Pauline Hunter knows exactly how well her document providers are doing their jobs. How does she know? She scores them. On Time In Full (OTIF) is William Grant & Sons Ltd.'s supplier performance measure. OTIF compares the number of service and quality problems William Grant & Sons experiences with a particular vendor to the total number of deliveries that vendor makes to the company. "We have a target measure of no less than 98 percent to be achieved by our suppliers," says Hunter, purchasing manager for William Grant & Sons.
William Grant & Sons' high standards reflect its need to meet customer demands. The company, located in Dufftown, Scotland, offers a portfolio of fine wine and spirits (including Scotch whiskey, liqueur, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin, aperitifs and rum) from around the world. The company's major brands include Glenfiddich Single Malt, Grant's Family Reserve, The Balvenie Single Malt and Clan MacGregor Scotch whiskies. "The sales of our brands are dependent on a whole host of factors, including our successful marketing campaigns as well as the high quality and visibility of the brands on the shelf or in a bar," says David Hume, spokesperson for William Grant & Sons.
Walsall, England-based Walsall Print Company, part of the Walsall Print Group, has provided high-quality labels for William Grant & Sons since November 1966. Walsall Print Company, which also offers security printing and brand protection, provides labels to brewers and distillers worldwide. According to Hunter, Walsall Print Company fulfills 75 percent of William Grant & Sons' label needs. According to the provider's OTIF score, Walsall Print Company provides the labels on time with few defects. Walsall Print Company's 2002 OTIF score was 99.41 percent, which is "fantastic," Hunter says.
"What separates Walsall [from other print providers] is their continual dedication and support to William Grant & Sons as a customer," Hunter says, citing the company's willingness to improve its OTIF score, support new product development and meet challenging print specifications.
According to Hunter, William Grant & Sons purchases more than 80 million labels from Walsall Print Company each year. Walsall Print Company provides labels for the front, back and necks of bottles ranging from miniature sizes to 41ˇ2-liter sizes for several brands. Hume says the labels often are intricate and include many colors, foil blocking and embossing. An example is the label for one of William Grant & Sons' newest offerings, Glenfiddich Havana Reserve 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. "This is a highly specialized printed label; therefore, we benefited from [Walsall's] print expertise," Hume says.
Walsall Print Company's ability to produce intricate, high-quality labels is a main reason its relationship with William Grant & Sons has succeeded. "Overall, the key factor in choosing a supplier like Walsall is that all suppliers we work with must adhere to our very strict quality guidelines," Hume says. "It's very important for us that the quality of the packaging of our brands, from the labels to the bottles and secondary packaging, reflect the high quality of the Scotch whiskey inside the bottle." Hume says he appreciates Walsall Print Company's ability to interpret brands' design requirements and translate them into printed labels.
Despite William Grant & Sons' 98 percent OTIF requirement, Walsall Print Company's score was 91 percent in 2000. According to Hunter, the print provider received a low score because of service-related problems. But in 2001, the company achieved a score of 98.9 percent. The company has continued to improve, Hunter says.
William Grant & Sons often receives requests from customers to turn around its products faster, so the company asks its print providers for efficient service. Hunter says this can be achieved by, for example, reducing label delivery times from nine days to five days. It's not just what a print provider can supply, it's also how they supply it, Hunter says. And although Hunter says it sounds cliché, anticipating customer needs is always important. "It's really about focusing on the relationship as opposed to the sale," Hunter says.
Judging by the label on the Glenfiddich Havana Reserve bottle, it's evident that Walsall Print Company is capable of producing high-quality labels. Noting Walsall Print Company's 30-plus-year relationship with William Grant & Sons, the company is able to maintain a high-quality relationship with its clients. "Somebody [from Walsall] is up here once every two weeks," Hunter says. "They make time for the right people at the right place."
Kara Gebhart, a freelance writer in Cincinnati, is a frequent contributor to Print Solutions. Email us your comments at editors@printsolutionsmag.com.
Walsall, England-based Walsall Print Company, part of the Walsall Print Group, provides labels for Dufftown, Scotland-based William Grant & Sons' newest product offering, Glenfiddich Havana Reserve 21 Year Old Scotch Whiskey. The intricate labels include many colors, foil blocking and embossing. Walsall Print Company has provided labels for the Glenfiddich brand since November 1966.
