CPG Manufacturer Boosts Operational Efficiencies, Brand Consistency | Manufacturing

3/31/2025

RRD Asia’s order management system solution streamlines production and distribution for packaging, labels, and hangtags

CHALLENGE

A leading U.S.-based CPG manufacturer, known for their outdoor recreation products, sought external support for several operational challenges related to packaging, label, and hangtag production and distribution, including:

Seasonal demand fluctuations: Unexpected demand spikes led to stockouts and expedited shipments, driving up product costs
SKU management: With more than 10,000 active SKUs, the company needed an effective way to manage products across various OEMs, but lacked the proper technological infrastructure
Global manufacturing: The company worked with more than 40 OEM factories worldwide, primarily in Southeast Asia, which complicated collaboration as well as quality control
Leveraging spend: The company struggled to optimize spending across its network of packaging and labels manufacturing partners
Brand consistency: Managing brand consistency, especially for color and materials, was challenging due to working with multiple OEMs, packaging suppliers, and label suppliers

SOLUTION

RRD Asia, a long-time company partner, implemented a web-based order management platform designed to streamline the company’s entire workflow and mitigate these challenges. The solution was aimed at supporting high-mix, high-volume production. Key features of the platform included:

Automated UPC management: The order management platform generated UPC labels and placed orders by seamlessly connecting with the company’s internal system, eliminating typesetting errors and substantially speeding up label creation.
Production management: Once the designs were approved, authorized OEM factories in Asia could directly download labels for immediate production. RRD also handled non-UPC label orders, managing minimum order quantities (MOQs), inventory, and production schedules.
Real-time visibility, reporting: The platform provided the company with real-time access to order status and production progress across all global manufacturing sites. This enhanced their ability to manage fluctuating demand and streamline production.

RESULTS

RRD’s proactive approach to managing demand variability and ensuring consistent quality met the company’s evolving business needs, leading to measurable improvements in operational efficiency, brand consistency, and cost control.

Benefits from the company’s successful partnership with RRD Asia included:

Streamlined supply chain: A single point of contact has reduced touchpoints, offering more transparency and accountability. This has led to: faster speed-to-market; greater flexibility in managing product demand changes; improved quality, service, and brand consistency; better responsiveness and delivery performance; and reduced inventory levels and a continuity of supply.
Automated UPC label generation: The customized UPC label platform optimized the company’s order management, improving production tracking and communication across OEM partners. This has resulted in reduced lead times and more efficient operations. Since its implementation, the order management platform has managed 100,000+ SKUs with three system upgrades.
Cost reduction: Consolidating demand from various OEMs has led to more efficient production runs and better pricing per unit.
Proactive problem solving: RRD’s ability to manage seasonal demand shifts and maintain product quality and on-time delivery has fostered a deeper collaboration between the two companies.