S&S Activewear Helps Decorators Reduce Receiving Labor by Up to 60% with ZeroTouch Production Automation Technology

New integration with Fulfill Engine enhances production automation and ease of access to S&S’s proprietary ZeroTouch solution – powering decorators to operate more profitably

BOLINGBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--S&S Activewear, a leading technology-enabled distributor of apparel and accessories in North America, today announced a new integration between its proprietary ZeroTouch production automation technology and Fulfill Engine, a leading production management and fulfillment platform.

The integration extends ZeroTouch automation to eligible S&S products for decorators using Fulfill Engine, eliminating manual receiving, sorting, and routing processes and reducing receiving labor by up to 60 percent. ZeroTouch is a key pillar of S&S Business Solutions, the company's growing suite of tools, technology, and services designed to help customers operate more efficiently, scale their businesses, and say yes to more orders.

“At S&S Activewear, our vision is simple: empower our customers and partners to bring their ideas to life because when they win, we all win,” S&S Activewear Chief Executive Officer Frank Myers said. “S&S Business Solutions is about helping customers grow without adding operational complexity. We’ve spent years investing in the infrastructure, automation, and technology so our customers don’t have to.”

As businesses across the apparel and promotional products industry face increasing pressure to improve speed, accuracy, and scalability, many continue to rely on labor-intensive manual processes. ZeroTouch eliminates manual steps using API order integration, as well as box-level and garment-level QR codes applied within S&S distribution centers. Upon arrival, orders are scanned and routed directly to the designated machine or production zone. Then, boxes are opened, garments are scanned, and decoration is executed, with the ZeroTouch order serving as the staging process.

Results demonstrate receiving labor reductions of 40% to 60%, while improving production speed, accuracy, and consistency. Today, ZeroTouch is already being used by some of the industry’s largest and most trusted decorators, and the new Fulfill Engine integration will enable additional decorator accessibility and adoption.

“Fulfill Engine helps decorators create production-ready jobs with garment-level identification, but there is still manual work required when blanks are received, including applying stickers before garments move into production,” said Jayson Tompkins, Founder & Chief Digital Officer for Stahls’ Fulfill Engine. “That step can take time, add labor, and create an opportunity for error. Making ZeroTouch available through Fulfill Engine helps reduce those manual touchpoints by allowing eligible orders to arrive with scanning identification already in place, so garments can be scanned into the system and routed more efficiently.”

The result is a faster, more scalable production environment that allows decorators to handle greater volume with less manual effort. ZeroTouch is the latest example of how S&S Activewear is investing in the future of the industry and customers’ success.

Built on more than two decades of technology investment and powered by ApparelSoft, S&S Activewear’s proprietary ERP platform, ZeroTouch extends the company’s automation and distribution capabilities directly into customers’ operations. The ZeroTouch solution is powered by more than $200 million invested in cutting-edge distribution center automation technology and AI-powered systems delivering 99.9% order accuracy and ability to reach 98% of customers across North America within one to two days.

ZeroTouch builds on a growing suite of technology solutions from S&S Activewear designed to help customers operate more efficiently and scale their businesses. S&S Business Solutions also includes Customer Integrations, its API infrastructure that allows customers to connect directly, in real time, to S&S systems and inventory, and FAST, a white-label software fulfillment solution designed to provide customers with flexibility and capacity to accept more orders.

For more information on ZeroTouch, please visit www.ssactivewear.com/about/business-solutions/zero-touch or email [e-mail].

About S&S Activewear: Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, S&S Activewear is a leading technology-enabled, customer centric distributor of apparel and accessories in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. S&S leverages over 6 million square feet of automated warehouse space to offer customers over 100,000 SKUs from more than 80 brands, including basic garments to fashion-forward styles, with over 6 million square feet of warehouse space across North America. S&S services a diversified range of customer partners, including retail brands, e-commerce companies, garment decorators, promotional product distributors, entertainment merchandisers, lifestyle brands and web-based platforms for apparel customization.