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Demand for this Shirley, N.Y.-based muffin bakery's products led the company to install a second automated production line.
Despite its short history, Uncle Wally's, Shirley, N.Y., can count many accomplishments. The company successfully emerged from bankruptcy, changed its focus from cookies to muffins and was named one of Wal-Mart's suppliers of the quarter in 2004.
However, the muffin manufacturer's greatest accomplishment, according to its senior executives, was the construction of its plant and the installation of a baking system that fit the company's unique production needs. The company's senior executives accomplished this feat with a wealth of business experience, but limited knowledge of manufacturing bakery foods.
"We went into the manufacturing business not knowing a lot about it," Lou Avignone, Uncle Wally's president, says. "This was good because we immersed ourselves in learning about manufacturing. We also had no preconceived notions about how a plant should operate."
This open-minded attitude allowed the company to thoroughly research many production line layouts and install an automated system that processes high volumes in a limited floor space. Since building its plant in 2001, the company's sales have swelled, causing the company to install a second production line. These two lines churn out an array of muffin products that are sold to retailers and distributors throughout the United States. More importantly, the company's senior executive leaders are now experts in plant operations.
Muffin focus
Despite its success, Uncle Wally's has not always functioned with the efficiency that it does today. The company, which was founded by famous marketing professional Wally Amos, originally manufactured and distributed cookies to vending machines.
This business was failing when Amos and Lou Avignone, one of the cookie line's distributors, had a chance meeting that developed into a relationship. After a while, Amos asked Avignone to manage the company.
Avignone accepted the position and brought in his own management team: Michael Petrucelli, chief financial officer; Jerry Ceccio, vice president of sales and marketing; and Jim Farrell, director of operations.
This management team inherited a company with product quality issues and a mountain of debt. According to Avignone, it was a disaster. "We had a great network of sales, but the quality was terrible," he says.