Companies that are looking to grow their brand must immediately consider a co-packer. While this approach holds true for every other business, food-specific industries are best served with a co-packer added into the scheme of things. While certain companies prefer outsourcing the manufacturing part, it is important that a contract manufacturer is deployed, in order to speed up assimilation, packing and fulfillment. However, every service provider isn’t functional enough and it takes quite a lot of intuition when it comes to zeroing in on the perfect co-packer for the concerned business. In a nutshell, any food business can easily scale up with a co-packer at the helm as some of the more intricate aspects of packaging are then handled with precision and accuracy.
In the subsequent sections we shall look at the flowchart that helps companies deploy efficient co-packers. Moreover, it is true that every food-specific business needs to work with one, in order to improve scalability and efficiency.
When do Companies Usually Deploy Co-Workers?
According to proven surveys, almost one-third of global manufacturers offer outsourced services where they render co-packing benefits to certain esteemed firms. Almost 45 percent of the manufacturers that lack a dedicated unit help other food-specific companies co-pack certain products; thereby assisting producers improve the line extensions. Moreover, a food producer typically hires a co-packer when it moves towards additional certifications, large-scale productions and newer products. Therefore, it can be established that every food producer needs to look up to a co-packer during its business lifecycle.
Understanding the Requirements
The first aspect of hiring a co-packer is to ascertain the industrial requirements, beforehand. Companies that have outgrown their in-house production often need to outsource the packaging and fulfillment services. Majority of food startups start off by producing items in smaller batches. However, upon growing constantly, it becomes hard for them to manage services and the fulfillment requirements, simultaneously. Outsourcing the production, manufacturing and even packaging should therefore be the norm for the constantly growing SMEs.
It must be understood that investing in expansive production techniques and facilities require additional costs and certifications. Moreover, with the ever-expanding clientele expecting improved services, it becomes important to deploy a co-packer that can save a lot of time and effort. This, in turn, allows the business to concentrate more on the kitchen and the concerned production facility while the co-packers take care of the distant metrics.
Learning the Process
One aspect of hiring a co-packer is to gain a better understanding of the recipe, concerned processes and industrial equipment. Being proactive is what separates great businesses from the average ones. However, staying proactive requires the authorities to remain present for the first few lots while making a detailed list of the necessary ingredients. While the co-packing requirements are necessary to cover, food businesses must also check the complexity and availability of the required products before letting the co-packer pick stuffs. Apart from that, businesses must also keep a close eye on the packaging, in order to fulfill the consumer requirements and usability factor.
Ascertaining the Business Volume
Businesses with high production volume should look to deploy the services of a co-parker as the latter thrives when there is a lot to work with. Well-established co-packers need to be convinced about the potential of a food business before they start working with the same. However, validation works both ways as even the concerned SMEs must check the equipment set pertaining to the contract manufacturer and see if it is compatible with the production requirements. In addition to that, the timeline and projection of the business must be matched with the production requirements, well in advance.
Trusting the Gut
Food businesses should trust their gut while hiring co-packers for the job. With the outsourced contract manufacturers specializing in select areas, it becomes hard for the SMEs to select the suitable vendor for shouldering responsibilities. While a proactive and intuitive approach can help, at the end it all boils down to the gut feeling.
Working with co-packers and contract manufacturers can get tricky at times but food companies with a clear vision can easily integrate services as they understand the entire production process and even follow instincts when it comes to preparing food items, selecting ingredients and handling the packaging requirements.
