One of our existing customers, with over 15 UK-based processing sites, wanted to explore new ways of driving cost savings, streamlining their product range, and reducing polythene usage across the business. With multiple sites ordering packaging independently and no central stockholding, there was a significant opportunity for rationalisation and efficiency improvements.

We began by gathering and analysing data on all packaging products and usage volumes across the sites. While some records were incomplete or unavailable, we offered to conduct detailed site visits, reviewing each product in use, the volumes consumed, and collecting samples of current SKUs. This exercise revealed over 120 different product types, many of which were serving the same purpose but varied in size and thickness.

During these visits we also carried out Application Audits, looking at the full life cycle of each product. This gave us a deeper understanding of how the packaging was used day-to-day and allowed us to identify where technical changes could deliver both cost and material savings.