Overnight Disposable Period Underwear OEM: Structuring SKU Tiers
Overnight disposable period underwear OEM lines usually carry more than one absorbency tier. This page is about the SKU structure that results: how a tier set is planned across sizes, pack counts and carton quantities. The product is a single-use nonwoven brief; washable period underwear uses a different range structure and is not covered here.
A tier set is written as a table before artwork or tooling starts. Each row is one sellable unit with its own code. Planning the rows first prevents the common problem where a pack is designed with a size mix that the carton plan cannot actually carry.
| Tier code | Size code | Pack count field | Carton quantity field |
|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 | From agreed size set | F-05 value | F-06 value |
| A-2 | From agreed size set | F-05 value | F-06 value |
| A-3 | From agreed size set | F-05 value | F-06 value |
| A-1 | Second size code | F-05 value | F-06 value |
| A-2 | Second size code | F-05 value | F-06 value |
Writing the tier set as rows, not as adjectives
A-1, A-2 and A-3 are tier codes from the buyer's range plan. They are identifiers, not descriptions of a performance level. Each code is defined once in the size and absorbency brief, then referenced here by code only, so the SKU table stays short and unambiguous.
The number of tiers is a range decision made by the buyer. We do not propose a tier count from a competitor shelf. What we do provide is the field structure that lets any chosen set be written down, costed and repeated without inventing a new wording for each market.
Multiplying tiers by the agreed size set
Every tier row is repeated for each size code in F-01. A three-tier range across four size codes therefore produces twelve rows before pack formats are considered. Writing the multiplication out explicitly is what exposes the tooling and sample quantities early.
Buyers sometimes reduce the size set for the highest tier. That is a legitimate range decision, and it is recorded as a missing row with a dated note rather than as a silent omission. The table then shows exactly which combinations exist and which do not.
Assigning pack count and carton quantity
F-05 and F-06 are taken from the written brief, not chosen row by row. Where a channel needs a different pack format, a separate SKU table is opened for that channel. Keeping one pack value per table is what makes the carton plan arithmetically checkable.
Carton quantity is confirmed by the buyer's logistics contact. It affects marking, pallet planning and the order sheet, and a late change here can invalidate artwork that has already been approved. For that reason F-06 is closed before print approval, not after.
Building a SKU code from the four fields
Each row gets a code assembled from tier, size, pack and carton fields in a fixed order. The assembly rule is written at the top of the table so two people building the same range produce the same code. Codes are used on the order sheet and in the project file, not on retail artwork.
A code is never reused after a row changes. If F-05 changes, the row receives a new code and the old one is marked retired with a dated note. This avoids the situation where two different builds share one identifier in a repeat order.
Reviewing the tier table before artwork
Print approval compares the artwork size grid against the SKU table row by row. The check covers which tier codes appear, which size codes are listed and whether the pack count field matches F-05. A mismatch is returned as a table correction, not patched in the artwork file.
The same comparison is repeated at order confirmation. Between those two points, a range plan can change, and the version number on the table is what tells the project file which plan the artwork was approved against.
Where the SKU structure stops
This table does not define absorbency values, coverage zones or material options. Those live in the size and absorbency brief, the zone brief and the materials brief. Keeping the boundaries clear means a change to a component code does not silently rewrite a range decision.
Channel-specific SKU mixes are a separate document. A retail chain, an e-commerce range and an institutional order may all draw from the same tier set, but each gets its own table with its own pack and carton fields.
Retiring a SKU row without losing history
A tier set changes more often than a specification does. A buyer may drop one size code from a tier, add a pack format for a promotion, or split a row into two channel-specific rows. In each case the affected row is marked retired with a dated note and, where a replacement exists, the code of the new row beside it.
Retired rows are never deleted and their codes are never reused. An order sheet from two years ago can therefore still be read against the table version it referenced. That matters when a buyer asks for a repeat of an earlier season: the file shows which rows were active then and which have since been retired.
The version number on the SKU table is stated on the artwork approval record and on the order schedule. When a range plan changes midway through a season, the three documents may briefly reference different versions. The change note names which document was reissued and which still has to be updated, so the project is not left with an unexplained difference.