warehouse interior with shelves and goods

supply chain continuity for the pet food sector

An on-demand warehousing and supply model to eliminate logistics inefficiencies

intro

A major international producer of premium pet food needed to strengthen its packaging supply chain: keeping costs under control, ensuring high quality, and eliminating the risk of production downtime.

Together we developed a dedicated remote warehousing model for dry pet food bags, designed to support the brand’s growth in key global markets.

01

Customer profile

The customer is a leading international producer of premium dry pet food for dogs and cats, with a portfolio ranging from everyday nutrition products to specialized formulations recommended by veterinarians (digestive care, urinary, sterilized).

The brand serves markets across Europe, North America, and other strategic regions, where it is recognized for its focus on nutrition and ingredient quality.

Products are packed in flexible packaging bags, in formats ranging from 300 g to over 10 kg, including flat-bottom and folded-bottom structures designed to ensure:

Adequate shelf life for premium pet food
Strong shelf impact and perceived product quality
Consistency with the brand high-end positioning

02

The challEnge: building a leaner packaging supply chain

To support international growth, the customer needed to optimize the packaging supply chain while maintaining the same level of service.

During The briefing, several critical issues emerged:

Suppliers located far from production sites, especially when the best quality-price ratio was found outside the EU
The need to control flexible packaging costs (premium printed bags with high-quality finishes) without compromising machine performance
Difficulties managing imports, logistics and storage for large volumes and a wide range of SKUs and artworks
The need to minimize the risk of line downtime in a high-productivity manufacturing environment

The main goal was to introduce a packaging partner able to offer competitive alternatives, manage logistical complexity, and deliver a service perceived as “domestic”, with short and stable lead times.

image illustrating the interior of a pet food company production environment

wall display of different types of pet food

03

The velvet solution: a dedicated remote warehouse for pet food packaging

To address this challenge, Velvet designed a remote warehousing model dedicated to pet food packaging, taking responsibility for coordinating bag production, logistic partners and inventory management.

INITIAL ANALYSIS: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND FORMAT RANGE

The first step involved a detailed mapping of the packaging requirements:

Collection of technical specifications and samples of the existing bags
Analysis of the formats (from 300 g to 12 kg, flat bottom and folded bottom)
Evaluation of the specific needs of each product line (premium, functional, veterinary, etc.)

Based on this analysis, Velvet started the production, ensuring the best balance between quality, cost and production capacity.

SAMPLING AND INDUSTRIAL TESTING FOR EACH FORMAT

For each bag format, a structured validation process was implemented:

Production of dedicated samples for each format
Industrial line testing to verify material performance, print quality, graphic appearance and mechanical resistance
Shelf-life and supply-chain performance testing before final approval

Only after successful industrial trials and internal customer validation were the formats approved for full-load production orders.

REMOTE WAREHOUSE: GLOBAL QUALITY WITH LOCAL SERVICE

Once the formats were validated, Velvet activated the dedicated remote warehouse:

Materials are shipped to Velvet’s warehouse, after the production of each batch
Stock is managed by Velvet, ensuring material availability
The customer places call-off orders and receives materials within a defined lead time (for example 48 hours, customizable according to agreements)

The brand benefits from a global packaging solution (EU and extra EU production) while experiencing the operational simplicity of a local supplier: shorter lead times, a single point of contact and reduced purchasing complexity.

04

THE RESUlts: simplified supply chain and production continuity

Thanks to the remote warehousing model for pet food packaging, the customer achieved several key benefits across the supply chain:

Reducing management complexity: a single integrated partner manages bag production, and inventory, reducing the workload for procurement and logistics teams
Greater production continuity: having a dedicated remote warehouse significantly reduces the risk of production downtime caused by material shortages and helps manage production peaks
Packaging cost control: our long-standing experience allows us to maintain the quality required by the brand’s premium positioning, while improving the qualite/price ratio
Alignment with the quality perceived by the market: the approved pouches maintain the aesthetic and functional standards of packaging, preserving the brand image that has made the brand a point of reference for pet owners and veterinarians

For the customer, the real value lies not only in the packaging supply itself but in Velvet’s role as a supply chain partner, combining technical, logistical and market expertise.

05

How to Optimize the Pet Food Packaging Supply Chain

If you’re looking to reduce supply chain complexity, improve packaging cost control, and ensure production continuity, we can design a customized remote warehouse model tailored to your facility.

Contact us to review your current packaging supply system and to explore a solution designed for your brand.