New machine 'maps' out sandwich packs (sidebar)

Jeff Jacobs, president of East Side Deli Supply, says he owes the success of a new Ross Inpack modified atmosphere tray packer to distributor Robert Reiser. The Ross machine is the only unit East Side Deli has purchased from Reiser. “We don’t work with any other distributors regularly. Reiser really took the time to explain the Ross machine. They were pretty dedicated to making sure the machine was up and rolling,” he says. In fact, Reiser was instrumental in East Side Deli’s decision to purchase the Ross machine. While East Side Deli did explore other machinery manufacturers, they ultimately chose the Inpack, in part, because of Reiser’s expertise. “We felt the folks at Reiser had a good grip on the machine and really understood MAP packaging,” Jacobs says. Maintenance on the unit is also handled by Reiser. According to Mike Daust, operations manager at East Side Deli, Reiser spent almost five months perfecting the machine. Additionally, they sent some service people immediately to troubleshoot a few initial problems. Since then, Daust reports, Reiser service people continued to be very flexible and accommodating. “Reiser has been really good to us,” he adds. “If I have a problem, I can call them up and they’ll talk me right through it. They do a really good job of helping us out.”