With ships lined up along the California coast, truck drivers and warehouses in short supply, and containers stacking up along the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, a lot of retailer deadlines are, you might say, dead in the water.
And as brand managers know all too well, products that don’t end up in a retailer’s distribution center on time are products that may never reach the selling floor, as retailers reserve the option to cancel orders that arrive late. This year, it’s an option they have exercised frequently.
Canceled orders are a mess for brands, who can’t simply take a shipment destined for one retailer and easily divert it to another. Club stores require product vendors to adhere to rigid specifications for packaging and pallet displays. Products packaged and packed for one retailer need repackaging and new displays to be accepted by a different retailer. Rework on this scale requires expertise and resources few brands are prepared to undertake and can easily get mired in the same supply chain obstacles that made it necessary in the first place – unless you have an experienced partner that can help (case study below).
Get Help Repackaging Your Product for Retail after a Cancellation
Here’s the good news, or at least the better news, in a year in which the job of brand manager seemed to come with little of either: troubleshooting is a core part of the service TPH Global Solutions® has offered clients since 1965.
And while supply chain-mageddon 2021-22 has been disruptive on a grand scale, every retail campaign has the opportunity to go wrong, in any year. At TPH, our reputation is built on expertise and agility that has enabled us to pull more than a few campaigns back from the brink.
Here’s an overview of how we can get your retail campaign back on track:
- We provide the entire scope of services and products from packaging and display design and production as well as the endpoint services to repackage, unitize and distribute your products for new retailer opportunities
- Our supply chain is geographically located to minimize logistics expenses
- Our project management teams work to manage the entire scope of your order from concept to delivery
- We ensure that your product will comply with all retailer requirements, coordinate with your customers’ logistics and distribution teams and make sure the entire experience is well-managed and communicated
Case Study: How TPH Global Solutions Helped a Healthcare Consumer Products Company Repurpose Product for Costco
With COVID surging throughout the U.S., Costco asked our client to repackage 260,000 thermal temperature devices, originally intended for sale via its ecommerce site, into single retail packages packed in pallet displays for immediate distribution to Costco stores nationwide. The client had to collect the product from both their own warehouses and Costco distribution centers and get it quickly repackaged and redistributed.
To answer the call from Costco, the client sent their RFQ to a wide range of suppliers as well as TPH. Our bid covered all the challenges, including knowledge of Costco requirements, production capacity, lead time and cost. We quickly secured the raw materials and space needed, with an understanding of the entire scope of work including the reporting of the flow of materials, finished goods and coordination between Costco, the client, and its supply chain. TPH collected the product and began breaking down existing cases for repackaging into the trapped blisters required by Costco. The product then had to be unitized and organized for pallet displays. TPH managed the testing, timelines, pricing, and club store compliance.
When Costco pushed for expedited delivery, TPH responded by moving up first shipments by 10 days, with no additional cost to the client. The result was more than a “save”: quick work by professionals working together with a sense of urgency and detailed knowledge of retailer guidelines enabled the brand to capitalize on a great opportunity.
Seize the Opportunity in a Difficult Market with TPH Support
It is clear that supply chain issues will continue to be a challenge throughout 2022. While the situation is trying, with the right partner to oversee your campaign – and the ability to shift direction when necessary – you can turn disruption into opportunity.
Our services are often compared to that of a general contractor and can save you the time and trouble of having to deal with multiple vendors when what you really need is a single problem solver and a rapid turnaround.
At TPH Global Solutions, we have spent five decades managing our clients’ offshore and domestic supply chains and retail programs. We do it with a sense of urgency, expertise and well-developed processes that reduce risk and enable our clients to seize opportunities in every kind of market.
We provide an array of services that include:
- Retailer pitch and sales support
- Pallet and packaging design
- Design and production of POS and POP displays
- Display assembly and co-packing
- Logistics and transportation support
- Product management and supply chain support
To learn more about our product repurposing services and more, contact us to speak with one of our retail packaging and display experts today.
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