, ‘We’re moving

to Baltimore,’” she adds. She later joined the company when her

brother asked her if she would run an outlet store he was planning

to open in the front of their new location in Harford County. “I

said yes only if I could leave whenever my kids had something at

school or needed me. Of course, part-time eventually turned into

full-time and the outlet store was eventually relocated several times

then closed because we needed the space for more productive

ventures. Currently I work in inside sales, but I’m planning to join

my husband in retirement very soon.”

The Fourth Generation

Joining Huether and McClelland at the executive table are sons

Bob McClelland, executive vice president, and Ryan Huether, the

newly minted vice president of business development. Both sons

worked at the company during summer breaks and holidays, but

like their parents, never assumed a role would be offered or waiting

for them in the family business.

“I interned in the engineering department for two summers,”

remembers Bob McClelland, who graduated from Virginia

Polytechnic Institute and State University. “I was actually studying

structural engineering but changed to industrial engineering after

interning and really liked it. I was part of ushering in the CADD

systems during that time. When I graduated, someone called and

said they liked what I was doing while I was here and would I be

interested in interviewing for an unexpected opening. I said yes.”

The family members agree that a job within the family business

is not an entitlement. “My sister even asked me once why had I

never asked her to join Independent Can,” says McClelland. “It was

never in my thoughts. We don’t ask people to participate. We treat

it as a professional business – not a family business.” In fact, when

the company responded to the economic recession by evaluating

their employee base and eliminating positions, Rick’s daughter

didn’t make the cut. Moreover, when both his son and his nephew

looked to him for advice about joining the company, he did his

best to discourage them. “Family members have to work twice as

hard to gain employee respect. If you don’t have the respect from

the people on the fl oor, you can’t get anything done,” Huether

emphasizes. He also demanded a two-year commitment from both

Bob and Ryan telling them, “You’re not worth anything to us until

you’ve learned everything, and it will take at least that long.”

McClelland joined the company in 1995 and learned his way

around the company working in several departments, the machine

shop, facilities management of their Ohio plant, and eventually

running the engineering department. When his father retired,

in addition to heading up engineering, the younger McClelland

assumed management of administration, which included IT and

fi nance. “It would be hard if I didn’t have really good people to

support me,” he admits.

His younger cousin Ryan started running errands and helping

at the outlet store when he was nine. His summer job experiences

changed as he got older, packing popcorn cans at 14 and working

on equipment when he was 16. While attending college in Florida,

Ryan interned at the company’s distribution plant in California. He

was planning to attend graduate school when the California plant

manager called needing someone in sales. Although his father gave

him the same “unsell” advice, the appeal of California won him

over and Ryan headed west to become a sales representative in

2003. Ryan moved quickly from inside sales to outside sales, which

grew into roles in logistics and overseas sales support. He became

the distributions and sales manager and managed the California

plant from his Belcamp offi ce. He was recently promoted to vice

president of business development, a responsibility his father has

had for the last 25 years.

The family may discourage other family members from joining

the ranks, but the company’s employees feel a different way. “We’ve

had third-generation families working alongside us,” claims Cathy

McClelland. “They’ve watched us grow up.” Marketing specialist

Sichette adds, “More than 20 percent of our 259 employees have

a relative who is currently or was previously employed by the

company. That doesn’t include seven married couples on staff.”

From Lard to Litho

Independent Can Company was founded on South Howard and

Ostend Streets in Baltimore City during the early years of the

depression, making and selling cans that were used to hold lard

from the city’s slaughterhouses and package fresh food for the

growing seafood industries. These simple products were the focus

and sustaining force of the company for more than 40 years.

As technology and computers started to impact the world in the

’80s and ’90s, Independent Can kept pace adding 3-D modeling,

robotic packaging and metal plate lithography. The addition of

the latter allowed ICC to enter the market of decorative tins –

internationally known as “fancy cans” – as well as nostalgic signs,

specialty closures and high-end packaging. The company has

made huge capital investments in equipment and machinery that

gives its customers like Disney, Target, Nestlé and Elizabeth Arden

options like embossing, textured surfaces, specialty varnishes and

photographic quality.

Becoming their own printer in 1991, ICC secured a way to not

only guarantee quality control of their product from start to fi nish,

but also enabled them to provide a faster response to customer

request.

“We are very customer driven,” says Rick Huether. “Our

customers change what we do every day. We schedule manually

so that we can make the arrangements to get our customers their

products when they want them, not when we can do them.”

