SIGMA Selected as Excess Equipment Reseller for Pepperidge Farm

"We're very excited to partner with Pepperidge Farm and the Campbell Soup Company," said Rob Palmer, Sigma Packaging* owner and president. "The combination of Pepperidge Farm's premium equipment and our experience in the used equipment industry, as well as our shared focus on environmental responsibility, makes this a great fit for both us and our customers."

Under the consignment agreement, any equipment no longer needed for production in any of the 10 U.S. Pepperidge Farm plants will be moved to Sigma Packaging's* warehouses in Evansville, IN.

Sigma Packaging* is responsible for preparing the equipment for presentation on their website, taking detailed photographs and gathering descriptive information, then marketing the equipment to current and prospective customers. All aspects of the sale are to be handled through Sigma Packaging*.

The first shipment of equipment, currently warehoused in Greenville, Miss., is expected to depart later this month and will be made available for sale on Sigma Packaging's* website within days of arrival. Examples of equipment included are industrial ovens, extruders, food mixers, slicers, metal detectors, checkweighers, bagging equipment and tanks.

"Many of the items are equipment that we already stock and for which we have built an established customer base," said Palmer. "But this partnership also gives us a great opportunity to expand our market by introducing more bakery-related equipment to our inventory and targeting a specific industry."

According to Kris Eigenbrood, Campbell Soup Company Asset Recovery Manager, Sigma Packaging's* central location to all of the Pepperidge Farm plants played a role in their selection. By reducing shipping distances from plant to warehouse, the companies are able to also reduce costs and environmental impact.

"Another major reason for us selecting Sigma was the quality of their warehouses and the fact that all equipment is stored indoors," said Eigenbrood.

Additionally, Eigenbrood turned to the search engines with a set of key phrases to determine how easily customers would be able to find their equipment. "Out of the final three companies, Sigma was first in six out of seven searches and in most cases on the first page of results," he said.

The vendor selection process, which spanned two months from initial notification to final selection, began with 26 selected companies in the used equipment industry. The final round involved a site visit to the top three companies, including Sigma Packaging's* warehouses in Evansville, IN.

"We are very proud of what we do and were happy to invite the Campbell's team to see our operations first-hand," said Palmer. "The visit gave us a chance to really show them how we work, from the high level of care we take with our equipment to our pursuit of more efficient and environmentally sound processes."

An early-established requirement of the initial 26 companies was an ability to not only focus on high-dollar items. "We looked at how hard the companies were willing to work on the smaller dollar items as well," said Eigenbrood. "Those small items make a big difference in the total weight of equipment that we strive to find a second use for."

In addition to traditional equipment sales, Sigma also sells smaller surplus items such as spare parts and components through their online eBay store. Items that cannot be sold are either salvaged as scrap metal or recycled. The company's goal is to become as close to a zero waste facility as possible.

Campbell's shares similar goals, seeking to raise their recycle rate to 95% of generated waste before year 2020, their website states. During fiscal year 2011, they recycled or reused nearly 1.2 million pounds of used equipment.

Pepperidge Farm, a division of the Campbell Soup Company, produces a wide variety of bakery products including cookies, breads, pastries and crackers. Their current surplus inventory includes more than 200 machines previously used in the production and packaging of their products.

*Sigma Packaging was renamed SIGMA Equipment in 2015.

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Celeste Gossmann
Marketing Specialist
P: (812) 303-8383