Should Your Contract Packager Also Supply Your Packaging Materials?

Your product is finally ready! Now you just have to decide how to proceed with the packaging. One critical factor in that decision is who should supply the packaging materials: you (the producer) or your contract packaging provider. What are your available options?

Option 1: Producer sources packaging materials

You may have good reasons to provide the packaging materials yourself. For example, some consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies may source their own packaging materials in order to minimize their risk by ensuring traceability at all steps in the supply chain. You can choose to either obtain the materials yourself or direct your contract packaging provider to procure them from a specified supplier.

However, many CPG producers may not realize that their contract packager can source the packaging materials for them — and do so with a greater variety of options and stronger negotiating power that could save the brand money and time while still ensuring quality.

Option 2: Contract packager sources packaging materials

An alternative, turnkey type of solution is to simply give your packaging provider the required specifications and authorize the packager to source the packaging materials. Consider how your company can benefit from this approach:

• Cost savings — Contract packaging vendors often have an extensive network of materials feedstock suppliers and can negotiate with those suppliers to secure the most competitive pricing — savings that are passed along to you!
• Production efficiency — For many products, such as those in flexible, single-use packaging, producing the packaging and filling it on the same production line is the most efficient packaging method.
• Improved time to market — With a large network of material feedstock suppliers to choose from, contract packaging vendors can often obtain packaging materials in a more immediate and agile way, which helps them adapt to a producer’s timelines and can shorten the product’s time to market.
• Ensured quality — A quality-certified contract packaging vendor like Combined Technologies, Inc. (CTI) applies stringent quality control standards to every part of the packaging process, from the sourcing of raw materials to the finished package arriving on store shelves. The packaging vendor accepts responsibility for the quality of sourced packaging materials, as well as other parts of the packaging process, and maintains visibility into the procurement process to minimizes the packaging company’s risk — and yours.

Whether you choose to source your own packaging materials, provide us with a list of approved materials vendors, or have us source materials for you, CTI will work with you in the way you want. More and more of our clients find it convenient and cost-effective to have CTI source their packaging materials. No matter which option you choose, CTI is your partner for packaging solutions that work best for your business and your bottom line.

[cta]Pondering your packaging material choices? Talk to CTI. We’ll work with you to design a package that fulfills your product marketing goals and your budget needs. Contact us online, by email, or by phone at 847-968-4855.[/cta]