The Complete Guide To Buying Packaging Machinery

Types of Pallet Wrappers

First of all, you will need to decide if you want a semi-automatic or automatic stretch wrapping machine*. Space, capital, speed, capability, and needs are all important considerations for this decision!  

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A semi-automatic stretch wrapper is manually placed on a turntable and a piece of wrap is placed at the bottom of the pallet. from there, the machine will wrap the load according to your selections on the machine for load containment. The finished pallet is manually removed from the turntable and the next pallet is moved into place. 

An automatic stretch wrapper takes a pallet and automatically puts it in the wrap zone where it is wrapped based upon the settings of the control system. When completed, the pallet moves down a conveyor to the end of your packaging line. As your fully wrapped pallet completes its journey, the next pallet is automatically being conveyed into the wrap zone.

*There is also another option called "simple automation" which is available from select vendors. This form of simplified automation allows for what is called "cut and clamp capabilities" which means that your machine operators are not required to get off their fork trucks to operate the control panel. This form of automation allows the equipment operator to drop the pallet onto the wrapper while the machine pushes it onto a roller conveyor.

Pallet Wrapper Dynamics

In addition to the types of pallet wrapping machines mentioned above, there are different types of wrappers with different functionality. When trying to figure out which pallet wrapper would best suit your needs, you will want to research the following kinds of equipment: turntable wrapper, straddle wrapper, orbital wrapper, or ring straddle wrapper.

Each of these machines wraps pallets in a completely different way and each offers different variables to their load containment. Each type of machine is also meant for different applications. Reviewing the specs for each kind of machine and how the machinery is operated via video or live demonstration is highly recommended.

1. Turntable Wrapper

With this particular machine, the pallet is put on a turntable that spins while a wrap delivery system allocates the stretch wrap to the load being wrapped. The wrap delivery system generally begins at the bottom of the load and wraps up to the top and back to the bottom. Turntable wrappers are one of the most popular kinds of stretch wrapping machines and can be set up to work well with various types of applications.

2. Straddle Wrapper

With straddle stretch wrappers the load stays immobile while a wrap delivery system spins around the load being packaged. This kind of wrapper can wrap unstable, lightweight, and heavier loads and is capable of wrapping from low to high volumes.

3. Orbital Wrapper

An orbital wrapper (also known as a "ringer") wraps a pallet by going over and under the load being packaged as the load travels on a conveyor into the machine. Orbital wrappers are primarily used for packaging flattened or oddly shaped items such as pipes, rolled carpets, windows, etc.

4. Ring Straddle Wrapper

Ring straddle wrappers are fast wrappers that are generally able to wrap 200 loads per hour. These machines are often found in the toiletry and beverage industries. They are extremely specialized devices and only make up a small portion of the stretch wrapping machines currently in use.

Straddle pallet wrappers allow for the load to stay still while the wrap delivery system spins around the pallet. It then pistons up and down while the film is evenly distributed around the pallet.

How Much Does A Shrink Tunnel Cost?

There are various elements of a shrink tunnel that will affect the total purchase price of the machine. From the type and gauge of shrink film that you choose to run to the optional items you add to the machine, there are various things that can increase or decrease your total purchase price.

Below is an example that will give you a solid understanding of the total cost of a tunnel. Keep in mind, higher speeds and different options bring on different models and larger investments. 

Kallfass COMPACT 650 S

Compact and energy-saving shrink tunnel with patented ring nozzle heating system and especially effective regulation of the air volume. Equipped with a plastic mesh conveyor, for low maintenance and superior shrink results. This tunnel is ideally suitable for the shrinkage of small to medium size products with medium-capacity requirements.

Included Features:

• Variable transport speed and blower speed
• Maintenance-free plastic mesh conveyor
• Automatic cool down with automatic power shut off
• Energy-saving two (2) stage heating system
• A wear-free heating system without contactors
• Tornado style airflow system to prevent dog ears and burnouts

Base Machine Cost (Includes NO additional options): $21,900

Technical Specifications:

• Maximum Speeds: 100 PPM
• Clearance in Height: 8” max.
• Maximum Product Dimensions: approx. 22” W x 7” H x random length
• Conveyor Speed: 115 feet per minute
• Voltage: 208V – 480V, 3 Phase with Ground (specify with order)

Additional Options:

• Clearance in height 12” or 16” \ $1,500
• Special color (structure lacquer, monochromatic) $500
• Tunnel casters $500
• Plugs for power and signal connection to machine $ 500
• Lockable cover for controls $ 300
• Tunnel chamber with window and light $ 2,400
  
  

What Are The Most Reliable Shrink Tunnels

While there are multiple OEMs producing shrink tunnels, we have found that the most reliable shrink tunnels are produced by Kallfass and Extreme. Both feature extremely high-quality parts and materials and are considered leaders of the pack when it comes to this particular type of packaging machinery.

Our team finds that the Kallfass Universa 500 and Servos machines rate the best overall.

Common Shrink Tunnel Issues & Possible Fixes

As with any type of machinery, shrink tunnels and the materials run through them have common issues that can arise due to certain variables such as temperature. Here are a few of the most common problems that arise when the temperature is not optimized correctly.

● Flat Films Not Coming Off The Roll

○ When layers of flat film stick together, it’s called “blocking.” Usually, the film has been in excessive storage temperatures, which causes it to fuse together.

● Jagged Seals Or Incomplete Cut-Offs

○ Seals that look torn, incomplete, or jagged suggest that seal temperatures are too low. Try turning the heat up at 25°F increments until the film has a clean seal and sharp cut-off.

● Shrink Bags Take Too Long To Seal

○ Dwell time (how long it takes for the film to seal when the seal jaws are closed) varies. If dwell times are rising, it suggests that the temperature is too low, and vice versa.

