The Relevance of Optimization | Baraka Consulting
Baraka • September 3, 2024
The Relevance of Optimization
Introduction
“Simplicity does not precede complexity but follows it” – Alan Perlis.
In today's highly competitive world, agility is the key to winning in the product and package platforms arena. But how can companies achieve this agility? Here are three essential steps to help you optimize your processes and enhance your product packaging.
Know Your Product
When was the last time you questioned your product performance requirements? Do you truly understand the keystones of your package? Misconceptions can easily settle in. What worked three or five years ago may not be your current standard. For instance, a decade ago, if you sought gloss in your flexible package, PET was your top choice, with PP as a strong second, while Polyethylene (PE) was rarely considered. Today, the PE industry has evolved significantly, particularly in aesthetics, offering a more accessible resin at a lower cost with the performance characteristics you may need.
The key question is not just what material you will use, but what your package genuinely requires. Is glossiness a critical factor for your consumer? What about mechanical performance and line requirements? Understanding your product and its fundamental design elements—line reliability, consumer delight, and business profitability—will set you on the path to optimal execution.
Understand Fundamental Tiering vs. Unnecessary Redundancy
When dealing with different product tiers or multiple references within the same brand, it's crucial to grasp the points of difference and core vectors for each. Your differentiation may be purely communicational, allowing you to use the same packaging platform across the board, or you might explore a modular packaging execution that leverages common core points while utilizing specific adaptations for differentiation. It’s not as simple as selecting a BOPP/PP lamination for your top tier and a simpler PE surface printed for your lower tier.
You could maximize efficiency by choosing a PE/PE structure for both, defining differentiation characteristics for the top layer of each. This approach will help avoid the proliferation of structures and redundancy in technical specifications, which are the main obstacles to adaptable and agile package design.
Build Strong Alliances in Your Supply Chain
To succeed in the packaging arena, it’s essential to shift from a “supplier base relationship” to a “strategic partner alliance.” Collaborate with your packaging suppliers to understand their processes and identify opportunities for a win-win strategy. Explore ways to maximize their production outputs to reduce costs, and establish common goals for productivity and simplification. Instead of maintaining a push relationship where you merely demand what you need, work with them in a pull format, aiming for a common goal where the entire production capability delivers the best for both parties.
You may discover new approaches that challenge current paradigms, such as higher-cost structures that yield better production rates, ultimately optimizing caliper or yield and delivering savings per final production unit at your line output.
Conclusion
Have you been following these critical steps? At Baraka, we can assist you in consolidating your product-package platform and taking it to the next level, bringing simplicity and agility to your operations.
Why is agility important in product and package platforms?
Agility is crucial in a competitive market as it allows companies to adapt quickly to changing consumer demands and market trends, ultimately leading to increased efficiency and profitability.
What are the three essential steps to achieve optimization?
The three essential steps are: knowing your product, understanding fundamental tiering versus unnecessary redundancy, and building strong alliances in your supply chain.
How can I better understand my product's performance requirements?
Regularly evaluate and question your product's performance requirements, focusing on key factors such as consumer needs, mechanical performance, and line requirements.
What does it mean to shift from a supplier base relationship to a strategic partner alliance?
It means moving from a transactional relationship where you only demand services to a collaborative partnership where both parties work together to achieve common goals and maximize efficiency.
How can Baraka help with optimizing my product-package platform?
Baraka offers expertise and support in consolidating your product-package platform, enhancing simplicity and agility in your operations to improve overall performance. Feel free to adjust any part of the text or ask for further modifications!
