FROM CHAOS TO CLARITY HOW 5FLOW IS REINVENTING PACKAGING AND CONTENT WORKFLOWS 2025
FROM CHAOS TO CLARITY
HOW 5FLOW IS REINVENTING PACKAGING AND CONTENT WORKFLOWS
5FLOW
PROJECT
DIRECTED BY: RUPERT KAY
In today’s fast-moving consumer world, brands are under increasing pressure to bring products to market more quickly while maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance. Behind many of these global launches is 5FLOW, the digital backbone powering the Propelis Group. Its technology enables creative, operational and supply chain teams to work together seamlessly, reducing inefficiencies and accelerating every stage of the packaging and content process.
At its core, 5FLOW connects the multiple moving parts of modern product development into a single digital ecosystem. The platform provides complete visibility across creative, regulatory and production workflows, transforming fragmented communication into cohesive collaboration. For the teams that use it, the result is less time spent chasing approvals and more time spent delivering meaningful work.
For 5FLOW, the pursuit of speed has never been about cutting corners but about removing friction. Every aspect of the platform is designed to simplify what has historically been a complex, manual process. “Speed to market ultimately comes down to one thing, removing friction,” says Martin Sliwa, 5FLOW’s Head of Commercial Services and a long-standing advocate for process simplification in global packaging operations. With more than a decade of experience in digital transformation and workflow optimisation, Martin brings both technical expertise and a deep understanding of client realities to his role. “Our platform automates repetitive steps, streamlines approvals and gives every stakeholder real-time visibility.” By enabling teams to work in parallel instead of in sequence, 5FLOW helps global brands reduce their time to market by weeks, freeing up resources for creativity and innovation.
Compliance is equally central to the company’s philosophy. Within highly regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, food and cosmetics,
speed is meaningless without control. 5FLOW has built compliance into the very fabric of its technology, ensuring that data security, version traceability and auditability are part of every project from the outset. As Alex Monich, who leads commercialisation for the Americas, explains, “Compliance is not an option for us. It’s built into everything we do. We operate within secure cloud environments, use role-based access controls and maintain detailed audit trails for every action.”
This integrated approach allows clients to move quickly without compromising on rigour. Rather than treating compliance as a final checkpoint, 5FLOW treats it as a continuous process woven throughout the workflow. That alignment of speed and security has helped position the company as a trusted partner to some of the world’s most recognisable brands.
Artificial intelligence also plays an increasingly vital role in 5FLOW’s evolution. Long before AI became an industry buzzword, the company was already applying it to simplify packaging and artwork processes. The platform’s machine learning models automatically extract text from artwork, run compliance checks and tag assets for easier retrieval. These tools help teams identify potential bottlenecks before they occur and reduce the need for manual oversight. One leading retailer reduced artwork lead times by 34% after implementing 5FLOW’s WAVE platform, achieving approval rates that now average 50% faster than before.
“AI turns data into foresight,” Martin says. “It allows our clients to anticipate challenges, optimise approvals and make better decisions with more confidence.” 5FLOW’s approach to AI is deliberately pragmatic, designed to complement human decisionmaking rather than replace it. By building what the team calls “assistive intelligence” into everyday workflows, the technology enhances efficiency while keeping human judgment firmly in control.
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One of the company’s defining strengths is its ability to adapt its technology to suit each client’s level of digital maturity. Some businesses are ready to adopt 5FLOW’s standardised software-as-a-service platform, while others require bespoke integrations that connect with existing supply chain systems. “We always begin by understanding where an organisation is on its digital maturity curve,” says Alex Monich. “For some, a flexible SaaS model offers the best way forward. For others, a tailored platform ensures we deliver the right level of integration.” This flexibility has been key to 5FLOW’s success in diverse markets, allowing clients to modernise at a pace that suits their operations.
Creativity, compliance and consistency are often seen as opposing forces, yet 5FLOW has shown that they can coexist harmoniously. The platform quietly manages the complex regulatory aspects of packaging, giving branding teams the confidence to push their creative boundaries. Every version, claim and design change is tracked and verified in real time, ensuring both compliance and brand integrity. By balancing freedom with structure, the company enables marketing teams to focus on storytelling without losing control of quality.
Behind this operational precision is a culture of discipline. 5FLOW’s ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications reflect not only its technical compliance but also its internal mindset. The company’s processes are designed for speed through structure, ensuring reliability without rigidity. This culture of organised innovation allows it to deliver consistent results even in the most demanding environments.
As part of the Propelis Group, 5FLOW is entering a new era focused on what is known as “intelligent orchestration. This concept focuses on linking data, people and processes across the content supply chain to achieve complete transparency and control. The company’s Wave workflow management tool embodies this vision, connecting multiple systems within a single operational framework. It is a step towards a future where supply chains are not just faster, but inherently smarter.
“Innovation for us isn’t just about doing things quickly,” says Martin. “It’s about doing them intelligently. The next generation of workflow technology will make connections between teams, data and systems more seamless than ever before.” That pursuit of intelligent orchestration is what defines 5FLOW’s direction for the coming years, as it continues to evolve its platform around predictive insights and interconnected systems.
Beyond technology, the company’s leaders see partnership as the foundation of success. Many of 5FLOW’s client relationships have grown into long-term collaborations built on shared ambition. Alex Monich describes this as one of the most rewarding aspects of the job, explaining that the real transformation happens not just in processes, but in people’s confidence to embrace new ways of working. “The most exciting part for us is seeing how our clients evolve,” he says. “Once they see the impact - faster approvals, fewer errors, better alignment - they become advocates for change.”
As 5FLOW continues to expand within the Propelis Group, its influence on the global packaging and content management landscape is becoming increasingly apparent. The company’s technology has redefined what efficiency looks like in a world that demands constant innovation. By merging automation, compliance and creativity into a single, intelligent system, it has created a model for the modern enterprise, one where teams collaborate fluidly, decisions are made confidently and products reach consumers faster than ever before.
The story of 5FLOW is ultimately one of precision and partnership. It demonstrates that true progress lies not in automation alone, but in the thoughtful alignment of technology with human expertise. In doing so, the company has not only changed how brands work but set a new standard for how the creative supply chain of the future should flow.
To learn how 5FLOW is shaping the future of intelligent packaging management, visit www.5flow.com
