Work backwards from the in-store date
Start with the date the product has to be on a shelf or live on your site, then subtract freight, pack-out, production scheduling, packaging print, burn testing and scent development in that order. What is left is when the project has to start.
Most launches that miss a date did not underestimate production; they started the long-lead items too late.
The four things that set your schedule
- Scent
- A library scent adds nothing to the schedule. A custom accord adds compounding and evaluation rounds, each with your approval time inside it.
- Vessel
- Stock vessels are immediate. Custom molds carry tooling plus a first-article approval before anything can be poured.
- Testing
- Burn testing runs over repeated cycles, and it restarts whenever the wick or wax changes. It cannot be compressed safely.
- Cartons, labels and decoration usually carry the longest supplier lead time of any component.
Your approval time counts
The one variable brands consistently underestimate is their own sign-off. Every day a sample sits waiting for a decision moves the production date by a day. Deciding who approves scent, colour and artwork — before samples ship — is the cheapest schedule insurance there is.
Seasonal programs book early
Holiday and gifting runs compete for the same wax, glass, print and freight capacity as everyone else's holiday runs. Give us the in-store date and we will tell you the date development has to begin, with long-lead items flagged in the quote.