● Strands Known As “Angel Hair” Start Showing Up Near The Seal

○ Strands that look like hair can appear between the sealed shrink film and the sealing mechanism. These are caused by the sealing wire or seal bar not being hot enough.

● Smoking Film Or Build Up

○ Smoking and polymer build-up on a pad demonstrate excessive heat. Worn pads can also create polymer buildup and smoking. It’s best to reduce excessive sealing head pressure and align them.

Of course, for every problem, there is a solution and for these issues above, honing in the correct temperature will largely fix all of them.

What temperature should you store your shrink film at?

When storing your shrink film prior to use, make sure that you have a general idea of the best practices for the extremes of both summer and winter storage. During these times of the year, temperature restrictions are of utmost importance for these materials. If shrink film gets too hot, it can melt and stick to itself. If shrink film gets too cold, it can become brittle and crack.

Overall, shrink film is best stored in temperatures between 30 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Naturally, summer and winter are the seasons that require you to be most attentive to your storage environment.

What temperature should you run shrink film at in your heat tunnel?

The inside of your heat tunnel is an important dynamic to have locked in prior to packaging your product. The correct temperature for your product depends on which kind of substrate is being utilized. Furthermore, the appropriate heat for your product also depends on the gauge of your shrink film. More often than not, the most typical type of material run through a heat tunnel is 45 - 75 gauge PVC or polyolefin shrink film.

Let's run over a hypothetical situation that will allow you to better understand heat restrictions for your shrink films as they are passing through your heat tunnel. Say you are currently running a 75 gauge PVC shrink film:

An appropriate setting for PVC would be between 215 – 235 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, if you are going to use a polyolefin film with a gauge of 75, then an appropriate temperature for your heat tunnel would be about 255 – 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep in mind, these are just ballpark figures, and depending on the dynamics of your equipment, materials, and product, your actual settings may vary.

While it is technically possible to run a packaging department almost exclusively on human physical labor, most of the time it is neither a good or correct solution.

It is true that packaging machinery comes with a significant up-front financial cost, but the dividends that a quality packaging line with robust machinery can payout are worth their weight in gold. Below, we will take a look at the many benefits of using packaging machinery on your packaging line.

Production

When it comes to producing a large number of quality products, a robust packaging line can make or break a company. This is especially true if you are producing a high volume of products in a short amount of time.

Sure, you can lean heavily on manual labor, packing tables, cardboard boxes, tape, and hand film. That being said, is it really a sound investment if your volume is more than your team can manage consistently?

Investing tens, hundreds, or in some cases millions, of dollars into packaging machinery can be daunting, but the money that this machinery can save for your company over the long term can make the investment worth it.

Furthermore, with financing and leasing options, getting your hands on the packaging equipment you need to take your production and your company to the next level is easier than it has ever been in the history of packaging.

Total Cost of Ownership

The total cost of ownership is one of the most important dynamics to consider when you are weighing your options in regards to your packaging department. With the right packaging machinery, you will require a smaller labor force, therefore paying out significantly fewer wages.

Indeed, packaging machinery can come with a relatively large price tag, but when you take the total cost of ownership of a semi or fully automated packaging line and compare it to a warehouse full of manual laborers, the numbers begin to lean in the direction of machinery as the most viable option for success.

Taking the time to compare what you are paying for your labor force (not only in money and time but also in regards to hiring, firing, sick time, and vacation) to a primarily mechanized line may surprise you. Chances are, you may very well find that in reality, a machinery-driven packaging line with a few well-trained and dedicated operators is the better choice both financially and logistics-wise.

In other cases, you may find that right now is not the time to seek out the investment, but it's worth reviewing on a regular basis to make sure you are considering your overall costs and your future business goals and expectations.

Speed

Packaging machinery allows you to package more products per hour than physical labor. When the speed of getting your product to market is an important dynamic for your business, ensuring that you are running packaging machinery vs. physical labor is extremely important.

Human beings simply cannot package products as quickly or efficiently as an automated or semi-automated mechanical packaging line.

Reliability

Packaging machinery does not take sick, personal, or vacation time. While downtime may occur due to mechanical failure or a broken part, these issues are easily remedied and are few and far between when you plan your downtime. When coupled with a regular preventative maintenance program, a mechanical packaging line can save you thousands of wasted dollars and hours per year.

An Eye Towards The Future

As packaging machinery technology advances, we are going to see major leaps in speed, quality, and most importantly, automation. Packaging machinery is going to the robots and they are going to become the norm on the best packaging lines throughout the world for various reasons. The better prepared you are for this transition, the better off your company will be.

Production line automation allows companies to leverage ingenuity and efficiency without sacrificing craftsmanship or quality. With an automated production line, you never have to worry about employees getting sick, you can rest assured that production levels will remain high, and you can feel confident knowing that the end product will be made to a consistently higher standard.

Robotic packaging automation, in particular, mimics human movements to take the human being out of the process without sacrificing the yield of the process. This does not eliminate the need for good staff. Instead, it provides an opportunity to remove the repetitive, unskilled tasks that many humans find boring and unfulfilling yet are critical to meeting production needs.

In other words, robotic packaging automation provides an opportunity to maximize your staff while maintaining or increasing productivity. That’s a win/win situation for you, your employees, and your company.

Tips To Manage Packaging Machinery Costs

Negotiate Your Equipment Costs

When meeting with your sales rep, ask about special offers, rebates, and additional opportunities to reduce the cost of your purchase. Packaging machinery is a big investment and there may be various ways in which you can reduce the price of your purchase.

Keep It Simple

When buying a packaging machine you are likely going to get an offer from various sales reps. Unfortunately, many sales professionals will try to sell you a Cadillac when all you really need is a Toyota. When getting quotes from your chosen vendors be sure to ask about getting a base machine with no bells and whistles and only adding the options you actually need to successfully package your products.

