How to ensure Time to Market for the launch of a product and its packaging

Understanding the link between efficient artwork management solutions and Time to Market (TTM) is key to achieving a successful product launch.

Understanding Time to Market for product launches

When you’re launching a new product, Time to Market is a determinant of profitability. 

What is Time to Market? 

Time to Market is the period of time between generating an idea for a new product and it being available to buy ‘off the shelf’. 

• The shorter the Time to Market, the faster your product can generate income.
• If your product is similar to one in development with you competition, being the first available to buy lets you reap the rewards of having the market to yourself for a time.
• A quick Time to Market impacts consumer perception of you brand. Consumers see you as a trailblazer rather than a copycat. 

3 Key Factors that influence Time to Market

Here are three influencing strategies to incorporate into your packaging artwork management system to reduce Time to Market:

1- Cross-functional collaboration

Taking a product idea and transforming it into a finished item is a complex process. Product, design, marketing, legal, quality and production teams must collaborate closely to produce the best output. Effective, fluid communication is essential so Packaging Managers must implement streamlined workflows.

Collaborative workflow systems for checking packaging designs prevent breakdowns in communication due to:

• Feedback and approval emails criss-crossing each other.
• Confusion over final approved versions.
• Siloed inter-departmental work patterns.
• Unforeseen bottlenecks or unexpected omissions between departments

2- Centralised content management platform

Working collaboratively and transparently on a single platform allows everyone involved in product and packaging design to work on a project simultaneously. 

This has a positive effect both on Time to Market and on staff wellbeing and workload :

• Avoid error-prone last-minute changes
• Complete projects within normal working hours
• Prevent repeated knock-on delays and deadline confusion
  

Product and packaging teams working together on a single platform can compress Time to Market significantly.

3 - Efficient Approval Processes 

Short artwork lifecycles have a significant effect on reducing Time to Market. Streamlined end-to-end approval processes get everyone on the same page. 

A centralised artwork management process improves communication and collaboration. This reduces errors but also improves creative problem-solving. 

Here are some ways to ensure timely sign-offs. 

• Establish a clear and complete brief: use a standardised template with background, provide context, expected outputs, deadlines and defined responsibilities.
• Map out the review process with a limited number of rounds. Open-ended processes end in delays, flip-flopping and mistakes.
• Define stakeholder responsibilities: when response timeframes are clear and everyone can see who they’re waiting for, review cycles are much shorter!
• Centralise proofs for feedback: this creates space for collaboration and speeds things up.
• Take advantage of technology to reduce your manual workload. The automation of repetitive tasks offers security and eases workloads.
  

Packaging artwork management for a reduced Time To Market 

Packaging design features a lot of information beyond its marketing look and feel. Any food packaging item will also feature information on: 

• Nutrition
• Ingredients
• Allergens
• Recycling
  

Packaging must build a picture of a brand in a customer’s mind and provide all the information needed to reach a buying decision (and achieve regulatory compliance) – be that the number of calories in an item, the origin of the product, or whether or not the packaging is recyclable. 

Designers must produce artwork that carries all this information while also looking good. The heart of packaging design, this artwork is pivotal in creating packaging that is both appealing and informative.

Packaging artwork management is challenging because of the number of stakeholders who contribute to the process from design to print. Numerous internal departments are involved like quality assurance, marketing and legal. External suppliers also need to be in the loop such as printers and packaging design agencies.

Brand owners looking to scale the number of SKUs they produce face numerous challenges without effective artwork management workflows:

• Too much time spent monitoring projects via complex spreadsheets
• Long and convoluted feedback loops cause processes to slow or grind to a halt
• Departments work in isolation from each other with minimal collaboration
• Poor packaging workflow management causes miscommunication and mistakes
• Problems in locating and validating correct artwork versions
• Manual systems let formatting and compliance errors slip through causing the need for reprints
• Design hours run over leading to a pressured environment for staff
  

Uncentralised artwork management has consequences for brands carving out a space in a crowded market, including:

• Missing key product launch dates
• Losing competitive advantage
• Increasing Time to Market
• Incurring extra expenses due to reprints
• Causing a pressured work culture
• Preventing scaleability
  

Reduce Time to Market with efficient packaging artwork management 

Good packaging content management simplifies design processes, consequently reducing Time to Market. A centralised platform allows teams to work on their area of responsibility simultaneously. Third parties can connect to approval loops. Packaging design agencies can upload visuals from the start of the cycle and printers can download files at the end of the cycle.

Millnet is collaborative packaging artwork management with:

• Proof archives and storage: easily locate your final graphic files and digital assets
• Online approvals: shorten your process via a single platform
• Version control: handle numerous and simultaneous artwork alterations
• Collaborative workspace: improve teamwork
• Modular structure: build a software solution that works for the size of your company and the sector you work in
• Efficient workflow: track and monitor projects at a glance thanks to a dynamic dashboard

A streamlined content creation and approval process ensures high-quality packaging artwork and optimises Time to Market. 

Compliance requirements for packaging are constantly changing. This represents a growing risk for brand owners that don’t consider the added value of mastering their packaging approval process. A workflow solution like Millnet stores final proofs so they’re accessible in just a few clicks. Automated checks supplement the work of staff to make sure no out-of-date information or omissions slip through. Your packaging is compliant from the start!

There’s an irrefutable link between a timely product launch and the use of a collaborative packaging artwork management platform. Delays in Time to Market will erode your competitive advantage, cause you to miss key dates and incur costs.

Packaging artwork management solutions are a necessity for brand owners endeavoring to grow by taking an increased number of products to market. The time, money and energy of trying to manually coordinate packaging design processes will increasingly hinder your business in terms of development. 

You’ll see an impact on your expenses and the wellbeing of your staff which will play out in terms of worsening productivity and operational efficiency. To avoid this it’s recommended that you plan and choose a solution that is adaptable in terms of your needs and developments, so it can grow with you and allow you to commercialise your products more quickly and easily. 

Try a free Millnet demo with one of our packaging experts to discuss your needs.