Working on developing your own brand
As a manufacturer you are often responsible for brand development as well as production. Your A-brand is on the shelves in various retail channels and is sold online. By definition this means you have to consult internally and externally with several stakeholders. Every detail has to be right, because any deviation in the product image or an error in the declaration or dimensions immediately leads to delays and higher costs.
Because you have a big responsibility for the chain with various links, you need a good artwork management system. The basis starts with offering an overview of and insight into all packing expressions. By definition, you want to manage all information and data concerning packing from a single source, such as artworks, packshots, cutting dies, declarations, etc. Facilitating a streamlined and robust process also allows you, as the person responsible for the brand, to focus on the content instead of on administrative, less essential matters.
For an A-brand a uniform brand experience is important, and major and minor pack changes occur frequently. These often take place in the form of projects, as changes in legislation or ingredients often have an impact on a whole range of packs. How can you prevent inconsistency or, what is even worse, wrong packs on the shelf or online?
Speed is key, in the first place to stay ahead of the competition, and in the second place because delays lead to extra costs or loss of turnover. Planning is under pressure because in most cases many stakeholders are involved, each one of them with their own agenda and interests. This requires well-organised workflows and communication flows. You want to move from A to B fast, but quality or brand consistency should never be sacrificed for speed.