It is also important to ask for quotes from several different manufacturers. Sometimes you can get a virtually identical offering from one company that is thousands of dollars less than their competitors despite any major difference between theirs and the other vendors' machinery.

Truth be told, sometimes you are simply paying extra for a brand name. When it comes to packaging equipment, buying a product because it is the most famous brand in the industry does not always translate to the best-packaged goods.  You may actually get a better machine from a lesser-known brand that packages your product perfectly.

Weigh Your Options

There are several dynamics for purchasing packaging machinery and their associated operation that is not a cookie-cutter solution for every business. There are some aspects of buying and running packaging machinery in which there are at least two options. One option may be right for your business and wrong for the next. These include:

1. Buying new, used, or refurbished equipment. Each of these options comes with very different price points and its own major strengths and weaknesses. As for which is right for you, this will largely depend on your budget, products, and the materials you choose to run on your equipment.
   
   
2. Hiring versus contracting technical service. For some companies with large productions and a packaging line that runs 24/7, a dedicated in-house service technician may be a good investment, but it is not the best fit or the right choice for all companies.
   
   
3. Working with a distributor versus buying direct. Each of these options has various pros and cons. Which makes the most sense for your business? That is entirely dependent upon your unique needs. Getting quotes from both a distributor and an OEM will allow you to compare the pros and cons of each and make an educated decision on which vendor is a better fit for your company.
   

Preventative Maintenance

A preventative maintenance plan is an additional cost to consider when buying packaging equipment, but it will save you thousands of dollars. When parts wear out, they can cause breakdowns that may result in extensive downtime and lead to highly costly repairs. If you are on top of regular maintenance, you will reduce the risk of more damage.

Damage may occur to other parts of your machinery when a worn-out part fails, let alone the risk of injury to your workforce. A regular preventative maintenance plan will greatly reduce downtime, keep your machinery running at peak performance and ensure quick repairs and service calls.

Try Different Material Formulations

A different material formulation may reduce your cost on the machinery that runs it. IE: stretch wrappers and shrink machinery. What many companies often overlook is that there could be more than one kind of material that works for a particular product.

Get A Machinery Analysis

Bring in a rep from a couple of different vendors and have them run an analysis of your current packaging line. This will give both of you a large collection of valuable information about your particular packaging processes such as your current equipment, materials, and procedures. This information will allow you and your rep to find ways to improve upon your current processes before upgrading to new machinery.

It is important to identify some specifics about your product to be packaged before buying a piece of packaging machinery. For example, the materials that you will be running on your line are an important consideration when planning to buy new equipment.

If you are going to be buying shrink film machinery, you will want to look at all the different kinds of shrink film as well as the various gauges of films that are available. Choosing the wrong type, gauge, and size of the film can cost your business thousands of dollars over time.

Some of the packaging considerations you’ll need to be aware of include:

• What type of product you are packaging
• The product’s weight, shape, and dimensions
• Your objectives for color and labeling
• Whether the film can be printed to meet your needs
• How the product will be packaged into the flexible film (manually or via machine, and what type of machine)
• The product’s journey from creation to shipment to the shelf and beyond
• Whether it will be handled often and/or subject to rough handling
• The types of climates/environments it will experience
• Whether it requires specific film additives to keep it fresh (e.g., oxygen or moisture barrier)
• Requirements for anti-tampering and security of the finished good

Key Consideration: Working With A Distributor VS. Buying Direct

When you are trying to figure out where you should buy your packaging machinery from, choosing to go direct to the manufacturer is a common choice. After all, who knows their machinery better than the people who are building said machines? You can be sure that the manufacturer knows their equipment inside and out. As such, they should be able to answer your most discerning questions.

That being said, the manufacturer will obviously be biased when answering questions like "which is the best brand of packaging machinery to buy" or "which manufacturer offers the best service"?

Now, just as there are various ups and downs when buying from an OEM, so it is with a distributor. From the cost of goods to customer service and quality in repair work, distributors have their strengths and weaknesses.

Depending on various factors including your geographical location, budget restraints, and other dynamics such as your production line's current infrastructure, a distributor may or may not be the best choice for your company.

There is an absolute myriad of considerations when choosing packaging equipment and materials are one of the most important items to consider. In addition to packaging machinery and materials, the environment and atmosphere also are important dynamics to ponder. Working with a distributor will allow you to review a plethora of options and they will be able to help you acquire the right information, advice, and products for your needs.

Key Consideration: Extreme Temperatures

Extreme heat or cold must be offset by heating or cooling systems where extreme temperatures are the norm. Whether this means you live in a place where it is always one extreme or the next, or if you live in an area that can see both extremes throughout the year, ensuring that you have the proper heating and cooling systems in place is something to take seriously.

Key Consideration: Environmental Concerns

When it comes to the environment and packaging machinery, one thing is for sure. You do not want to run pneumatic machinery. Pneumatic technology is not only extremely outdated, but it is also bad for the environment as it uses an excessive amount of electricity.

Some machines have completely eliminated pneumatic components all together which results in huge cost savings as compressed air is one of the costliest utilities in a plant.

Benefits of using non-pneumatic machinery include:

• Top-level performance with light gauge films, as well as, PE films.
• No Product/No Bag. So, you’re not disposing of the material.
• 10-15% film savings on average.
• Energy regeneration with every cycle.

Since air cylinders wear, eliminating pneumatics will reduce purchasing replacements and the disposal of them as well. Some non-pneumatic machines also offer what is called “servo technology” which does not require you to add additional floor space and multiple conveyors to get the correct spacing between products.

Other machines also offer what is known as “lean technology” which eliminates film breaks. This means you don’t have to re-wrap loads and throw extra material away. Typically, machines with lean technology use less material with a special metered film delivery system.

