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Supply chain helps Stila Cosmetics achieve the 'fashion-forward' look

Frequent package changes, including seasonal packs, are the norm at the California-based company. Contract manufacturers and packagers deliver on the need for speed.

FAST AND DISTINCTIVE. 'The cosmetics industry is very much led by innovation and who can get it to market fast, so we look for w
FAST AND DISTINCTIVE. "The cosmetics industry is very much led by innovation and who can get it to market fast, so we look for w

These are the challenges facing Stila Cosmetics, a relatively small but growing company in Glendale, CA. If that weren’t enough, Stila has the daily challenges of achieving the right mix of product formulas in fashion-forward, eco-friendly packaging.

Stila (pronounced Stee-la) accomplishes all of these objectives and has forged a close personal bond with its consumers by using guerilla-marketing tactics in which packaging plays a vital role. Its packaging supply chain, which includes a host of contract manufacturers, fillers, packagers, and assemblers, in the U.S. and around the world, plays a huge role in the company’s success.

An important factor in Stila’s approach to its supply chain is the focus on developing strategic relationships with vendors, in which departments inside the company plan carefully to optimize production efficiencies and produce cost savings and manufacturing process stability over time, so long-term relationships are preferred. Price is just one measurement when Stila qualifies contract packagers, for example, as opposed to a more tactical use of vendors, in which a brand owner increases capacity and capability as needed and bases procurement primarily on price.

"We look for fast"

“The cosmetics industry is very much led by innovation and who can get it to market fast, so we look for who can do it fast, and they often come to us with ideas,” says Gretchen Rider, Stila’s vice president of operations. “It’s high service and helping us out when we need it, because sometimes, people don’t give us the proper lead time, Sometimes, people don’t have flexibility in their schedule, so flexibility is very important to us.”

The need for speed and flexibility in operations is essential because development cycles are shrinking due to retailer and consumer demands. Jill Tomandl, who oversees the package-design operations at Stila, says turnaround times typically were one year not long ago, from package creation to the shipping date. Those turnaround times recently have plummeted to five months.

Beyond that, the company is committed to being eco-friendly, whether it’s local product and package production or the use of Kraft material in its cartons or eye shadow sold in clamshells made from recycled PET.

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