Success Story: Packaging Optimization Drives $5M in Annual Savings

Client Overview

A major food and beverage company engaged Adept to reduce costs across its packaging operations by exploring alternative suppliers for existing plastic materials. The initiative covered multiple production lines and manufacturing sites, with early analysis indicating a potential $5 million in annual savings. In addition to reducing material costs, the company needed to maintain or improve packaging performance while streamlining its complex supplier and specification structure. 

The Challenge

The existing packaging setup was inefficient and costly, with variation across materials and frequent changeovers creating challenges for both the manufacturer and supplier.

  • Current packaging used multiple plastic thicknesses, requiring several specifications and machine setting changes

  • Ongoing product damage issues indicated performance limitations in the existing materials

  • The selected supplier lacked prior experience with the unique material requirements and needed to be qualified

  • The new solution had to match or exceed the performance of the current packaging while simplifying operations

Our Approach

Adept led a technical assessment to evaluate the performance of available plastic materials and their impact on line efficiency. We tested lower-cost, more rigid options and identified an opportunity to standardize plastic thickness across formats. The recommended solution improved packaging performance, reduced operational complexity, and exceeded the original savings target.

  • Tested more rigid, cost-effective plastic alternatives

  • Conducted a technical evaluation of packaging and line performance

  • Recommended a standardized plastic thickness to reduce both supplier and plant changeovers

  • Qualified the new supplier’s materials to ensure consistency with client standards

  • Delivered a scalable recommendation that enhanced performance and cost efficiency

The Impact

Adept's end-to-end optimization delivered more than just higher numbers:

  • $5 million in annual savings; $1 million above the original estimate

  • Improved packaging performance and damage reduction

  • Increased operational efficiency for the supplier, manufacturing plants, and procurement teams

  • Standardized plastic thickness, simplified production, and improved consistency

This isn't just a fix. It’s a transformation.

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