In addition to negating or removing pneumatic technology from your packaging line, being sure to run environmentally friendly materials is also an important consideration.

While much of the metals that make up packaging machinery can be recycled, certain materials can not or simply are not recycled.

When choosing materials for your packaging it is important to consider using flexible packaging materials like shrink film and stretch film in place of high carbon footprint items such as glass, metal, and cardboard.

While also being considerably cheaper than these other materials, shrink film and stretch film are in fact completely recyclable. And with a significantly lower carbon footprint than the aforementioned alternatives, flexible packaging materials are in fact a far better choice for the environment.

Key Consideration: Moving Your Production Line

Depending on the types of machinery you are running and how said equipment is laid out, it would be wise to create a plan for moving the right equipment at the right time. Depending on the size, electrical requirements, physical location on your line, and weight of your machinery, some planning ahead of time is an important dynamic of this process.

Reaching out to your packaging machinery and materials representative to help you formulate a plan based on the dynamics above will allow you to take a preemptive strike against unnecessary or repetitive actions during the transportation and installation of your machinery in its new location.

Depending on the flow of your packaging line, certain machinery should be installed first to ensure an efficient and timely installation. As for which machine you should move first, well, this is case sensitive for every business and should be decided by you and your technical service contact.

Key Consideration: Should You Buy Or Lease Your Machinery?

Buying new machinery is a big investment for many companies and oftentimes buyers are unsure or uneducated about the process. One very important consideration to think of right off the bat is, should you buy or lease the machinery you are planning to acquire?

The truth is neither option is one size fits all. Each has its own pros and cons and a different set of applications and line dynamics that would suggest one superior to the other. Ultimately your unique needs, layout, and budget will determine which option is best for your business.

There are however some considerations to ponder that will help you to decide which option is best for your packaging line and the unique applications in which it is involved. So with that in mind, let's review a few key elements of choosing to buy or lease your packaging machinery.

1. Focus on Your Overall Needs and Time frame.

Capital investments should be made strategically and with the future in mind. Some of the things you'll want to consider when vetting leasing new packaging machinery over financing include how much you plan to use the machinery, how many machines you will be looking to acquire, potential investors in your business, and last but not least, your balance sheets.

2. What is Your Budget?

Does it make more sense to buy your machinery outright or do you need to start out with leasing based on your budget? In evaluating/making a purchasing decision on equipment, people sometimes confuse the ability to justify the purchase with the ability to pay for the purchase. The ability to justify the purchase (ROI) is based on a business decision that the payback meets your requirements for investment.

3. What Type of Technology Do You Need?

If you want to have the best machinery on the market, you may have to do a little extra digging to find newer technologies that offer the best lease options for your business. That isn't to say that they won't be available, it just may take some extra legwork and research. Therefore, having a supplier that has experience in equipment leasing within the packaging industry is important.

How To Choose A Packaging Machinery And Materials Supplier:

When it comes to choosing a supplier for your packaging materials and machinery, it is important to do your homework and ask yourself a few questions. You should investigate at least three different suppliers and learn about several important dynamics from each of them.

Location

It is a good idea to choose a packaging machinery supplier who is relatively close to your geographical location or can easily travel to you. This will have an impact on your business when there is a need for repairs or emergency service for your equipment. Pick a supplier who is in another country and you may find yourself dead in the water for days on end. Choosing a supplier with technicians who are local is always a smart idea. When it comes to your materials, you don't have to be as worried about the physical location as most supplies can be shipped timely.

Technicians

It is important to choose a packaging machine supplier with experienced and certified technicians who are professionally trained to work on your packaging equipment. Without the proper certifications, you are taking a chance with your equipment. You could end up paying big when risking service with non-certified techs.

Customer Service

It may be tempting to source the cheapest packaging materials in an attempt to save money, but if you buy from a company with poor customer service, you may end up losing the anticipated savings anyway. Poor service often means lost dollars. Check out reviews of each vendor and if possible, reach out to current customers and ask about their vendor's customer service and if they would recommend buying from them.

Cost

There is an old saying in the packaging industry and that is "shrink film is shrink film". While there are some brands with flashy marketing and sales gimmicks with a premium price, chances are, there are several less costly alternatives that are of equal quality. If you are looking for comparisons, there are generally low-cost films that have lower clarity and higher-cost films that will shine more and have better clarity. Choosing an inexpensive film may cost you in shelf presence.

Snake oil and elevator pitches can blur the line between reality and illusion. At the end of the day, you will want to purchase from an honest supplier who carries multiple offerings at different price points and provides superior customer service.

Parts

Depending on how often your machinery is running, your downtime due to repair needs or emergency service will vary. As time is money, it is important to ask your machine supplier about lead times, parts availability, and preventative maintenance programs.

Ask each potential vendor what their average response times for emergency calls are. In most cases, it should not be more than 24-48 hours.

Which Packaging Materials Should You Use?

Different types of machinery require different types of materials and utilize different amounts of materials based on the make and model of equipment. For example, while you can save money upfront by purchasing a manual L-Bar Sealer, your cost of goods will likely be higher as a more expensive automatic sealer will generally use less material than the manual machine because the machine will generally be optimized to do so.

That being said, the quantity of product that you will be producing must also be taken into consideration. An automatic sealer won't be the right machine for a small business that is only running a couple of thousand items or less each week.

This is due to the fact that each model is designed to work with specific maximum and minimum capabilities and materials. Every machine is different. Your packaging line's unique needs must be taken into consideration when choosing the appropriate machine for your application. This can result in higher production costs if your choice of machinery cannot run thinner gauge shrink film. Using thinner gauges of shrink film can result in significant cost savings.

Conclusion:

Buying packaging machinery is a major investment. The various dynamics of choosing machinery include; safety, budget, physical layout, electrical supply, materials, and a whole host of considerations that can make your head spin.