This fl exibility can be credited to sustaining the company as the

country continues to weather a diffi cult economic recovery. Huether

explains, “We were on schedule to have a record year in 2008, when

the door slammed shut. Our sales went down 25 percent over the

next 14 months. We took the opportunity to not only make sure

all our employees were on board with our philosophy, but that our

manufacturing would be ready when the business returned. We

spent the most money in the company’s history during that time

on new equipment and upgrades. A lot of it we did because we

were able to purchase $7 million of equipment at recession bargain

prices – probably 25 to 30 percent below normal pricing. We also

hired and trained a lot of people so that they could concentrate on

new projects and be ready to lead. 2011 was a record year and 2012

should outpace that record.”

That investment has paid off. “We’re booming and we need space

for new opportunities and new growth. We have to look for ways to

make room for new items to our line,” says Bob McClelland. “And,”

adds Huether, “we are always looking for talented machinists, 

mechanics and lithographers. These are highly-skilled, high paying 

jobs that don’t always require a college degree.” While pundits 

talk about foreign competition and sending jobs overseas, Independent 

Can sees a different problem – or opportunity. “We’re less threatened

by overseas markets then we were 10 years ago. We’re more flexible

 and better at the technology. We may go over there to learn,

but we’ll bring it back and do it better,” he adds. “China is going through their

Industrial Revolution now,” states Ryan Huether. “The United States did it over

100 years while China is doing it in 20. But the second generation over there is killing

it. The Chinese wages are going up, so the price differential is lessening. Workers are

getting savvy about demanding higher wages and threatening to walk out of a

factory during critical production times. Companies here are worried that a factory

delay or container hold in China could keep products from reaching their stores,

so they are coming back to us. They consider that 10 percent price differential

insurance for quality control and delivery assurance.”

Rick Huether continues, “We’ve reshored several million dollars in product

because we’re more fl exible. Because of the recession, retailers are pushing their

commitment and buy dates to keep inventories low. This forces suppliers to

reconsider overseas manufacturing and packaging because they may only have six

weeks to fi ll an order.” Although the company is growing, growth is not a company goal. Huether

points out, “Our mission statement is ‘To be the best not the biggest.’ We’re

committed to strategic planning, but we work on the things that will support

growth. We don’t aim for a number. It goes back to our values card [referencing a

wallet-size card employees carry with the company mission, vision and values]. If

we’re doing the things on that card, then growth will be a successful by-product.”

I95

Ryan D. Huether
Independent Can Company
http://www.independentcan.com 

Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover? However, we all do it!

Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover?

We are not supposed to “judge a book by its cover”, but the truth is that we do. Without thinking about it, we assign a value to a product by the way that it is presented. This has lead to double and triple packaging, expensive foils, three-dimensional features and less recyclability. Some techniques are designed to catch the eye and some to make an item appear to be more substantial for the cost.

What began as food packaging during the 1800s, tins evolved to beautifully decorated commemorations. They became part of royal events in England, filled with biscuits or cakes. Even today, tins are keepsakes that remain in homes and establishments long after the original product is consumed.

Martha Stewart created a home design empire by taking ordinary, everyday items and events and making them special. Tin packaging does the same for your products. There is quite a difference between giving your loved one a paper box of chocolates and presenting a decorative tin in which to collect future love letters!

CONTACT US BY CLICKING HERE

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NASFT Summer Fancy Food Show - Washington DC

Independent Can Company is getting ready for the up coming Summer NASFT Fancy Food Show in Washington DC.   We are going to be showing many of our new Stock Designs as well as some of the newest shapes and sizes of tins available today.

We will also be showing our full line of PET Jars and Bottles, Plastic Containers, Metal Closures, and much much more.   If you are looking for a new package or just looking for an alternative to your current packaging you should take a few minutes and stop by booth 1107. Just ask for Ryan, Matt, or Joyce.

Ryan D. Huether
909-923-6150
INDEPENDENT CAN WEB SITE
CONTACT US

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ShopIndependentCan.com

Shop Independent Can

ShopIndependentCan.com is your one stop shop for small orders (Under $350) of Stock Printed and Solid Color Tins. Whether you are looking for some cookie tins for a bake sale or tins to make gift baskets ShopIndependentCan.com has what you need.

Independent Can Company has the largest stock tin program in the world bringing you the variety you need.

