In 2011, a revolutionary manufacturing concept took root in New Albany, Ohio, one that would fundamentally change how beauty and personal care products move from concept to consumer.
Described as the Silicon Valley of personal care and beauty manufacturing, the Beauty Park represents more than just a collection of manufacturing facilities–it’s a working model of how vertical integration and strategic co-location can create unprecedented efficiency in contract packaging.
The results have caught national attention, demonstrating how this approach reshapes American manufacturing and delivers measurable business outcomes.
The Vertical Integration Advantage
Traditional supply chains for beauty products often involved components traveling thousands of miles across multiple facilities before final assembly. This distributed model created long lead times, increased transportation costs, and limited flexibility to respond to market trends.
New Albany International Beauty Park flipped this model on its head.
By co-locating all supply chain partners within a single campus—from raw material suppliers to final assemblers—the park created a vertically integrated ecosystem that dramatically reduces both time and distance in the manufacturing process.
CNBC’s recent coverage of Beauty Park highlighted the dramatic efficiency gains this model creates. According to Bath & Body Works’ chief supply chain and logistics officer Tom Mazurek, “Pieces and parts of the foaming hand soap would travel 13,000 miles before it entered the stores. Now with Beauty Park, the product travels a distance of about 13 miles from factory into distribution centers.”
The impact on speed to market is equally impressive: lead times that previously took 3-4 months now take just 3-4 weeks. “I don’t know of any other business park in the United States that has this supply chain and manufacturing and innovation, this cluster development, all in one place,” said Jennifer Chrysler, New Albany’s director of development.
The Manufacturing Cluster Concept
The idea of clustering complementary manufacturers isn’t new—it’s been successfully deployed in automotive manufacturing and is a key factor in Asia’s manufacturing dominance. What makes Beauty Park New Albany unique is its application to the beauty and personal care industry in a U.S. market.
Located on a 200-acre campus, Beauty Park houses over 10 strategic vendors producing everything needed for complete product assembly:
- Molded plastic bottles and containers
- Fragrance formulations and body care products
- Aluminum caps and closures
- Labels and packaging materials
- Final assembly and packaging
How Co-Location Drives Competitive Advantage
The co-location model at New Albany International Beauty Park creates multiple layers of efficiency that extend beyond simple distance reduction:
- Reduced Transportation Costs: Products that once required cross-country shipping now move across the street, eliminating thousands of miles of transportation and associated costs.
- Faster Response to Market Trends: When all supply chain partners are in close proximity, responding to changing consumer preferences or launching new products becomes significantly faster and more agile.
- Enhanced Quality Control: Proximity enables real-time communication and quality checks throughout the production process, rather than discovering issues after long-distance shipping.
- Improved Collaboration: Physical proximity facilitates better relationships between suppliers, manufacturers, and assemblers, leading to innovation and continuous improvement.
- Sustainability Benefits: Dramatically reduced transportation miles translate directly to lower carbon emissions and environmental impact.
Accel New Albany International Beauty Park: The Final Assembly Hub
As Beauty Park’s final assembler, Accel operates a 510,000-square-foot facility that serves as the hub where all components come together. On busy days, Accel Beauty Park New Albany OH runs 40-50 assembly lines with up to 800 workers packaging finished products for distribution.
This central role requires sophisticated logistics coordination, quality management, and the flexibility to handle multiple product lines simultaneously—all core competencies that Accel has developed over more than 20 years in contract packaging.
A Model for American Manufacturing
New Albany International Beauty Park demonstrates that American manufacturing can compete globally—not by racing to the bottom on labor costs, but by optimizing efficiency through strategic vertical integration. The model proves particularly effective for industries where:
- Speed to market provides competitive advantage
- Product variety and customization are important
- Supply chain flexibility is valuable
- Sustainability and “Made in USA” positioning matter to consumers
The Future of Integrated Manufacturing
As CNBC’s coverage highlighted, the Beauty Park model represents a blueprint for how domestic manufacturing can thrive in a global marketplace. The vertical integration supply chain created at New Albany International Beauty Park offers lessons for other industries looking to bring manufacturing back to the United States while maintaining competitive cost structures.
For companies evaluating their packaging and manufacturing strategies, the Beauty Park model raises important questions:
- How much time and cost is embedded in your current supply chain geography?
- Could co-location with strategic partners improve your speed to market?
- What efficiency gains could vertical integration unlock in your operations?
Partner with Proven Expertise at Accel New Albany International Beauty Park
Our experience as a central player in Beauty Park’s success has refined our understanding of how vertical integration drives business results. Whether you’re considering co-location strategies or looking to optimize your existing supply chain, we bring strategic thinking and operational excellence to complex packaging challenges. Contact us to discuss how our contract packaging expertise can help optimize your supply chain strategy.