When moving forward with the buying process it is important to start by reviewing the appropriate KPIs with an emphasis on safety first. Next, you will want to be sure to complete the packaging machinery pre-investment checklist. After filling out the information in this valuable tool and getting your results back, you will want to move on to getting quotes from at least two or three vendors.

Getting an analysis of your packaging department and collecting data on your current machinery, manual labor, materials, physical footprint, electrical requirements, production levels, types of products and the other important dynamics of running a safe and productive packaging line is key.

Once you have been able to fully analyze every aspect of your packaging line, asking for quotes from each of the vendors you are giving an opportunity to quote will provide you with peace of mind that you are going get the best deal and receive the best of what each vendor has to offer.

In addition to requesting information and pricing on the packaging machinery you are looking to purchase, be sure to also acquire information about the cost of service, installation, any training available, supply, and repairs. Ideally, you should consider getting a quote for a long-term preventative maintenance plan as this type of program will ensure that your machinery is always running at peak performance and that downtime will be limited when it does occur.

Once you have chosen a vendor to buy from, meeting with your representative and reviewing the machinery offerings that they have will allow you to open a conversation about pricing. Here you can ask about special offers, rebates, additional options, leasing versus buying, and other related dynamics that will help you to get the best price and best plan implemented for your specific budgetary restraints and packaging line needs.

Finally, it would do you well to schedule quarterly, bi-annual or annual meetings for review with your chosen vendor's sales representative and one of their maintenance technicians.

This will allow you to review data from one meeting to the next and identify places where your machinery and materials could be improved upon to further reduce your cost of production, increase speed to market, create greater efficiency and produce a superior performance on your packaging lines KPIs.

Once you have purchased your new machinery and have worked with your chosen vendor to install the machinery, train your operators, and all else has been said and done, be sure to schedule your first review before your representative leaves your building.

If you heed the information in this guide, we assure you that you will make the best possible choice of packaging machinery for your packaging department. Furthermore, you will be able to ensure the purchase and implementation of the best materials for your products and may rest assured that you have done everything in your power to have the best possible packaging line for your business.

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Renhe.

Should we not have produced answers to some of your questions or content that is crucial to your particular needs in regard to buying new machinery, contact us directly. Your voice can help others in your position in the future!

Our dedicated packaging professionals can and will answer any questions that have not been answered by this guide. In addition to what you have read here, we invite you to peruse our blog which is absolutely packed to the brim with useful information, free tools, and quality content that will make for a highly useful adjunct to this guide.

Last but not least, you will find a selection of free tools below that will help you on your journey to finding the best packaging machinery for your packaging line.

From all of us here at Industrial Packaging, we wish you well on your quest and again would implore you to contact us if you need anything else that you could not find in this guide.

Ready to launch the next best food product? Whether you’re a brand new company or looking for a package refresh, this article is the package design framework a food brand needs. This complete guide teaches you how to create a unique food packaging design that captures a category.

Grocery chains don’t settle for shelf mediocrity. Limited space means retailers must decide which food brands to promote and which to discontinue. In the words of the Godfather, “This isn’t personal; it’s strictly business.” Even if your brand has a significant likeability factor, you will be delisted if your food product design doesn’t perform against existing competition and soon-to-arrive challenger brands.

In an industry where patents rarely exist, required food label changes limit flexibility, and private label brands offer lower prices, how do you make your food brand stand out? While having talented designers is a part of the process, it will not get the job done. You must systematically research, design, and test to create the best food packaging design.

A great food packaging design can differentiate between a long-term relationship with a grocery chain and a return to an e-commerce strategy. If you want your food product to live where most commerce happens, you need a design that performs.

In today’s market, competition is so fierce that even produce needs to stand out. The product that consumers understand to have the best food branding will win over what is truly the “best product” on the shelf. From the food packaging logo to the nutrition facts, everything counts.

The Food Package Experience

You now understand the need for a premium packaging design, but how do you design food packaging that looks good and captures the consumer’s attention, leading to repeat purchases? It starts by understanding how shoppers identify, handle, and decide which product to take to the register.

Because of legal restrictions in the food industry and shopper awareness, the CPG industry requires careful consideration for each element of your food product packaging design. Every design element must draw the consumer in, hold their attention, and create alignment between the product and a shopper’s expectations.

A winning food brand design isn’t about who receives the most medals and awards. The genuine success metric for product packaging is how many times it rings through the register. Point blank, accurate brand recognition comes down to product trials, repeat purchases, and company revenues.

You need more than talented designers with unique artistic abilities to succeed on a grocery store shelf. You need packaging, messaging, and design elements that influence and resonate with consumers beyond the point of consideration.

Your food packaging should take consumers from interest to engagement, excitement to satisfaction. How do you achieve this goal? Each product is unique, but there is one thing that all food brands must understand.

Your packaging must be flawless. Every element needs to be strategized, designed, and tested for performance. That’s why working with reputable food packaging design companies is so important. Now, let’s explore how to design food packaging.

How to Design Food Packaging

Many brands rely on a co-packer to handle packaging decisions, trusting them to select the best option. However, this often places critical choices in the hands of unqualified decision-makers, leading to ineffective results.

A strategic custom food packaging design is essential to stand out in a crowded market. Whether it’s coffee packaging design, frozen food packaging design, or chocolate packaging design, brands must prioritize consumer preferences and ensure that nutritional information is clear and compelling.

Using custom packaging with interactive elements engages shoppers and enhances shelf appeal. A distinctive packaging strategy protects the product, influences purchasing decisions, and strengthens brand recognition.

Package Design Strategy

Before considering your package design options, determine an accurate buyer persona by understanding the inner details of their lives. This should be part of every brand strategy, but it needs to be further evaluated for each new product.