If you do not see what you are looking for or you need assistance please call 909-923-6150 or Contact Us by Clicking Here

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Http://wwww.westernspecialty.com

NEW - PET Side Wall Pails in stock now

Independent Can Company is happy to announce that we are now stocking our popular PET Side Wall Pails in Metallic Red, Metallic Green, and Platinum Color. These pails are in stock now with the new easy open plug. No longer do you or your customers need a tool to pry open the top. Just pop open the plug and enjoy.

Our stock size not right for you? No problem we have the capability to adjust the height of this pail to meet your internal capacity (minimum order apply). We also have tooling for additional sizes available on a custom order basis.

The side walls are made from PET which is FDA approved for Food Contact. The top and bottom of the pails are Steel, the worlds most recycled and sustainable packaging material.

For more information or a sample just give us a call at 909-923-6150 or Contact Us by Clicking Here

Ryan D. Huether
Independent Can Company
http://www.westernspecialty.com
http://westernspecialty.com/onlinecatalog/viewdetails.asp?id=20081716

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National Popcorn Day

NATIONAL POPCORN DAY! Sounds like a perfect excuse to order yourself some gourmet popcorn. And what better then a 2 gallon , 3.5 gallon , or 6.5 gallon can of three flavor popcorn.

Comment below and tell us who your favorite gourmet popcorn maker is.


"National Popcorn Day


National Popcorn Day is celebrated at the end of January, although its exact date is a matter of debate. Various sources report it as January 19; others claim it takes place on whatever day the Super Bowl falls on. The Popcorn Board is often asked about the origins of this day; unfortunately, we do not know how or when this celebration began. Some other individual or organization (with obvious good taste) began this tradition.

The connection to the Super Bowl seems natural enough. It’s a highly regarded annual sporting competition pitting the top two national football teams against each other. Millions of viewers from around the globe hunker down with bowls of their favorite snack—popcorn—in heated anticipation of who will win the battle.

If you know of the origins of National Popcorn Day, please email us at: edu@popcorn.org "
Quoted from http://www.popcorn.org

Independent Can Company is a specialist in the manufacturing of Gourmet Popcorn Tins. Click Here to see some of Independent Can Company's newest 3.5 Gallon Designs.
If you would like more information on Independent Can Company or our Gourmet Popcorn Tins Call us at 909-923-6150 or Contact Us By Clicking Here

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Independent Can Company - NOVEMBER NEWS

2010 has been a much better year than we had expected it to be; although the markets do remain fragile and everyone is cautious as we approach the busiest gift giving time of the year.

I am writing this update to the What’s New about 1 week before Thanksgiving and I must say that we are very busy fulfilling orders for stock tins. Business has been good although everyone is waiting until the very last minute to place their orders. We have been able to handle most all of the rush orders with very few substitutions. We want to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation as we all know the Holidays can be very stressful.

The new added capacity in the printing department has really been a life saver. This is the first year in my career where our lead time in season has not extended beyond 2 to 3 weeks. Repeat orders have gone very smoothly.

 

As the fall begins to wind down and you are working on a cleanup order you may want to think about adding a few Easter and spring tins to your last order. By doing this you may be able to reduce the freight cost by combining seasonal volumes and achieve better price level on the price list, and beat an anticipated price increase that is expected in the first quarter of 2011.

Custom tin and packaging buyers: As you consider packaging for the next year or two you should look closer at TINS Made in America. Over the past few years there has been silent inflation building in the goods coming from the (believed to be) low cost countries. In addition to the subtle increases the logistic costs and Home Land Security issues have posed some challenges. While the costs of buying from overseas has been increasing, we have been investing in more productive equipment and systems to respond to your needs more quickly, accurately and more cost effectively.

New product development: In addition to improved productivity we have a number of new products under development. The first to arrive will be a new heart tin (See Below) just in time for Valentine’s day. Please check with your sales representative about other new additions to our product lines.

The tin can is one of the GREENEST packages in the market place and one of the only packages you can use that gets reused over and over and over again. When the tin begins to look a little beat up it many end up being sold in antique markets or ultimately recycled. The tin can is 100% recyclable and will be reused as a tin can again or one of the hundreds of applications that steel is used for from buildings to ships to bridges and you know what; steel never loses its exceptional properties of strength and durability.

We all must think globally and act locally to make sure our strategies are relevant long term.

Activities to think about and respond to:

Ø Customers want their products now, not in 8 weeks.

