Case Study: One of the Largest U.S. Tobacco Manufacturers achieves 25% savings and faster turnaround with GEP

Maximizing Value Through Strategic Suppliers

One of the largest tobacco manufacturers in the United States, the client faced a $10M marketing-print program (direct mail, POS, magazine inserts, coupons) spread across 20+ suppliers. FDA marketing rules, coupon security concerns, subjective creative requirements and longstanding spot-buy relationships made objective supplier comparison and cost savings difficult, while leadership demanded reduced spend without increasing brand or operational risk.

GEP consolidated the supplier base by nearly half and ran a careful competitive RFP that weighted compliance, security, technical capability, creativity, capacity and total cost of ownership. By signing long-term fixed-price contracts with preferred vendors while retaining strategic capabilities, the client achieved 25% savings, faster turnaround, improved service and simplified supplier management.