Perform Market Research

Why does the established brand dominate mass markets? Because they dominate the data. They say knowledge is power, after all.

Data from market research is critical for big brands at every decision-making level. It drives all product development, packaging, and marketing decisions. Fortunately, not every brand needs budget-breaking data to create a well-defined, differentiated brand from the competition.

All it takes is a little ingenuity and elbow grease.

Leverage all information at your brand’s disposal. This includes industry reports, online discussions, social media, and competitor reviews to understand the current packaging zeitgeist. At SmashBrand, this groundwork is fundamental to our function as your food packaging design company. Our brand development process research involves store visits, informal discussions with target consumers, surveys, and more.

The goal is to understand what your target market wants to see. We aim to identify the primary pain points in the competitive space. This information forms a hypothesis about strengths, opportunities, threats, and risks for research-backed package design.

Find Your Target Audience

What matters to your target consumer? Are they a mom whose kid is screaming in the grocery store? Maybe a Gen-Z who is deliberate about each food purchase?

What encourages your target audience to make a purchasing decision? The primary goal of market research is to identify open areas in your industry that competitors haven’t touched. This presents opportunities to reach untapped markets where you can capture brand loyalty before your competitors.

This differentiation is essential, as retail packaging design has unique challenges compared to other marketing media. Since packaging rests directly next to its competition, consumers directly compare each product.

And they don’t spend long doing it, usually only 5-15 seconds, making it essential that the product stands out. Eye-tracking studies reveal that shoppers rarely see more than two-thirds of the displayed brands. Further research shows that being seen quickly correlates with purchase intent, and the value of standing out becomes clear.

But since retailers place competition close to their products, brands must gather all comparable data on their rivals. We need this information to understand which strategies are standard and which are disruptive.

Begin by combining in-store tours and online research of your competitors. Help your design team by taking photos and notes about your experiences. Check online reviews to gather valuable insight into your market’s preferences.

Understanding Your Consumer’s Concerns

Here are some concerns that CPG brands need to meet to satisfy their prospective customers.

Safety Concerns

What long-held and emerging concerns does your ideal customer have? Does your product address them? Don’t hide from those difficult conversations. Instead, face them head-on and solve your audience’s unspoken concerns.

Health Concerns

Does your food product solve a health-related concern for the shopper? Amplify your message about how your product is the right choice for their health objectives. Here is an idea: Show off how “clean” your product is with clear packaging.

Calorie Concerns

Consumers will always be concerned with calories. It is not enough for a high-sugar food to proclaim its low-fat gospel. Nor is it enough for high-fat foods to puff their chest at their low-carb profile.

Consumers are too savvy for that. Your food packaging label design must carefully consider calories and macronutrients. Embrace your low-calorie (or high-calorie) food product. Just be sure that you communicate that message to the right audience.

Deux had the wrong target audience when they appeared on Shark Tank. A group of calorie-concerned consumers criticized this “healthy” and enhanced “functional” food. That said, Deux has embraced its younger demographic, which is less concerned with calories and more concerned with superfoods.

Product messaging done right will increase conversions, but done wrong, it leads to shelf pullback where discounters buy your product for pennies on the dollar.

Social (Culture) Concerns

Farmers from the s might find it odd that we purchase food because we desire to associate with a group of people. But in an introverted society, we seek social acceptance in strange places.

While hipsters may have started the social coffee experience, brands like Death Wish Coffee created their community. Death Wish found a hardcore demographic to build a coffee culture that connects people and gives back to communities.

Taste Concerns

Flavor matters, period! Even the healthiest shoppers make some purchasing decisions based on food taste. Find a balance between just enough hype to excite the customer and not so much that it creates an experience mismatch.

Food packaging design companies should test not only to determine how to display the different flavors to elicit the most significant purchase intent but also to verify that flavor profiles do not become so bold that consumers lose trust before the purchase or find misalignment between their expectations and their first product use.

It’s a tough job, but we must do it if you want your food brand to continue performing on grocery shelves.

Perform a Competitive Analysis

After understanding your food product category and determining your buyer persona, it’s time to see how your brand stacks up. When you engage with a CPG brand strategy agency that offers full-scope food packaging design services, one of their objectives will be to identify where competition is weak or category. This learning and insight expose market opportunities that are not addressed by current products and can reveal tremendous opportunities.

Retail food packaging is unique because it “lives” on cluttered shelves. The packaging must work within the limited time shoppers spend making their purchase decisions. Given this reality, the first challenge is clearly to be seen and considered—creating an opportunity to sell.

Unless you are paying for product placement, retailers position your product next to its primary competitors. Consumers will rarely view and consider your product in isolation. If you want to get noticed, remember this critical point…

The most relevant norm is nearly always competition. You must gather comparable data regarding competitive packaging, including all leading store brands. You cannot be unique and disruptive without knowing the entire competitive landscape.

If you do this yourself, start with in-store tours and online research. Photograph your visits, enabling the design team to see where products live “in the wild.”

When researching online, collect as many images and product reviews as possible. The insights you can gain about likes, dislikes, and opportunities from Amazon reviews will surprise you.

Product Packaging Options

The innovations within the food packaging industry happen faster with each passing year. Do not depend on what you’ve seen in the past or feel forced to follow the latest packaging design trends. Instead, talk to vendors about what new capabilities they have and what innovative options are available.

We take care of this job when you work with a CPG package design agency like SmashBrand.

There are hundreds of plastic and cardboard options to choose from. There are also unique, sustainable packaging options that appeal to an eco-friendly demographic. Somewhere within this fast-moving industry is a specialty food packaging material perfectly built for your product.

But it isn’t just the material’s sustainability where you have options. Innovations in resealable, reusable, and flexible packaging exist. Packing with a post-purchase utility offers food brands a way to stand out, creating social conversations about their product.

