Case Study -- Quadpack

Case Studies

Quadpack uses LifeSize to Communicate with Clients Faster and More Effectively, Boosting Productivity and Profits

Organization

Quadpack, Global

Founded in 2003, Quadpack supplies packaging solutions to leading cosmetic and personal care brands in the UK, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Aiming to provide exceptional service for 350 clients, Quadpack offers valuable input into developing packs that perfectly fit their brands. To this end, Quadpack partners with renowned manufacturers in order to consistently deliver precise solutions for a wide range of products.

Quadpack is one of Europe’s fastest-growing, independent packaging groups. The company’s wholly-owned network of offices in eight countries, with presence in three others, is supported by its own sourcing operations in Asia.

Quadpack has expanded significantly in recent years, opening sales offices in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Australia.

Challenge

Quadpack was in need of a simple, affordable system to exchange vital information within the organization. More importantly, they needed a better way to visually demonstrate projects in progress. Being close to customers is imperative to Quadpack’s success as a global leader in the cosmetics and personal care packaging industry. But with the distance between the company and its manufacturing partners, as well as between the different Quadpack offices, communication could be challenging.

“Success is the ability to communicate with partners, suppliers and anyone we do business with,” said Tim Eaves, CEO of Quadpack.

quadpack products

Developing packs with sourcing offices and manufacturing partners thousands of miles away was a huge challenge; clients needed to see colors and packaging details accurately and couriering samples around the world didn’t make sense financially. Quadpack needed a system that allowed designers, suppliers and customers to see products as clearly and as vibrantly as possible. Ambiguity in color, style and features was not an option.

Additionally, Eaves noticed that his employees needed a better, more effective way of meeting with one another. They were using the old-fashioned method of traveling for meetings, as well as Skype; but for peer-to-peer collaboration, traveling was too expensive and Skype felt ad hoc and lacked the quality that was so vital to the business. The company needed a system that brought teams together, as cohesion has always been of utmost importance to Quadpack’s business model.

Solution

After a thorough evaluation of potential solutions, Quadpack chose multiple LifeSize products to conduct business globally and more effectively. LifeSize® Room 200™, which was implemented in Quadpack’s Spain office, delivers HD video and audio for an authentic, lifelike experience. With LifeSize Room 200, Quadpack employees, suppliers and customers can communicate as though they are in the same room, allowing for less travel.

quadpack meeting

For Quadpack’s offices in France and the UK, the company chose LifeSize Express, a Full HD video communications system that is both affordable and ideal for Quadpack’s teams who need to communicate over distances while sharing data. Quadpack needed a realistic interaction conferencing solution at the lowest possible bandwidth, but they also needed crisp, crystal-clear data and image sharing with HD support – LifeSize Express was the perfect solution.

Quadpack implemented LifeSize Express 220 in its locations in Germany, Italy, China and Australia. With LifeSize Express 220, employees can see facial expressions clearly, which allows for a better understanding of suppliers’ and clients’ needs.

With 12 home office workers scattered across the globe, Quadpack needed a system that made its remote employees feel less distanced and more like a in-house team, LifeSize Desktop was the ideal solution for this purpose. LifeSize Desktop delivers HD video communications from the convenience of a PC, enabling Quadpack’s remote workers to stay connected anytime, anywhere.

In terms of infrastructure, Quadpack choose LifeSize Transit for the ultimate in firewall security. LifeSize Transit is a complete firewall and NAT traversal solution that enables Quadpack to make video calls within and across locations by securely traversing firewalls.

Results

As a result of using LifeSize products, Quadpack was able to see a return on their investment within 12 months. The company has experienced improved efficiency regarding communication among employees, as well as between sales offices and clients.

“From package development teams in Europe to sourcing teams in Asia, LifeSize keeps our company in sync,” said Eaves. “We can do a lot more than we could before for the same amount of money.”

A significant improvement Quadpack experienced is a shortened product-to-market timeframe. Sales professionals at Quadpack are now able to show clients products that are still under development. These images, whether they are still or displaying movement in HD video, can be analyzed with flawless detail. Best of all, product images can be viewed in real-time, so Quadpack sales professionals are able to provide faster feedback to suppliers. Faster transfer of information in development stages equates to more products on shelves in a shorter amount of time; thus, Quadpack’s profit margins are now higher than before they implemented LifeSize technology.

“In the packaging industry, special effects are very important. There is a level of brilliance in each color of the rainbow, but that level can be very difficult to decipher via e-mail,” said Eaves.

The high definition quality of LifeSize video conferencing systems was not only beneficial in product discussions; it enhanced cross-cultural communication as a whole. Video conferencing enabled Quadpack employees and customers to communicate with body language, instead of by voice alone. This in-depth form of communication made meetings more personal and engaging, allowing for customer and company to collaborate through genuine human interaction via video. Whether the conversion was across cities or across continents, it truly felt like both parties were in the same room.

Now with LifeSize products, Quadpack’s development and sales teams can hold real-time meetings and see the reactions on their clients’ faces. If there are issues with packaging specifications, they can be addressed over HD video collaborations. This saves a considerable amount of time and money to resolve product issues. Where Quadpack used to spend weeks resolving problems, they can now solve packaging issues within just a few short days.