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Congratulations! You’ve done the market research, designed a product your customers will love, and laid out your launch plan. Now all you need to do is pick a partner to help you package your finished product and get it into the hands of your customers. 

If that process has you feeling a bit overwhelmed, we get it!

A quick google search will prove that there are countless packaging companies out there, all with very similar service offerings. So, how do you know that you’re picking the right one for you?

The most important thing to keep in mind is that picking a packaging partner should not be a random decision. Remember all that hard work you did to design and produce your product? You don’t want to throw that out the window because your partner couldn’t deliver in the timeline you needed or because the packaging didn’t effectively sell your product. (Or even worse, didn’t protect your product during travel!)

To make sure that doesn’t happen, here a few important things to remember to discuss with potential packaging partners:

Design Capability. It may be helpful to think about your packing supplier as an extension of your marketing and sales team. After all, the packaging is the first thing your customers are going to see and a delightful unboxing experience is an important part of creating a positive impression of your product and brand. 

Ask to see examples of work they have produced and understand what their design capabilities are.

Take the time to learn what types of products your packaging partner is used to working with. They likely know best practices in industries with which they are familiar.

Remember that design is not limited to making a pretty package. Make sure the design team understands how to optimize the structure for maximum product protection and ease of manufacturing.

An important part of the design process is developing prototypes. Even if they are manufacturing overseas, ask if they are able to prototype locally for faster turnarounds.

Engineering and Project Support. There are a ton of logistics involved in executing a packaging project. From design, to manufacturing, to final assembly, the only thing that is certain is that there will be something unexpected that comes up. 

Be sure to ask potential partners what your support team will look like and what the process for escalating issues is. 

If your account manager is local but manufacturing is happening overseas, see if there’s a support manager counterpart overseas.

Location, location, location! The last point brings us to the topic of location. It’s pretty much a given in the world of packaging that some, if not all, of your manufacturing process is going to happen abroad. This is good because it keeps costs down, but it also means that production timelines can be lengthy, especially when product assembly doesn’t happen in the same place as your packaging manufacturing.

Perhaps the most important thing to understand is where manufacturing happens in relation to product assembly. Try to get those locations as close together as possible because the further apart they are, the longer lead time you will need to bake into your timeline and the more risk you’ll run that something won’t come together as planned.

Ask about your partner’s geographical coverage, how many manufacturing sites they have and whether they outsource any part of the process to a third party.

Automation Capabilities. While it can be tempting just to focus on getting the job done and out the door, it’s always important to keep an eye on doing so as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. To do that, automation is key since it will improve quality consistency and reduce labor costs. 

Assess your partner’s automation capabilities. Ask how automated their equipment is and how much of your project they can automate. 

See if there is a dedicated automation team on site whose job it is to always be on the lookout for ways to improve production line efficiency.

Security. Last but not least, it’s vital to consider the security needs associated with your projects. For example, you may be trying to keep a tight lid on a new product launch. If security is important then you need to make sure all the controls you have internally are also in place with your packaging partner.

Make sure your partner is not outsourcing any aspect of the project that deals with sensitive material. A good example of this is printing, which may showcase  under-wraps product features.

Understand the security protocols your packaging partner has in place to control the flow of information within the factory.

Finally, remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to packaging partners. Be sure you know what your specific needs are so you can identify the qualities that are most important to you. 

Good luck with your packaging project!