Ø Customers want answers today not tomorrow.

Ø Quality is assumed and built into the product.

Ø As a supplier you must be knowledgeable about the global market.

Ø You must be aware of the strength of your supply chain.

 Our Mission Statement:

To Be the Best - Not the Biggest

We thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to call and challenge us to respond to new projects and ways of thinking.

From all of your friends at Independent Can we want to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday season.

Sincerely, 

Rick Huether

Visit us at http://www.westernspecialty.com to preview of our new items for 2011!

Independent Can Company's NEW HEART TIN

Independent Can Company Is now one of the first companies on the Maryland Green Registry!

Independent Can was one of the first companies to be a part of Maryland's registry of green companies. Maryland Green Registry Web Site

For more information and a complete history of the company, contact Ryan D. Huether, Business Manager, Independent Can Company, 2040 South Lynx Place Ontario, CA 91761.
Phone: 909-923-6150 Fax: 909-923-6052.
Email: Ryan@independentcan.com Web: http://www.westernspecialty.com/sustainability/

Promotional Tins Increase Sales

As seen in this article published on G&M's website Promotional Tins can increase sales.

"Promotion Increases Sales by 30%

The results turned to cool cash when the Danish company Vital Petfood Group A/S chose to use a decorated can as sales promotion for their exclusive cat food ”Bilanx”.When buying 2.5 kg of Bilanx the cat’s owners received a nice looking black can to store the food in – an offer that the consumers clearly considered as value adding.  Not only were the sales increased by 30% during the campaign period but as product manager Kent Mikkelsen says:”The campaign has created a continuous increase in sales”."

- G&M Website (Study on Promotional Tin Usage in EU)

 

To see how promotional tins can help increase your sales call 909-923-6150 or visit http://independentcan.com/products/customtins.asp

Independent Can Company now has a new E-Commerce Site

Our customers have been asking us for years questions like:

Where can I purchase your tins online? 
Do you have an online store? 
I would like to purchase a few cases of tins can you help me?

For years we have had to tell our valued customers that we did not have a place where they could purchase online and we did not have a efficient way to service smaller accounts. I am happy to say WE NOW HAVE A SOLUTION!

Independent Can Company is proud to present http://www.shopindependentcan.com our new online store specifically focused on our smaller customers who would like to purchase 1 - 10 cases of tins at a time.   Use the coupon code " Blogger " and you will receive 5% off your first order.

We have already been asked; What if I want to purchase from the site and order more then 10 cases. If you will be purchasing often and can meat a $350 minimum order we will be happy to set you up with a traditional wholesale account by calling 909-923-6150.  If you have questions let us know.

Independent Can Company Partners with TOOTHSTIX on their new tin packaging

Independent Can Company has now partnered with Toothstix on their new and innovating toothpick packaging. This new pocket pack tin was designed to add to the value of the Eco friendly bamboo Toothpicks that Toothsix is marketing. "Bamboo is one of the strongest and most renewable resources found on the planet" and when you combine that with the 100% Recyclable tin (25 - 55% recycled material in the raw Steel) you have a great Eco Friendly Product.  

Toothsitx.com

Toothsitx is also a company on a mission to help the Pandas. They are working hard to sell enough ToothStix to “Adopt a Panda for a Lifetime” which costs $50,000. Help them save the Panda's with every purchase of ToothStix. Save the Pandas




To learn how Independent Can Company can help you to bring your custom tin idea to reality, call 909-923-6150 or visit http://independentcan.com/products/customtins.asp

Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things 2010 - GARRETT'S POPCORN TIN

QUOTE FROM OPRAH'S FAVORITES WEBSITE:

"Garrett's Special Limited-Edition Favorite Things Tin  People line up down the block in Chicago, no matter the weather, just to get a taste of one thing: Garrett popcorn. "It's the best popcorn on the planet, I think, and you don't have to fly to Chicago to get it," Oprah says. Garrett, a favorite things all-star, has created a special limited-edition tin exclusively for The Oprah Show. It's filled with their famous cheese and caramel popcorn and can be shipped right to your door."



Independent Can Company manufactures Large Tapered Popcorn Tins right here in the USA. We have the largest selection anywhere and can normally ship within 2 - 3 days from the time our customers place their order.

Small Quantities: http://www.shopindependentcan.com
Wholesale or Custom: http://www.westernspecialty.com

Online Catalog of Designs: http://www.westernspecialty.com/onlinecatalog/