Are you getting tired of packaging up all the products that your company sells on your own before sending them off to your customers?
This is a common problem that many companies have when they start to grow. At first, it’s not all that hard to keep up with the orders that your company has coming in. But over time, packaging your products yourself can take up more and more of your time and make it almost impossible for you to focus on the other aspects of your business.
Bring a co-packer on board to help you out rather than continuing to travel down this path. With the right co-packer by your side, you can scale your business over time and make it even more profitable than it already is.
Let’s take a few minutes to learn what a co-packer is and how you can choose one for your business.
What Is a Co-Packer?
If you’ve been a part of the business world for a little while now, you’ve likely heard the term “co-packer” get tossed around. Co-packer is short for “contract packager,” and the process behind it is also sometimes called “co-manufacturing.”
Co-packing companies specialize in helping their clients to package up the products that they produce. They often work closely with companies that sell food, pharmaceuticals, various household items, and more.
When you hire a co-packer on behalf of your company, they’ll work with you to perfect your packaging process. From manufacturing whatever products you sell to putting them in the proper packaging and sending them off to your company’s customers, they’ll handle it all.
How Can a Co-Packer Benefit Your Business?
Now that you know what a co-packer is, it’s time to talk about some of the benefits you’ll enjoy when you have one packaging your products for you.
First and foremost, a good co-packer will save you tons of time. You won’t have to worry about spending long nights and weekends packaging up your products and shipping them off to customers anymore. Your co-manufacturing company will take care of all that for you.
A good co-packer will also save you lots of money over both the short and long term. They can find more efficient ways to manufacture your products and package them. This will cut your manufacturing and shipping costs down to size and increase your profits on every sale you make.
Additionally, your co-packer will prevent you from having to invest in things like manufacturing equipment, warehouse space, and other things that are necessary for creating your company’s products and packaging them up. You’ll no longer be responsible for dealing with all the logistical nightmares of producing your products.
How Should You Go About Choosing a Co-Packer?
At this point, you should be sold on the idea of working with a co-packer. But now comes the hard part: Picking out the right one to help your business.
This is often a lot easier said than done since there are thousands of co-manufacturing companies scattered all across the country. You’re going to have to spend at least a few months checking out your options before choosing one.
You should begin by searching for “co-packers near me” online to see which names pop up. Ideally, you want to have a co-packer in your corner that you can visit on a regular basis to check up on how they’re handling the creation of your company’s products.
You also want to look around for co-packing companies that have a history of working with the kinds of products that your company produces. If your company sells, say, candy bars, you want a company that has worked as a food co-packer before. You don’t want to trust a company that has worked primarily in the pharmaceutical space to assist you.
You don’t want to work with a co-packer that is too big or too small, either. A co-manufacturing company that’s on the larger side might require you to place big orders through them that won’t make financial sense for your business. One that’s on the smaller side, meanwhile, might not be able to keep up with the manufacturing and packaging involved in producing your products.
Is It Time for Your Company to Hire a Co-Packer?
If your business is still growing, you might be able to get away with manufacturing and packaging your own products. But at some point, almost every company needs to have a great co-packer on its side.
Here are some signs that’ll let you know it’s time for your business to invest in co-manufacturing:
- Your company is having a tough time producing products in large numbers that are consistent
- Your company is struggling to keep up with the growing demand for your products
- Your company is paying too much for the ingredients or materials necessary for producing your products since you’re buying them in small quantities
- Your company is running out of places to put all the products that you’re producing before selling them
These are just some of the signs that’ll let you know you should make an investment in a co-packer right now. Find out more about some of the other signs you might see when you’re in need of co-packing companies.
Start Trying to Track Down the Right Co-Packer for Your Business
Have you decided that hiring a co-packer to help your growing company makes all the sense in the world?
This is a big decision to make. But it’s not the only decision that will be necessary when you’re considering bringing a co-packer on board.
You’ll also need to go and find the right co-packing company to assist your business. And with so many co-packing companies out there, it’s not going to be easy.
Use the tips found here to sift through the various co-packing companies so that you can choose one over all the rest. It’ll put your business in the best possible position as you strive to take it to the next level.
Find out more ways to kickstart your company’s growth by reading through the articles found on our blog.
