A brand colour that shifts between runs is one of the most common complaints in packaging, and one of the most avoidable. The usual assumption is carelessness. The usual cause is that nobody defined what ‘correct’ means in measurable terms.
A Pantone reference is a starting point, not a specification. The same ink prints differently on coated and uncoated stock, at different densities, and on different presses. Without a calibrated system, every press is making its own judgement about what your colour is.
Calibrated colour management under a G7-aligned process addresses this by targeting a defined grey balance and tonality across every press and substrate. The practical effect is that the same file produces the same visual result whether it runs in Mumbai or Qingdao.
The other half is the golden sample. Colour is checked in line against a physical signed reference rather than against a screen, and the reference does not change for the life of the programme.
If you are experiencing drift with a current supplier, the diagnostic question is straightforward: ask what they measure against, and ask to see the record. If the answer is a person’s eye, you have found the problem.