BOLINGBROOK, Ill. — S&S is expanding its FAST PLATFORM automated branded merchandise solution into Canada while adding hard goods and new integrations designed to streamline ordering, decoration and fulfillment for promotional product distributors and decorators.
The latest expansion adds Canadian inventory and production capabilities, hard goods through HIT Promotional Products and integrations with industry technology providers Facilisgroup and Chipply.
Acquired by S&S in 2025, FAST PLATFORM is now part of S&S Business Solutions, the company’s suite of technology-enabled services. The software connects promotional product distributors and decorators with a network of nearly 40 North American production partners, all of which are S&S decorator customers.
The network supports multiple decoration and fulfillment requirements, including print-on-demand production, while creating additional business opportunities within the S&S customer network.
“FAST is a key innovation we are bringing to customers to support their growth,” says Rob Hamill, chief strategy officer at S&S. “It’s all about providing customers with the opportunity and flexibility to say ‘yes’ to more orders regardless of decoration technique, order size, capacity, customer type or geographic need.”
Automating Procurement, Decoration and Fulfillment
FAST combines product procurement and decoration within a software-enabled workflow. Distributors can source blanks and decoration together using their S&S credit line, while orders are consolidated onto a single invoice.
S&S blank goods also are available through FAST at customers’ existing S&S pricing with an additional service fee, creating a more centralized approach to purchasing and fulfillment.
FAST PLATFORM Expands into Canada
The Canadian expansion will use S&S’s Canadian inventory along with a network of Canadian decorators. Transactions will be invoiced in Canadian dollars, extending FAST’s automated ordering and fulfillment capabilities to distributors operating in the market.
The move expands the platform’s production network while giving Canadian distributors access to a workflow designed specifically for their market.
Hard Goods Join the FAST Network
In the United States, FAST is moving beyond apparel through an integration with HIT Promotional Products’ Pro Fill line.
The no-minimum-order assortment includes promotional product categories such as drinkware, electronics and stationery. Adding these products allows distributors to create programs incorporating both decorated apparel and promotional hard goods through FAST.
New Facilisgroup and Chipply Integrations
S&S also is expanding FAST’s connections with technology platforms used by promotional product distributors.
An integration between Facilisgroup’s Syncore 360° Promo Platform and FAST will connect Syncore users with FAST’s print-on-demand production network through Syncore Connect.
FAST’s integration with Chipply, meanwhile, will allow customers to fulfill online stores built using the Chipply platform.
The developments are part of S&S’s continued expansion of S&S Business Solutions, which combines products, technology and services intended to help distributors and decorators streamline operations and grow their businesses.
Key Highlights
- Canada expansion: FAST will use S&S Canadian inventory and Canadian decorator partners, with transactions invoiced in Canadian dollars.
- Nearly 40 production partners: FAST connects distributors and decorators with a North American production network composed of S&S decorator customers.
- Hard goods: HIT Promotional Products’ Pro Fill assortment adds no-minimum promotional products including drinkware, electronics and stationery.
- Automated workflow: FAST combines blank-product procurement, decoration and fulfillment into a centralized software-enabled process.
- Facilisgroup integration: Syncore users will be able to access FAST’s print-on-demand production network through Syncore Connect.
- Chipply integration: FAST customers will be able to fulfill stores created through the Chipply platform.
Why It Matters for Decorators
The expansion is particularly relevant for decorators because FAST effectively turns production capacity into part of a larger distributed fulfillment network. By connecting distributors with nearly 40 S&S decorator customers across North America, the platform can help route work according to decoration requirements, capacity and geography.
Adding Canada and hard goods also broadens the types of programs decorators and distributors can support, while integrations with existing business-management and online-store platforms could reduce manual steps between order placement and production.
For shops already working in print on demand, fulfillment and e-commerce, the expansion reflects a broader industry shift toward interconnected production networks capable of handling increasingly complex branded merchandise programs.
