IQS Newsroom Articles on Contract Packaging
About Contract Packaging and Packaging Services Including:
Blister Packaging, Clamshell
Packaging, Custom
Packaging, Fulfillment
Services & Packaging
Design.
Contract packaging refers to the service of packaging
products for a manufacturer, and sometimes, may involve the shipping
of items as well. Contract packaging can also include the design and
production of the container or wrapper for a product. These contract
packaging services are important for any business that makes products
requiring labels, containment or effective presentation. Contract packaging
services can also help customize general merchandise like candy, matches
or toys. Every industry has some involvement with contract packaging,
from automotive parts to food items.
The materials used for contract packaging range from glass, paper and
plastic to various combinations. Boxes, cans, bottles, cartons, glass
and flexible items, such as shrink wrap, are examples of common contract
packaging vessels made by contract packagers. Cardboard and other paper-based
materials are used most often in the material contract packaging industry.
Plastic and other synthetic materials are also used in varying thicknesses
and amounts as either coatings or the primary enclosure, whether as shrink
wrapping or a clamshell assembly. The cost of the contract packaging
can vary, depending on the type of material used.
The contract packaging process not only involves the material that encloses
or wraps the item, but can - and often does - involve the printing
and graphic design of the contract packaging. Brand and product identity
can be communicated very well through the package design. Not all contract
packaging services are involved in the visual or graphic design end of
packaging, but some do offer this value-added service, which saves many
companies the trouble of doing it themselves. Once the product packaging
is designed, various packaging methods can be used to complete the product,
including blister
packaging, shrink packaging and stretch packaging. Blister packaging
uses thermoforming to
create a plastic bubble that holds the product to a back card. Shrink
packaging involves shrinking a heated plastic film to exactly fit to
a product, and stretch packaging uses stretched plastic film to cover
a product.
The size, durability and composition of a product affect how it should
be packaged and labeled. The contract packaging itself plays a role as
a protection device of the internal product during the transportation
and handling of the product prior to sale and use. The contract packaging
protects the product from damage caused by simple dust, accidental dropping
or even from liquid or chemical spill damage. When choosing a contract
packager, the capabilities of their facility and packaging
equipment should be evaluated to ensure that they meet the needs
of the manufacturer. Price depends on the size of the product, the number
being packaged and the intricacy involved with the contract packaging.
The ability of the contract packaging to be recycled is becoming more
crucial in the consideration of material as well.
Types of Contract Packaging
-
is a hand-packaging technique in which items are on a bench and packaged
accordingly.
-
consists of a hard thermoformed bubble to hold the product to a back
card for presentation.
- is the insertion of the product into the designed box, holder or
enclosure for display and shipping.
- is the process of creating the plastic clam shells and inserting
and sealing the items inside. Clam shell assembly is typically an automated
process.
- tailors
packaging design to the needs of a specific product or company.
- is a packaging
process that produces a label shape using the cutting edge of a die.
- deal with the organization of various production duties,
such as material handling, inventory control, assembly and transportation.
- refers
to the characteristics of a certain package.
- is the packaging of medical substances with regard to FDA
regulations and requirements.
- is the placing of a product
into a polybag and sealing it with heat.
- is using radio frequency to permanently seal a clamshell package.
- is a common packaging method in which the product is wrapped
in shrink film and then heated so that the film shrinks to the size
and shape of the product. Shrink packaging provides a more secure
and tamper resistant layer.
- is pulling a film tightly
over a product that is on a card. Heat is used to adhere the film
to the card and to create a transparent covering.
- is a combination of blister, skin, clamshell and shrink wrapping,
which is often seen with batteries and small toys.
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Contract Packaging Terms
-
A material capable of holding materials together by exterior attachment.
- A card, usually made of cardboard or paper, to which
a product is mounted or secured for certain types of packaging, like
blister or skin. Back cards can be custom printed and have special adhesives
for product or other packaging elements.
- A unit of compressed items or materials bound together with
cord, strapping or metal ties. Bales may also be wrapped and bundled.
- A term that refers to the differing grades of folding
and scoring properties to create boxes. Boxboards are delivered to the
contract packaging company in flat sheets.
- A plastic packaging device with two sides and a folding
hinge, which encloses and seals an item inside like a clam.
- A small primary packaging item, usually made of metal.
- The means by which a container is sealed and its contents
retained.
- The sorting and/or assembly of items.
- Hirable services for the construction or gathering
of a product.
- A term that refers to paper-based board that has one
or more sheets of fluted paper glued to one or more flat sheets of board.
- Any of a variety of tools or
devices used for cutting material to a desired shape.
- An organization that sets standards and regulations for the packaging
of food.
- A shiny finish on a smooth surface, such as vinyl or paint.
- The putting together of products through manual
labor or the combination of manual and automated labor.
- A process in which heat is used to fasten together
two substrates.
- Small, hard packaging that has a wide mouth and is made typically
of glass, ceramic or plastic.
- Sending a product to a contract supplier, packager
or assembler for their services.
- The last step for a product before it is shipped out.
- A shipping term for taking a product from inventory
and packing it and preparing it for shipping.
- Putting a new label over an old label on a product
or replacing the existing label with a new label.
- Processing returned goods and reworking or
repackaging them to new standards.
- A process of printing in which the ink is forced
through the image area of a properly stretched fabric by the use of a
squeegee or, in some cases, air pressure directly onto the surface to
be printed.
- An action that must be performed following
the line process, as it needs special attention.
- A flexible piece
of strip material that is normally flat or circular in cross section,
and is used as reinforcement in a larger bale or bundle or to secure items
for packaging within a container.
- Material that expands when applied under pressure
and recovers while conforming to the item packaged.
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