200+ ACGS deployed across PepsiCo factories.

The brief

PepsiCo runs unique-coded promotions for global FMCG brands — including Doritos and Walkers — that need hundreds of millions of unique-codes a year, requiring the scale, security and audit posture that a multinational FMCG demands.

The legacy approach — codes printed at the packaging supplier — carried high per-pack costs, long lead times before campaigns could launch, and logistical complexities. So PepsiCo wanted to bring code generation in-factory, integrated with the existing BBD (Best Before Date) printers already on every line.

The mechanic

Hive IP carried out a factory audit on each site — line by line, printer by printer, SKU by SKU — and configured ACGs to match. The ACGs plug into the existing Best Before Date coders without disrupting the production setup. Each line installed in 10–15 minutes, hot-swappable spares were stocked at every site.

For each campaign, Hive IP allocates codes per market, per SKU, per line. Operators select the appropriate batch via the Markem controller in the usual way; the ACG generates codes that match the allocation; the codes appear on the outside of the pack alongside the BBD; the full code inventory is synchronised in real time with the cloud validation system.

Hive IP’s role

• Factory audit and line-by-line ACG configuration across PepsiCo sites.
• Supply, install and ongoing service of 200+ ACG units, with hot-swappable spares.
• Cloud validation, fraud monitoring, optional fraud audit workflows where applicable, and the API integration with PepsiCo’s appointed agencies.
• Consumer Support Panel for each market, with team-leader account setup and one-hour training per market.
• Direct support during print incidents (mis-allocated codes, batch misselection, etc.) using the team’s years of experience resolving such cases.

The results

• Operational scale. The PepsiCo deployment is one of the largest of its kind in European FMCG.
• Cost. The in-factory model dramatically reduces the per-million-coded-pack cost compared to the legacy supplier route, and aligns Hive IP’s billing with codes actually used in market rather than codes printed.
• Agility. With every pack already coded, PepsiCo’s marketing teams can launch new digital campaigns in days rather than the months a print-cycle previously required.
• Security. The closed-loop architecture means no list of codes ever exists outside Hive IP’s systems — removing the leak risk that comes with passing code files between organisations.

Related

• What is an ACG?
• The case for in-factory