Pretty Is as Pretty Does?

December 17, 2012
11:57 am

It is pretty on the shelf, but it can be a problem for the sustainable supply chain. In fact, unsuspecting consumers would never guess at the issues that the package on the shelf represents for the sustainable supply chain.
The package in consumer products is designed to market the product. The package is designed, redesigned and tweaked over and over again throughout the launch process. So much so, that you would think companies are getting it right; but, there are inherent problems. The package and the process of package development is a major source of corporate waste. While companies may have zero waste as a goal, the reduction of waste in packaging artwork management is a stumbling block. It is an area, based on recent research, where we find companies are going backwards not forwards. Here we share the results.
While the development of a package sounds simple, it is not. It is a major supply chain constraint, and the source of many product recalls. In 2012, 61% of consumer products companies want to improve packaging artwork management as a key initiative for global sustainability. This is both the minimization of packaging waste and the improvement in packaging materials to improve sustainability. Interest is increasing. It has roughly doubled in the last five years. To compare, in 2009, shortly after the release of the Wal-Mart scorecards, in a similar study, it was 39%.
While increasing in importance, companies are treading water on performance. Despite a twofold increase in the deployment of Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) over the past five years, many organizations are going backwards not forwards. Artwork approval time has increased by 30% and over 20% of product recalls are due to packaging artwork problems. The root issue is complexity. The second issue is market discipline. The third issue is regional/global governance. All are increasing in importance. Within the organization, the number of items has grown by 25% and the management of packaging in global networks is challenging. The answer has not been technology; despite the increase in the deployment of PLM, the amount of product recalled and destroyed due to packaging issues continues to rise.
So, what should a company do? Organizations have the best results when they:

Focus on Fundamentals. The process is very cross-functional To drive success have a clear process for understanding global requirements and governance for data fields in global roll-outs. This tight governance process needs to be carefully managed by an artwork steward in either the marketing department or the product development team. Product marketing teams often turn over quickly, so there needs to be training and alignment on packaging artwork management and global sustainability initiatives to make the reduction of waste an ongoing reality.
Manage it as a Network. The processes need to be mapped outside-in, and managed as a horizontal cross-functional process. While many companies source suppliers based on cost, sourcing artwork management suppliers should be sourced based on capabilities. Today, only 35% of the development process is managed internally. The design and management of packaging and artwork is spread across a complex network of designers and suppliers. To reduce waste, suppliers should be selected based on proven collaborative capabilities and software integration.
Measure and Track Progress Cross-functionally. Packaging artwork and the associated waste is a dirty job. In many enterprises, over 150 people touch the process and the littlest mistake can result in costly recalls. Training and process discipline is key. It is only when it is consistently measured and tracked that cross-functional alignment against the goal can happen.

So, the next time that you pick up a package, give it a bit more respect. Consider that it is the product of months of cross-functional reviews and approvals by scores of people. And, that when companies make the approval process a priority that they make a huge step forward in reducing supply chain waste, improving time to market, and delivering on the brand promise. To read more on this topic, check out our report on slideshare. What are your thoughts? We look forward to hearing from you!

Warning: Sidestep the Narrative of the Misguided Goldiggers

August 10, 2026 4:58 pm

Ten years ago, I started writing a book titled Stories of the Misguided Gold Diggers. The book was a collection of stories from two decades of stories of technology leaders perpetuating the myth of integrated end-to-end supply chain planning.

I dusted off the manuscript on Saturday. I think that we have a new chapter. Companies focused on putting Artificial Intelligence (AI) on top of existing architectures are putting AI Stupid on steroids.

The Myth of End-to-End Planning

July 31, 2026 9:14 pm

Supply chain planning, supply management, supply chain execution, network design, and transportation/logistics management operate in silos. Not much has changed over four decades. The connections flow back through transactional systems: order-to-cash and procure-to-pay. There is a myth that companies can buy an end-to-end supply chain management solution. This is largely a myth. Here we explain.

Lead Time: A Broken Gossamer

July 16, 2026 6:38 pm

If you are struggling with supply chain planning, dancing in the light of shiny objects, and scratching your head, please read on. My goal is to help you.

Please do not AI Stupid. What do I mean? AI Stupid is putting agents and agentics on top of existing architectures believing that making them faster and hands free add value. To me, this is fools play.

I love AI. I am excited about new technologies. To this end, I want to shine a light on how new technologies can help address the black holes and inconsistencies in today’s supply chain, which largely stem from the limitations of the first generation of supply chain planning and execution technologies. In this blog, I give you three places to start.

Do You Need a Supply Chain Coach?

July 9, 2026 5:27 pm

Supply chain is where the rubber hits the road. For a public company, over 40% of market capitalization is tied to the trade-offs between growth, operating margin, inventory management, and Return on Capital Employed.

The road for supply chain improvement is fraught with issues. Here we share some and offer some advice.

Is your Supply Chain AI Ready?

June 11, 2026 2:39 pm

A simple quiz to assess an organization’s AI readiness.

The pace of change is fast and furious. Every day, technology advances faster than we can digest. A great challenge to have.

Determining whether a supply chain is “AI-ready” is less about technology and more about the gray matter between the ears of supply chain leaders. Leadership, alignment, and clarity of goals matter.

Too few companies are clear on the definition of supply chain excellence. Measuring and rewarding functional metrics reduces the firm’s value. Putting agentics on top of today’s processes can make bad practices run faster, reducing value.

The toughest job for the supply chain leader is challenging existing supply chain paradigms that were defined by the limitations of decades of supply chain technologies. As the curtain lifts on the potential of new forms of technology, process redefinition is our opportunity, but only if we are clear on what drives value. (Here, I link to the Supply Chains to Admire reports to help you define value. The next report will be published on June 23rd, along with my Dynamic Benchmarking Product, to help you define value in the face of your AI readiness. More information about the launch is at the bottom of this blog.)

Case Study: A Scrappy Demand Management Approach

June 9, 2026 5:37 pm

This study of Franklin Sports shines a light on the work that needs to be done at the sales account level to challenge a retail forecast, and also highlights the importance of a new technique for a forecast engine — reinforcement learning.

Artificial intelligence comes in many forms — large language models, generative AI, machine learning, unstructured text mining, deep learning, neural networks, reinforcement learning, agents, and agentics. While the industry is wigging out about agentics, I think reinforcement learning is a great step forward in the journey of Artificial Intelligence.

Supply Chain Shaman