Running a successful supply chain takes a lot of work, a lot of relationship building and a lot of planning. If the space, labor or capabilities are limited on your end, outsourcing with a co-packer is an excellent option and more than worth review. With fixed costs and a multitude of other benefits, working with a co-packer can help you accomplish a seasonal project or can grow a long term partnership that can free up resources and capital for you to grow. When we start a new contract packaging or fulfillment project we follow 8 simple steps for success. It all starts by reverse-engineering the entire process, from end-user delivery to your timeline demands. Here's how we keep our customer's on track and how you can use these steps to do the same:

If you have a start up business in retail and consumer goods markets, you have plenty of hurdles to overcome as you get your product off the ground. According to an article from Fortune.com and featured by Forbes, 90% of start ups fail. The reasons so many fail are varied and range anywhere from lack of need in the market, lack of funds, the wrong team, or simply strong(er) competition; one way to keep your business on the right track is finding the ideal product packaging, processes, suppliers that will help guide your business and your product launch to success.

The last thing that you want to worry about is your product leaving your business or facility and ending up at it’s destination damaged or completely destroyed. Unfortunately this isn't a rare occurence. No matter if it's your fault due to packaging issues or someone elses as it's in handled transit, it's a representation of your product and brand to the person or business receiving it. In fact, pallet loads can even be turned away at the distribution center, costing thousands for one unit. This can not only cause significant delays in delivery, but also potential damage to your business relationships. When shipping damage occurs you then have to ship out a new product to replace the damaged goods, which can end up costly for your business . The process itself of even looking into where the damage occured or who is liable can be grueling in itself. Additionally, figuring out if the cost will be covered by the carrier or damager and whether they have the insurance to cover it can be a whole other issue in itself. Even if the third party has the insurance to cover it, damaged goods claims can take a bit of time and in most cases, it may be easier to take on the cost yourself for the time spent on monitoring the claim or waiting.

The summer sun brightens our days and keeps us warm, but it can take a toll on your product packaging. If you manufacture temperature sensitive goods such as chocolates, produce, flowers, meats or other perishable items including pharmaceuticals or certain health care products, it's imperative to have procedures in place for proper handling of your packaged goods in any type of climate. In order to keep damages and repackaging to a minimum, we've gathered some tips to guide you during the dog days of summer.

As the Manager or Supervisor in charge of manufacturing and production floors, your goals for increased productivity and lower costs are almost always at the top of the priorities list. According to several voices across the web, freight and labor costs as well as inventory control are the main contributors to lower productivity and increasing costs. Not mentioned enough is how to impact these numbers, or where to begin. By reviewing your packaging process and your overall production line, you can find several ways reduce your total cost of packaging and impact your labor numbers while improving efficiency. Here are the top seven ways that packaging can positively impact these numbers.

When it comes to void fill for shipping protection, air pillows are effectively the 'new guy in town'. The ecommerce giant Amazon has led by example and made the switch to air pillows thanks to their ease-of-use and low cost, not to mention they are more environmentally-friendly when compared to alternative forms of void fill. Consumer frustration over complex, bulky and difficult to open packaging is another reason that air pillows are growing in popularity. Your warehouse, plant floors, and production KPI's will also find the small footprint of storing pillows to be an added benefit when space is limited. We’ve listed the top 4 reasons why air pillows can benefit businesses of all sizes.