Relying on liquid contract manufacturing is a critical component in many companies’ business strategies. It makes sense because there are many benefits to using a contact manufacturer, including capital expenses reduction, risk mitigation, and production flexibility. However, if your contract manufacturer is not meeting your needs, it may be time to look for a new partner.
Four Common Challenges That Cause Brands Look for a New Liquid Contract Manufacturer
While we acknowledge that no two companies have the exact needs, we have noticed trends in the pains that cause liquid brands to search out new contract partners. So, whether your products are in personal care, automotive, lubricants, or something else, it may be time to look for a new contract manufacturer if you realize that your company is facing any of these challenges.
Lack of Capacity Creates Bottlenecks
Maybe you have been with your liquid contract packager for a while, and everything has been going well. But now you suddenly find that your product demand is taking off, and your contract manufacturer can’t keep up with the increased demand. Or maybe you have been packaging in house, and now your packaging lines have become your bottleneck. The cost to open a new packaging plant or expand your existing facility may not deliver the ROI your company requires. This bottleneck is also a double edge sword that cuts both ways. When you become so tied up in troubleshooting your product packaging, time for R&D, new product development, and other core business activities can suffer from a lack of attention.
Whatever the reason you are facing capacity issues, the result is the same: you aren’t meeting your current demand, customers are facing empty store shelves, and retailers (or other sales channels) are frustrated by the stockouts. As retailers, you know that they can’t afford the lost revenue and may replace your brand with one that can keep shelves full. No matter how you look at it, if you can’t produce product in an efficient and timely manner, you aren’t growing your business and may face greater repercussions if you lose current customers.
At Crystal Packaging, we have flexibility and line capacity to ensure this doesn’t happen. With seven automated lines, several with the capability to fill many bottle sizes, and two high-speed gallon lines that can deliver truckloads of product daily. As a result, we can get your products onto shelves and into the hands of your customers quickly.
Our capabilities allow us to bottle multiple SKUs in one location. We have a rigorous cleanout procedure, so there is less risk of contamination between products. And if you are currently trying to package your own product, you may also benefit from reduced overhead costs and saved time if you lean on Crystal for your production.
Inconvenient Locations Increase Freight Costs
Location is important for several reasons. For one, liquids are heavy, and shipping costs can be high if you ship them across the country to get to retail distribution centers. If you are in the retail arena, close proximity to distribution centers can bring significant freight savings.
Many of our customers, especially the windshield wash customers, have their own plants, but they come to us because we have the capacity to produce their products in the Rocky Mountain west, and they don’t have a large enough capacity to warrant opening a plant in the Rocky Mountains region or on the west coast. Additionally, being located near Denver, Colorado, puts us near major retailers’ distribution centers like Kroger, Walmart, Lowes, Amazon, The Home Depot, Costco, and others. We are close to the west coast without customers having to deal with regulations of manufacturing in California.
Quality Issues Can be Costly
Many brands can face quality issues with liquid products if their current contract manufacturer doesn’t follow formula instructions or doesn’t have proper quality procedures to meet specifications. It can be extremely time-consuming and expensive to have a product shipped that doesn’t meet your requirements. Not only do you lose revenue and have the costs of recalling products, but you may also face punitive costs from retailers. Companies can have issues if their contract manufacturer doesn’t understand how the product will interact with packaging. For example, if a particular product doesn’t have the right type of cap, the product may appear acceptable prior to shipment but then bloat up once it’s on the shelf, creating risks to the company, retailers, and the customer.
At Crystal Packaging, we have a stringent quality system that we follow closely. As soon as a new project comes in the door, our safety and quality teams evaluate it. We have detailed conversations and inform our customers of issues based on research and our experience before we begin. We have a batching formulary system, which maintains all formulas and allows us to adjust the batch size up and down without manual conversion, eliminating human error. We batch code every product that leaves our facility, so if there ever is an issue, we have traceability.
A Lack of Experience and Expertise Can Let Costly Issues Slip By
Whether there is an issue with quality, packaging, or shipping, challenges may be magnified by a lack of experience and expertise from the contract manufacturer. Issues that should have been caught were missed. If you are going it alone, your new product may be outside your area of expertise, and you may need assistance understanding product requirements, processes, and packaging compatibility.
Working with a partner with broad experience, who will collaborate and communicate with you, allows your company to catch issues before they become costly. Every customer of Crystal Packaging benefits from our team’s years of experience and knowledge, whether we are helping a customer choose the right label or creating more efficient pallet stacking.
Crystal Packaging is a Liquid Contract Manufacturer You Can Trust
Crystal Packaging is a liquid contract manufacturer dedicated to assisting companies in achieving their production targets on time. With over 70,000 square feet of production space, we can cater to your unique requirements and manufacture dependable products for your operation. Our quality focus shows when we verify your formula in our in-house testing lab.
Additionally, our Rocky Mountain location puts your product closer to Western distribution centers and allows you to ship almost anywhere in the continental US in three days or less. With over 45 years of experience, we strive to be your comprehensive liquid contract manufacturing solution. Contact us for a quote.