Front of Pack Design

They have said that you have three seconds to catch someone’s attention. Thanks to smartphones and our more distracted society, that time is now shorter. You are mistaken if you think your front-of-pack design has 3-seconds of the consumer’s attention.

Stopping consumers in their tracks and capturing their interest is essential for start-ups and companies with strong brand awareness. Not only do you need to stop consumers in their tracks, but you also need to get that product into their hands. Maybe, just maybe, at this point, you have the 3-seconds you were looking for.

Your front package or label panel’s job is to connect with the consumer. The message your packaging delivers doesn’t need to be overly descriptive. It must be short and punchy and stimulate a special moment in the consumer’s mind.

Designing For Other Panels

After reviewing your front panel, your potential customer secretly says, “I feel we have a strong connection to, but I’d like to know more about you.” Additional product panels help build consumer trust by answering questions in advance and creating solutions to problems not yet considered.

A creative food packaging design has high expectations for all aspects of the box, bag, or bottle, including the side panels, rear panel, top panel, & bottom panel. Everything from the UPC to the nutrition facts design is an important detail that requires careful consideration. Innovative food packaging design agencies should leverage purchase drivers and design elements that “miss the cut” from consumer-facing by placing them on the side and rear panels.

Food Label Design

No package? No problem! There are still customizable options for a food label design. Consider adding special label features such as peel-back and double-sided information.

Define Your Food Packaging Parameters

This is where we need a reality check for all the creatives out there. Unfortunately, while hopeful of making all of our package design dreams come true, the operational side of the business may set us straight. The finance department may have a different idea of a packaging strategy. We will look at other essential considerations in your product packaging to satisfy your CFO and accountant.

Here, we cover the parameters for designing food packaging; we have more research. Brands must define their parameters before they can begin building toward them. These parameters likely include the following:

• Packaging design project goals
• Packaging requirements
• Total budget
• Project timelines
• Project constraints

To help define this framework, brands should ask themselves a series of questions:

1. How many SKUs are there?
2. How many components are we packaging together?
3. How do components correlate with one another?
4. What materials are the products made of?
5. What is the weight of each component?
6. What is the retail price of each SKU?
7. Is there a specific budget per SKU for packaging manufacturing?
8. Do you know geographic compliance laws for packaging and labeling?
9. Are there specific shelf requirements? And what type of shelf will house the products?
10. What type of lighting will a store use?
11. Is your packaging designed to sell? To warn? Or to display?
12. Is there any product information that we must legally include on the packaging?
13. Are display windows necessary?
14. Should your packaging be easy to dispose of, or should it be sturdy for future repurposing?
15. Does the packaging need to be recyclable?

While extensive, this questioning is only part of the consideration necessary for a top-level CPG packaging design. Much like step one, this step of the design process is about understanding how to get your products from the factory floor to the retail shelf.

The Food Packaging Design Process

Now that you have data and packaging parameters figured out, it’s time to bring strategy back into the picture. Let’s move to the preliminary design process.

Ideally, your food packaging designer understands your desire to create a powerful brand in competitive, crowded marketplaces. Hopefully, she has experience with food product branding and has an understanding well beyond general design skills. A better idea is to work with a food branding agency where you work with a team rather than a designer.

Don’t take this decision lightly. It can make or break the entire project. We’ve written extensively on this topic, so make sure you know what to look for.

Design is more than slapping a shell on your product; the team should understand how to bring the product to life, articulating the quality of the product through packaging design. It’s this positioning, this attitude, that allows businesses to unlock untapped opportunities existing in their markets.

To convert shoppers into customers through effective packaging design, your package needs to follow several fundamentals.

Design With The Store In Mind

Packaging doesn’t exist in a vacuum—the realities of the physical store environment play a large role in design.

• Consider how retailers and customers don’t always face goods correctly on the shelf after holding them.
• Pay attention to how hanging tags block products on the shelves below them.
• Notice how building lights cause reflections or shadows.

While we cannot control some of these factors, brands must understand their impact when creating food packaging designs. These aspects may influence the packaging substrates used, whether using dual PDPs and where to place the most critical messaging on the packaging.

At SmashBrand, as your food packaging design agency , we will test your package design in a simulated retail environment, mimicking a shopper who has experience with your product on the store shelves.

For example, we’ve examined brands in the packaged, sliced deli-meat category whose products advertised “more product for your money” in the top left corner of the packaging. Unfortunately, the retailer’s sales tags concealed this copy from the consumer.

Without clarifying the cost of the product was due, in part, to the volume of food the customer received, it appeared the product was expensive for its category. Over the weeks and months, how many customers decided against purchasing because of this simple oversight? Ouch!

Differentiate And Stand Out

Standing out on the shelf in high-volume retail is difficult when a single store has over 30,000 products for consumers to browse. Making an impact in this market means being bold and trying different strategies than other brands on the shelf.

Don’t be afraid to break the rules, push your brand, and move outside your comfort zone. Brand differentiation is key for standing out, and most products blend in.

But remember, differentiation must have a meaningful purpose—being different for the sake of being different won’t produce results. Make sure your unique brand positioning actually matters to shoppers in your category.

For example, consider how a kid (and mom) felt the first time they read “limited edition toy inside” on a cereal packaging design . This message addresses both the parent and the child, helping to establish more product value for a nominal cost.

Sometimes standing out requires more than a single feature. With the rise in sustainable packaging, finding other purchase drivers that reach this customer profile reinforces the product’s value. A triple threat in this category would be:

1. Eco-friendly packaging made from sustainable materials.
2. Environmentally friendly, reusable packaging .
3. Multi-purpose packaging.

Position and communicate these product features well; you will beat the average “natural” product.

Dial Back Your Corporate Tendencies

Customers choose a product based on what the brand reveals about their character. We understand this synchronicity as brand resonance. Consumers prefer brands that have personality, originality, and real people behind them.

