Branded Merchandise

Challenge

APM produces catalogs for retailers around the country. Sales generated during the catalog promotions, especially during the winter holidays, makes or breaks the retailer’s year. Catalogs must be designed, printed and delivered to mailboxes with precise timing and accuracy in order to draw customers into stores and online at the right time. Product decisions and manufacturer-submitted advertising artwork comes to us extremely close to the print date, making timeline management and flexibility critical.

Solution

Strict Timeline Management
Timing is of the essence for all that we do. The retailers are across the county in different time zones so during catalog production our design team is mobilized for extremely quick turn-around times so that proofs and changes are completed and sent to the clients for approval early the next day.

Analyze Delivery Points
We analyze each retailer’s mail list and drop ship mail deep into the mail stream to give us the most precise in-home schedules possible and the best postage rates.

Result

The detailed schedules that we create for production, flexibility and open communications give retailers the peace of mind that their project is in good hands. Our quick reaction time enables us to handle last minute changes that result in on-time delivery and cost-savings for our clients.

Challenge

APM was tasked with creating a cost-effective daily mailing program to request the return of intellectual property when our client’s customers changed service. There would be multiple versions of three different mailers, multiple secure daily data transmission and processing each day, variable printing and mail delivery. The goal was to use the same mail piece for both outbound and inbound mailing.

Solution

Complex Customized Design
Custom mailers were designed so that the customer would receive the mailer, place the product in specialized pockets, remove a flap, reseal the envelope and drop in the mail. APM engineered the mailer to come off of the press completely sealed and ready for outbound mailing. This included the postage paid return portion of the envelope with remoistenable glue flap.

Cost Saving Technique
All mailers were designed to take advantage of co-mingling with other mail in order to receive lowest postage rates based on higher mail-pool density.

Custom Processing Application
APM developers created a custom application to automate the data flow of daily retrieval and processing of multiple client files, appending original files with mailing confirmation, and sending appended files back to the client each day.

Result

Automating the data processing steps for multiple daily files ensured data integrity and eliminated mistakes throughout the process. The cost efficiencies and the high return rate for intellectual property confirms the success of the program.

Challenge

Our client ordered 8,000 USB flash drives in 8 different colors, each loaded with a different data and imprinted with different art. The drives were manufactured and replicated overseas but were held up in customs on the Thursday prior to a weeklong conference that began Monday.

Solution

Expedited Sourcing and Execution
APM project managers scrambled to locate the exact same drives in the same eight colors across the U.S. on Friday, imprinted each drive Saturday, replicated the data on Sunday, and delivered the items in time for the event.

Result

Crisis averted. APM’s creative problem solving and reaction time proved to be unmatched. Our client considers our 10+ year relationship to be a true partnership built on trust that we will get the job done, on budget and on schedule.

Challenge

A payment solutions provider client was experiencing strong growth and expansion in the marketplace. They needed a solution to improve the efficiency of digital production, printing, warehousing and timed deliveries of the many different pieces required for their ongoing direct mail needs.

Solution

Workflow Efficiencies
APM streamlined the operations and communication process by developing a program for easy ordering and tracking of materials, digital asset management, printing, warehousing and quick response delivery.

Cost Savings Audit
Based on ordering histories we determined products that benefit most from being produced in bulk and inventoried, and which were best printed as needed.

Consistent Reporting
Ongoing detailed reporting of deliveries and on-hand inventory was implemented so the client does not run out of anything, anytime. We take pride in notifying our client that they have received our materials before their own internal receiving department informs them.

Result

With streamlined processes, consistent quality work and exceptional efficiency, APM helped our client focus on core business goals and lower costs. Rush orders are common and APM enables our client to react with extreme agility when their needs require it.