Contract Packaging

About Contract Packaging and Packaging Services Including: Blister Packaging, Clamshell Packaging, Cosmetic Packaging, Custom Packaging, Food Packaging, Fulfillment Services, Medical Packaging, Packaging Design, Packaging, Pharmaceutical Packaging, Product Packaging & Shrink Wrapping.

Contract packaging is a service that provides packaging and labeling of any product for a wide range of manufacturers. Besides providing packaging materials, there are other fulfillment services these companies offer, including assembly, shipping, order taking and packaging design support for the container or wrapper of a product. These contract packaging services are important for any business that makes products that require labels, containment, protection from contaminants, oxygen and moisture, or effective presentation. Product packaging services can also help customize general merchandise to create more brand awareness. Nearly every industry has some involvement with contract packaging, including commercial goods, medical, pharmaceutical, electronics, cosmetics and food and beverage. There are many differences among packaging for various industries. Blister packaging is mainly used in pharmaceutical packaging and medical packaging applications to hold and protect single doses of pills. Clamshell packaging provides product presentation, theft prevention and tamper resistance for many commercial goods. There are all sorts of different food packaging options, from using flexible plastic shrink wrapping material to glass bottles that contain a food item. Cosmetic packaging mostly uses plastic bottles and jars, which may be pre-engineered or considered custom packaging and are designed by contract packagers.

The materials used for contract packaging range from glass, paper and plastic to metal cans and tubes made out of aluminum. Boxes, cans, bottles, jars, cartons, bags, vials, and flexible film, such as shrink wrap, are examples of common contract packaging types, all produced by contract packagers. The cost of the contract packaging can vary, depending on the type of material used and how many kinds the product requires. Packaging is separated into three different divisions. Primary packaging refers to the material that makes contact with the product itself. It can be a bag, film, bottle or can. Secondary packaging is designed to group multiple primary packages together or provide extra protection. Cardboard boxes are a common example. Finally, tertiary packaging is used for bulk handling, warehouse storage and shipping. Pallets and large boxes are considered tertiary packaging. Not all products use all three divisions of packaging; some use a single material, like shrink wrap, while others are enclosed in a bag which is contained in a cardboard box.

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 is effectively communicated 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. Labels offer important product information to the customer, including expiration date, instructions, ingredients, warnings, side effects, brand name, directions and measurements. 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. Packaging produced for medical, pharmaceutical, food and beverage applications are strictly regulated by the FDA, USDA, CE and ISO, since contamination or spoiling could cause harm if those products are ingested or used. Product packaging must be manufactured in a contaminant free and sterile environment, and is employed mainly to provide protection as a barrier system.

Contract Packaging Services Image Provided by Valk Industries, Inc.

Contract Packaging Types

• Bench assembly is a hand-packaging technique in which items are on a bench and packaged accordingly.
  
• Blister packaging consists of a hard thermoformed bubble to hold the product to a back card for presentation.
  
• Cartoning is the insertion of the product into the designed box, holder or enclosure for display and shipping.
  
• Clam shell assembly and packaging is the process of creating the plastic clam shells and inserting and sealing the items inside. Clam shell assembly is typically an automated process.
  
• Custom packaging tailors packaging design to the needs of a specific product or company.
  
• Die cutting is a packaging process that produces a label shape using the cutting edge of a die.
  
• Fulfillment services deal with the organization of various production duties, such as material handling, inventory control, assembly and transportation.
  
• Packaging design refers to the characteristics of a certain package.
  
• Pharmaceutical packaging is the packaging of medical substances with regard to FDA regulations and requirements.
  
• Polybagging is the placing of a product into a polybag and sealing it with heat.
  
• RF (Radio Frequency) sealing is using radio frequency to permanently seal a clamshell package.
  
• Shrink packaging 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.
  
• Skin packaging 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.
  
• Stretch packaging is a combination of blister, skin, clamshell and shrink wrapping, which is often seen with batteries and small toys.