We don’t know about you but we’re not sure where the first 8 months of the year have gone?!

As, the hazy and hot blur of summer fades and the nations young people return to their studies, our thoughts have inevitably turned to Q4.

And, as we all know, Q4 is peak time across the corrugated industry, especially as the ecommerce and supply chain sectors peak in the run up to the festive period.

For our cases customers, there are a few things we can work on together to ensure our supply meets your demand.

Understanding your challenges

Heading into Q4 can be a challenging time for businesses.

Managing supply and demand, movement of stock and balancing warehousing and distribution, all whilst keeping customers happy during any peak period can present issues.

However, one problem that can be solved is ensuring you have the correct packaging to store and distribute your products through the supply chain or to take your products direct to customer through ecommerce functions.

Right place, right time

Perhaps one of the most important factors to consider is to specify and order your cases in a planned schedule that will help you get your products in the right place at the right time.

This means that your products will leave the production line and be packed, stored or distributed as required, safe in the knowledge that the packaging specified will protect the products at all stages of the supply chain.

To help us achieve the highest levels of service we ask that you provide your anticipated weekly demand wherever possible. An estimate to the nearest 5,000 cases per week is sufficient and can be updated monthly or whenever significant changes become apparent.

We ask that speculative or “dummy” orders to reserve capacity are avoided. These orders artificially inflate demand, increase published lead times, and can negatively impact planning accuracy for all customers.

As we do not hold finished goods stock, it is important that deliveries can be accepted when manufactured. Keeping products moving smoothly through our facilities helps maximise production efficiency and available capacity during peak periods.

Clear communication

Our customer services team is on hand to help with any enquiries and to ensure the correct information is provided on your order.

We manufacture a range of case styles on our four casemakers and can print up to three colour to your artwork.

Cases are palletised to your requirements and a delivery schedule agreed ahead of production commencing.

All this information translates into packaging solutions that fulfil all requirements whether its boxes with product info and product codes for easy location and stock management in warehouses, boxes that really stand out in retail situations or cases that deliver direct to your customer. Rest assured our team has it covered.

Managing demand

So, the cases design and artwork is locked in, but one other aspect that needs to be considered is how demand is managed.

Our teams work with yours to ascertain anticipated demand and build a production schedule to suit this.

However, we recognise that consumers can be unpredictable and that this may have an impact on the amount of packaging required to get you through.

This is where our customer service team comes into their own; building a relationship with you and keeping in regular contact to ensure any additional requirements are met.

Giving much reassurance to our customers, this level of service means customers who typically experience an uptick in demand are confident in our ability to meet that demand through clear and careful planning ahead of time.

So, as we approach peak season, these are some of the investments and improvements we have made to ensure we continue to deliver the highest levels of service, reliability, and transparency for our customers.

Strengthening Capacity Management

To help us better manage demand and provide a more responsive service, we have created a dedicated Capacity Management Coordinator role. Kelly Schofield now works full-time alongside our Customer Service Team, focusing on balancing customer demand with available production capacity and supporting customers with planning requirements.

Smarter Forecasting for Greater Visibility

We have introduced an enhanced forecasting model for our major customers, enabling our published lead times to more accurately reflect real-time demand across our business.

In addition, we now publish lead times as a “Week Ending” date rather than a specific number of working days. This approach allows us to manage incoming orders more effectively without being influenced by orders that are waiting to be processed. The result is greater lead time stability and increased confidence when planning your own production and stock requirements.

Coming soon, we will also be enhancing our lead time communications with additional guidance highlighting:

• Days that are approaching full capacity
• Periods where lead times may be expected to extend
• Helpful planning information to support ordering decisions
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Improved OTIF Measurement

To provide a more accurate reflection of our delivery performance, our On Time In Full (OTIF) measurement is now based on the first promised delivery date. This date will only be amended where a customer specifically requests a change.

Alex Morris, Group Commercial Director commented; “We understand the challenges our customers have in Q4 and work with them however we can to ensure we supply what they need.

“Our continued investment in people, systems, forecasting and manufacturing capability reflects our commitment to providing a reliable, transparent and customer-focused service during peak season and beyond.

“We thank you for your continued partnership and look forward to supporting your success.”