IBP NEWS
How Packaging Efficiency Starts with the Right SRP Format
For bottlers and beverage brands, agility isn’t a luxury or a nice to have, it’s a necessity.

Whether managing high-volume SKUs,
adapting to shifting retail formats,
or preparing for seasonal peaks,
the ability to move fast and flexibly
across the supply chain is critical. And
increasingly, smarter packaging design
is becoming one of the most effective
levers to unlock that agility.

Shelf-ready packaging, traditionally
seen as a format to satisfy retailer
requirements, is now playing a more
strategic role. It acts as a bridge
between operational efficiency, supply
chain compliance, brand visibility,
and cost control. In a market defined
by speed and scale, how packaging
is designed, tested, and deployed
can make or break supply chain
performance. At the same time, SRP is
increasingly important in supporting
the shopper’s decision-making process,
guiding navigation at fixture and clearly
communicating product messaging and
benefits. By designing SRP with both
retailer and shopper needs in mind,
brands can unlock value at every stage,
transforming packaging into a tool that
not only streamlines operations but
also enhances the shopper experience
and drives purchase decisions.

So how do brands successfully shift
from viewing SRP as a compliance
requirement to seeing it as a driver of
supply chain resilience?
Function First, Not Just Form
While SRP was once focused mainly on
on-shelf presentation, it now plays a
much bigger role in streamlining the
route from bottling to basket. When
designed well, shelf-ready formats
reduce repacking and handling at every
stage, all the way from the factory to
the shop floor.

Features like easy-open perforations,
carry handles, and optimised stacking
don’t just help retailers, they also reduce
bottler headaches. A case that’s easy
12 to load, store and merchandise creates
efficiencies far beyond the shop floor.

At the same time, as brands shift
between formats, for example, bottles,
cans, multi-packs, and channels, it
becomes clear that packaging must
work harder to adapt. Designing SRP
that performs equally well across these
settings requires a broader view of the
supply chain and a more collaborative
approach between brands and
packaging manufacturers.

Packaging for Agility Starts at
the Brief
Much of this agility begins long before
a single pack is made. At VPK, we’ve
found that the most successful shelf-
ready solutions come from starting
with a clear understanding of the
customer’s entire packaging journey.

It’s why we developed our Eight-Step
Solution Cycle, a structured but flexible
framework that ensures we look at
packaging from every angle, from
market context to operational impact.

Our Solution Cycle includes steps
like Discover and Identify that are all
about understanding the brand’s supply
chain pressures, sustainability goals,
and route-to-market challenges. This
could mean factoring in automation
requirements at packing lines or
understanding how to reduce double-
handling during distribution. It’s here,
not just at the design stage, where SRP
solutions are shaped to deliver real-
world value.

Designing for Automation,
Avoiding Downtime
With bottlers under pressure to increase
throughput while managing labour
constraints, automation is becoming
more common across production and
packaging lines. But packaging must
be designed to support that automation
and not to work against it.

If a case doesn’t run smoothly
through a packing machine, or collapses
under load during palletisation, it can
slow production and create waste. This
is where small design changes, such
as board grade, gluing patterns, case
dimensions, can have a big effect.

Validation is critical here. As part
of our solution cycle, we routinely run
production trials and prototyping to check
how a shelf-ready pack performs not
just in store, but online. When potential
problems are caught early, bottlers
avoid downtime, delays, and redesigns.

Inventory Simplicity and
SKU Consolidation
Smart SRP also plays a role in reducing
inventory complexity. Consolidating
case designs across product ranges, for
example, using a common base with only
minor graphics variations, can simplify
procurement, reduce tooling costs, and
make warehouse space go further.

This type of rationalisation often
starts with a packaging audit. By
reviewing the physical packaging
alongside the operational workflow, it’s
possible to spot where standardisation
can support flexibility. In our
experience, bottlers working across
multiple formats or brands benefit
significantly from reducing the number
of packaging variants they hold.

Shelf Impact with Less Waste
Retail efficiency remains a key SRP
function but it’s also a chance to reinforce
branding. Bottlers are increasingly
using high-quality post-print and
creative die-cuts to combine strong
shelf presence with fast restocking.

But even as print and presentation
improve, there’s growing pressure to
optimise material use and improve
recyclability. For brands balancing
shelf appeal with sustainability goals,
packaging manufacturers must
find solutions that don’t sacrifice
performance or perception. Clever
structural design, and material
INTERNATIONAL BOTTLER & PACKER | JULY 2025



NEWS
optimisation are now central to shelf-
ready success.

Again, this isn’t a one-time fix,
instead it requires continuous
refinement. Suppliers need to work
with customers to track how SRP
performs over time, does it tear
cleanly, stack securely, or hold up
during transit, and use these findings
to make improvements based on real-
world feedback.

Newlat Food to Buy Diageo Drinks Plant in Italy
Italy-based Newlat Food has agreed to acquire a Diageo drinks plant in the
country that had been earmarked for closure.

Newlat has signed an exclusivity
agreement to buy the production
facility in Santa Vittoria d’Alba in the
north of the country.

In November, Diageo announced
plans to close the site, which bottles
Smirnoff vodka and Captain Morgan
rum, by the end of June next year, a
decision that prompted industrial action.

In a brief statement, Newlat said
the facility has ‘extensive experience’
in the production of alcoholic
beverages, ready-to-drink products
and low- or no-alcohol lines.

SRP as a Value Driver
When shelf-ready packaging is
treated as a strategic asset, rather
than an afterthought, it begins to
unlock measurable supply chain
benefits. Less time spent on rework.

Fewer product losses. Improved pallet
fill. Lower emissions through material
and logistics optimisation. As
retailers expand their in-store media
offerings and retail media costs rise,
SRP provides a unique, cost-effective
channel to communicate directly with
shoppers at the fixture. By investing a
little more in print quality and design,
brands can leverage SRP to deliver
impactful messaging and product
benefits right where purchase
decisions are made, maximising
visibility and engagement without
the significant expense of other retail
media placements.

For bottlers, these incremental
gains can add up quickly, particularly
in high-volume, fast-moving
categories like beer, cider, soft drinks
and mixers.

The key is treating packaging not
just as a container, but as an enabler of
efficiency across the chain. From design
brief to store shelf, shelf-ready formats
that are smart, scalable, and aligned
with business goals help brands
respond faster and operate smarter.

In an industry where speed,
accuracy and shelf impact are all
essential, SRP is no longer just
about looking the part, it’s about
performing at every stage.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE | www.binstedgroup.com
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& packaging industries since 1991.

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