S&S Activewear ZeroTouch Integration Cuts Receiving Labor 60%

Automation reaches the decorator floor

S&S Activewear has integrated its ZeroTouch production automation technology with Fulfill Engine, a production management platform used by apparel decorators. The integration eliminates manual receiving, sorting, and routing steps for eligible products, cutting receiving labor requirements by 40% to 60%, according to details first reported by Business Wire.

The system works through API order integration combined with box-level and garment-level QR codes applied inside S&S distribution centers before shipment. When orders arrive at decorator facilities, workers scan items and the system automatically routes them to the appropriate production machine or zone. Garments move directly from scanning to decoration without intermediate manual handling steps.

Why it matters

Labor-intensive receiving processes remain a bottleneck for apparel decorators trying to scale production. By shifting identification and sorting upstream to the distributor's warehouse, ZeroTouch removes steps that typically require manual sticker application and data entry at the decorator level. This approach represents a broader trend of distributors extending automation capabilities into customer operations rather than simply optimizing their own fulfillment.

How the technology works

ZeroTouch relies on infrastructure S&S Activewear built within its own distribution network. The company has invested more than $200 million in warehouse automation technology and operates over 6 million square feet of automated space across North America. Its proprietary ERP platform, ApparelSoft, powers the system and enables 99.9% order accuracy.

When decorators using Fulfill Engine place orders for eligible S&S products, the items arrive pre-coded. Jayson Tompkins, founder and chief digital officer for Stahls' Fulfill Engine, explained that his platform already helps decorators create production-ready jobs with garment-level identification, but manual work was still required when blank garments arrived. "That step can take time, add labor, and create an opportunity for error," Tompkins said.

The integration removes that friction point. Orders serve as their own staging process once scanned into the decorator's system.

Part of broader business solutions suite

ZeroTouch represents one component of S&S Business Solutions, the distributor's collection of tools designed to help customers scale operations. The suite also includes Customer Integrations, an API infrastructure for real-time connection to S&S inventory systems, and FAST, a white-label fulfillment software solution.

"S&S Business Solutions is about helping customers grow without adding operational complexity," said Frank Myers, chief executive officer of S&S Activewear. "We've spent years investing in the infrastructure, automation, and technology so our customers don't have to."

The company, founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, distributes apparel and accessories to retail brands, e-commerce companies, garment decorators, and promotional product distributors across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It offers more than 100,000 SKUs from over 80 brands.

Several large decorators already use ZeroTouch, and the Fulfill Engine integration expands accessibility to additional production facilities.

These details were first reported by Business Wire.