Mercedes-Benz

Year:

2023

Service:

Operational Advisory

Industry:

Retail / Apparel

Size:

We were brought in to lead the operations function for the Mercedes-Benz Lifestyle Collection - building the supply chain infrastructure, supplier framework, and production governance that now underpins every collection they release.

The company

Mercedes-Benz needs no introduction, but the Lifestyle Collection behind it is its own operational challenge: a premium apparel and merchandise line carrying the standards of one of the most recognised brands in the world, with sustainability compliance mandated at group level.

The problem

The factory and mill network capable of meeting group ESG standards is small, competitive and hard to access without established relationships. Collections still have to hit margin targets, land on time, and clear approvals across brand, legal, sustainability and procurement. The previous approach engaged suppliers collection by collection with no continuity, producing inconsistent quality, unpredictable lead times, and a cost base with no downward pressure on it.

What we did

Stepped in as the embedded operations lead, the hands-on version of a supply chain consultant, and rebuilt the foundation. Audited and mapped every supplier relationship, exited those that could not hold the compliance or quality standard, and built a vetted Tier-1 network pre-approved against Mercedes-Benz ESG requirements, so new collections move faster because the compliance work is already done. Introduced a structured critical path with fixed approval gates and a single point of contact between brand team and supply chain. Cost-engineered the framework, building annual reduction commitments into supplier terms without compromising quality or compliance.

What changed

£38,000 in annualised cost reduction across the supplier framework.

29% reduction in average production lead time.
100% ESG compliance across every collection, zero audit failures.
Three collections delivered on time and within budget.
A supply chain that scales with the collection calendar instead of being rebuilt every season.

Discuss your project with us

If you're thinking of hiring Anthony, my best advice is to just do it - he saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars in the first month. It's a no brainer and I'm so glad we decided to bring Anthony and Onflair on.

Sandra Abade

Co-Founder, Dog Friendly Co.

Onflair delivered a level of operational rigour that matched the standards we hold ourselves to as a brand. The collection came in on spec, on time, and under budget. We wouldn't hesitate to work with Anthony again.

Peter

Mercedes Benz

Anthony and the Onflair team transformed how we run our brands operation. Lead times came down, costs came down, and for the first time we had a supply chain we could actually plan around. Exactly what we needed.