How Constellation Brands NZA Streamlined Label Management Using Microsoft Power Platform

Managing the production of labels on bottles of wine to be exported is tricky and time-sensitive, with several teams involved in the creation, review, and sign-off process. Every label must list the correct information required for each country - from brand name to volume to allergen information - and these labels must be printed accurately and on time for a set bottling date. Inaccurate labelling can be extremely costly in terms of time, money and reputation.

With the support of Theta and powered by Microsoft Power Platform, Constellation Brands now has a streamlined, flexible system that manages its label sign-off process – for both wines and spirits. From automated approvals, notifications and reminders to a user-friendly interface, the new system ‘VINO’ has improved efficiency and reduced risk across the business.

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Technology

• Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps and Power Automate)
• Microsoft SharePoint

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Results

• Improved efficiency with label sign-off process.
• Improved user experience with the new system ‘VINO’.
• Reduced likelihood of labelling issues and, therefore, recalls, financial repercussions and potential reputational damage.
• Suppliers are more likely to receive labels on time and meet their own timelines, which means prompt time-to-market.

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Background

Constellation Brands NZA was using Lotus Notes for managing wine and spirit labels. However, this technology no longer met the flexibility and functionality needed for a business that handles high volumes of wine production, including exporting over 3 million cases of wine annually.

The previous system required manual effort, such as follow-up emails to various teams and manual checks, which were time-consuming and prone to human error. Jessica Naran, Innovation & Operations Executive at Constellation Brands NZA, shares:

"We aimed to reduce risk and transition to a platform that is more efficient, reliable, and flexible. Wine labelling is the final step before bottling, and it's crucial that we meet specific deadlines. These deadlines can be jeopardised if the labels are not accurate and ready on time."

With several teams relying on this system, including procurement, winemaking, quality, brand marketing, innovation and printers, they needed a solution that would be both user-friendly and tick all the functionality boxes.

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Technology selection

After reviewing several platforms, Constellation Brands NZA selected Microsoft Power Platform, with SharePoint as the backend, as the best fit for their needs. With existing Microsoft tech, it would also easily slot into their technology ecosystem. Power Platform also provides a balance between costly custom development and the limitations of off-the-shelf solution. Matt Cammell, IT & Continuous Improvement Manager at Constellation Brands NZA, explains:

"We already use a lot of Microsoft products. Also, the broad availability of Microsoft expertise played a key role in our decision, meaning we had easy access to support now and in the future."

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Governance

We built a development environment for fine-tuning and fully testing any changes. This approach allowed us to identify and fix any issues in a controlled setting, ensuring that the final deployment was smooth and error-free. Once Constellation Brands NZA confirmed they were happy with the result, we were able to deploy into a live environment. This was crucial as it meant we didn’t impact live operations and cause any business disruption.

We also used Power Platform’s solution framework to help create scalable and streamlined deployments.

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Outcomes

The new system, powered by Microsoft Power Platform, has been a huge business win. Jessica elaborates on the quantitative and qualitative outcomes:

"It’s saved us a considerable amount of time. The system has built-in reminders, so there’s no need for someone to send individual email reminders. It’s also more intuitive to use, so our users are more likely to go in, access the label, and complete their tasks on time."

There’s also a reduced risk of a label not being ready on time due to them needing to be changed or adjusted, as Jessica further explains:

"With the old system, we’d often have to stop and get external assistance. This held up our sign-off date. With the new system, we can easily troubleshoot to keep moving ahead."

Stakeholders were involved throughout the design phase, meaning they could see how the new system was taking shape, air concerns and suggest improvements. The flexibility of the system has supported this to happen. Matt shares:

"As with all new tech, it took a while to get people used to the new interface, but we had confidence the new system was fit for purpose because stakeholders had been involved from the get-go."  

Matt also credits Theta’s agility and continued support throughout the project, with the core Theta team being present from start to finish:

"Not only did we need to align the project with peak periods, but we needed to make adjustments over time. Having the same core Theta team reduced the need to continually remember and provide context about why we had done something in a specific way. We also had the reassurance that they really understood the whole process."

Another outcome was that the new tech rollout was able to help improve current business processes, with the ability to gain more insight into the true complexity of the labelling process. A new dashboard provides complete visibility into task responsibilities and helps to identify and address any bottlenecks. Matt concludes:

"Stepping through the whole process has helped our stakeholders to gain more visibility into what happens before and after them, which is a good thing, as we want everyone to appreciate the important and time-sensitive role they play. It also helped to fine-tune the individual process that each department has. It’s a win-win."

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Conclusion

Constellation Brands NZA has implemented new technology to simplify a complex process. They have decreased the risk of labelling errors and the financial and reputational repercussions that arise from this. As a result, printers and bottling factories can be confident in receiving labels promptly, ensuring that the end customer receives their product as expected. The new system provides a rigour that they didn’t have before.