When a rocket launches, all eyes are on the sky but the real action is happening on the ground. From here, the mission control manages space launches. It’s a nerve center, where dozens (sometimes hundreds) of engineers, analysts, and specialists monitor every system and signal to make sure it actually takes off. After all, a flight’s success ultimately depends on a safe landing.
The same is true in operations. In the world of supply chain management staying ahead of the curve can be a perpetual challenge. As logistics networks expanded to include more stakeholders — from suppliers and carriers to distributors and customers — the need for centralized visibility and coordination became increasingly critical on a global scale. That’s when a new concept for a centralized nerve centre emerged.
Gartner defines a supply chain control tower as a “concept that results in combining people, process, data, organization, and technology to enable smarter, faster decisions.” The concept has evolved significantly over the years and today Control Towers play a vital role across a number of industries. Major players like Amazon, Unilever, and even NASA widely use centralized hubs to monitor moving parts across departments, flag issues early, and keep operations running smoothly.
According to Gartner, the idea of control towers is to give teams:
- End-to-end visibility across every step of the process
- Exception-based management that highlights only what needs action
- Predictive insights to help you stay ahead of problems
- Cross-functional coordination so everyone’s working from the same playbook
Print is a part of the supply chain but it’s rarely treated like one. Yet the same challenges that led to the rise of Control Tower thinking in logistics apply here too. So what happens when we apply that model to print?
Where Print Typically Falls Short
Let’s start with the obvious. Print coordination often gets messy. You’ve got a PO in your inbox, a proof in Slack, a delivery update in someone else’s email, but no idea when and how it all ties together. This chaos might feel normal, but it doesn’t have to be. What’s really missing is structure. To be specific: what’s needed is a centralized, coordinated system.
When print and packaging lack that structure, you start to see the symptoms:
- No visibility across SKUs or regions
- Versioning chaos (Which file was final again?)
- Reorders missing key specs
- Misaligned timelines between fulfillment, design, and procurement
These issues don’t just slow things down, they can create real costs. Think missed deadlines, off-brand packaging, scrambled teams, and unhappy customers.
Who Benefits and When?
Control tower thinking isn’t just reserved for giant enterprises. It can make the biggest difference when teams are trying to do more with less:
- Emerging, VC-backed brands: build coordination early, before complexity compounds
- Larger brands: align stakeholders, manage scale, and prevent missteps
- Lean teams: stay in control without taking it all on yourself
How to Keep Your Print Projects Under Control
Print doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Flyleaf’s coordination platform is built to keep things moving even when details shift, deadlines tighten, and priorities change.
Today’s teams move fast and depend on flexibility. Having Flyleaf as your control tower means:
- Fewer surprises: you’ll find specs, approvals, shipping details, labels all organized in a shared workspace
- Smoother go-to-market: coordinated workflows and real-time updates across creative, procurement, and logistics mean your print materials arrive on time
- Less wasted time (and money): by connecting dots early you avoid duplicated efforts or costly errors
As part of our standard service, you stay in the loop without needing to learn a new system. Flyleaf’s platform integrates with tools like Slack or email to bring quotes, approvals, and updates right where your team already works.
