In early 1992, Mead Packaging, a premier manufacturer of beverage cartons, was suffering a spiraling decline in its relationship as a supplier to Pillsbury’s flagship refrigerated baked goods division. At risk was the 50 percent of Pillsbury dough multipack packaging that Mead supplied. The relationship had become so antagonistic that Pillsbury had decided to "get out of Mead," and was actively exploring how to make a switch. Mead’s value proposition, honed and executed with great success worldwide among beverage manufacturers, was out of step with the needs of Pillsbury’s dough business.

On the brink of a major loss, Mead proposed a meeting of a group of leaders from both companies. From that meeting in the fall of 1992, the companies have united to build an exemplary partnership. A joint team helped develop a comprehensive improvement plan that cut production and ordering lead times, reduced inventory, improved responsiveness, and boosted product quality. Two years later, Pillsbury awarded Mead 100 percent of its refrigerated dough multipack business.

The US Postal Service (USPS) found it was losing share to Federal Express and UPS because it could not trace and track where packages were...