Driving 50% capacity growth in artwork operations with WAVE

Introduction

Scaling artwork delivery without increasing operational complexity

Princes Group manages a high volume of packaging artwork across multiple brands and SKUs, requiring coordination across parallel projects, multiple approval stages, and tight delivery timelines.

As artwork demand increased, the organisation needed a more efficient and scalable way to manage projects, approvals, and timelines, without adding headcount or compromising control.

The Challenge

Replacing a discontinued workflow system while maintaining operational continuity.

Artwork operations at Princes were managed through a combination of disconnected tools and manual tracking, primarily Excel. This created duplicated work, inconsistent project oversight, and limited transparency across teams and stages. As volume and complexity grew, V1–FTP timelines extended, late-stage changes increased, and overall capacity became constrained. Scaling output within this setup would have required additional operational resources, limiting the team’s ability to absorb further demand.

The Solution

A single, standardised system for artwork operations

Princes implemented WAVE by 5Flow as the central system for managing artwork delivery. Projects, stages, files, and approvals were consolidated into one standardised workflow, replacing fragmented tools and manual coordination.

This provided end-to-end visibility across artwork projects, reduced duplication, and embedded a consistent operating model for planning, execution, and approval as volumes increased.

The Result

Higher throughput with better control and delivery performance

Princes Foods UK increased artwork capacity by 50% while improving speed, control, and approval quality, without adding operational complexity. The new operating model enabled teams to handle more artwork in parallel, reduce rework, and meet performance targets with greater confidence.

• Fewer late-stage revisions

• +50% artwork capacity

• Faster V1–FTP delivery

• Less manual duplication