Because of this, we’re in the middle of what could be called a “counter-corporate” movement in packaging design.

Bland stock images, generic taglines, and other overly manufactured styles serve little purpose in food packaging design. Instead, consumers prefer brands that express themselves; they prefer charming, opinionated, and quirky brands that are transparent on the shelf.

This means brands must avoid dedicating packaging space to self-serving corporate claims, prominent calls-to-action, and shopworn promises that consumers hear from every company. They must approach the packaging design process with a human mindset and ensure the packaging connects with shoppers on a deeper level.

Dedicate space in your design to elements catering to your target market’s broader interests, such as activities or social causes. Customers also appreciate brands that show their humanity and include warm, inviting designs in their packages.

Finding The Right Purchase Drivers

People can love your brand and believe in your mission, but that is not enough for a brand to succeed. Without the right purchase drivers, your product will sit on the shelf marking down the days until its expiration date arrives.

Besides a strong brand identity, your message needs to create purchase intent. A critical aspect of your food packaging branding is messaging that matters, speaking distinctly and more impactfully than the competition.

Clarify Your Value Proposition

To start, what does your product stand for? Make your brand value proposition obvious so your target demographic cannot miss your message. While you shouldn’t scream, “HEY, NATURAL SHOPPER!” There are ways to communicate this message properly on the front of the package (or should you). The correct pattern interrupts the message from the package to the mind, seemingly at the speed of light.

purchase drivers

Staying on packaging design for food considered “natural,” it may be a single ingredient that brings home the uncured pastured bacon for your natural food item. However, in a category where natural ingredients are common purchase drivers, you may need a unique way to format that message. The best packaging design for food products will always be the one that unpacks the words that drive the most purchase intent.

Nonverbal Drivers

Many brands forget the synergistic relationships between what we see and read. Traditionally reserved for brand identity, nonverbal drivers in your food packaging graphic design increase message strength that words alone may not accomplish.

Great packaging uses verbal and nonverbal drivers to influence a consumer’s purchase decision. At SmashBrand, we believe testing is necessary for product messaging with and without non-verbal drivers.

Food Package Design Testing

Food brands at every level can perform package design testing. Even with a penny-pinching budget, you can test your packaging through digital ads, product demonstrations, or simply asking how people feel about a design. But not every brand testing agency creates tests that provide the feedback you need to compete in tough environments.

Let’s look at some ways you can test your food package designs.

Consumer Validation Testing

The last step in your food products packaging strategy involves validating your proposed designs with representatives from your target market. Reach out to your product’s target audience and tell them what you’re doing. Set the stage by:

1. Identifying where they are (e.g., the cereal aisle in the grocery store)
2. The context of what they’re doing (choosing a new cereal brand)
3. What they’re looking for (low sugar, healthy options). Under this framework, present the packaging design to them. Gather specific feedback, allowing you to fine-tune the messaging before you create attractive packaging.

From here, let’s take a quick step back and assess the goals of packaging design:

• Attract customers
• Associate specific products with specific brands
• Effectively communicate what the product is
• Demonstrate what makes the product unique over similar competitors

With these goals fresh in our minds, the value of consumer validation testing becomes clear. Customer feedback is a simple way to measure the effectiveness in a setting that resembles the actual buying experience.

The best outcome from this process, of course, is discovering that nothing needs to change. However, we’ve seen brands discover costly design or messaging mistakes through this process. Our package testing methodology saved them a tremendous amount of money and hassle. Getting in front of this problem before it hits the shelves prevents friction between the brand and the retailer.

We strongly recommend that brands perform brand testing with consumers before sending their products to the shelf. This process is simple to do and maximizes design potential while minimizing risk. It’s also important to note that the best consumer feedback comes from aim, third-party sources not affiliated with the brand.

Consumer testing relies on unbiased feedback.

Package Design Testing Free of Subjectivity

At SmashBrand, we take a different approach to package design testing. When you work with our food package design agency, the consumer’s actions determine the total purchase intent. Through our package testing process, we calculate the effect a design has on brand recall.

We don’t want subjective opinions or how they “feel” about a product. Sure, it’s a start and narrows down some factors, but we must remove potential mismatches between what someone says and what they do. Only a simulated buying environment with an accurate competitive landscape provides the data we need to compete against the top food brands.

Repeated the Testing Process

Rinse, wash, repeat. Testing once is not enough. Through iteration, you can get your product packaging closer to a straight line from the shelf to your ideal consumer.

Launch & Distribution

You’re finally ready. You’ve followed the above steps, performed all necessary research, and are ready to launch your product. If you’ve performed each step, your brand has a leg up on the competition, but realize that the challenges aren’t over yet. Stores give a new product a six-to-nine-month incubation period to prove its value, so smaller brands typically only have one shot to get it right.

Getting your product on the grocery store shelves is difficult, but be persistent and don’t give up. All brands initially pound the pavement to prove themselves, generate consumer interest, and make the right connections. Attend trade shows in your market to network with distributors, suppliers, and marketing professionals who can help.

Using a broker may be helpful when trying to break into large national retail chains. If you’re trying to make it into smaller gourmet shops, the owners will be more willing to hear direct pitches from producers.

Some companies, such as Whole Foods, often introduce small brands on a regional scale, testing out how they’ll perform. These can be viable options for brands hoping to break into the market. Even if a brand starts as a regional brand, the right move is to work with food product packaging companies that can improve its positioning and consumer appeal. This sets the stage for future growth.

More Than A Food Package Design Agency.

SmashBrand is a brand development agency for FMCG and CPG companies. From brand strategy to packaging design testing, our Path To Performance™ process guarantees a retail performance lift.

Our passion is helping our clients create new brands or revitalize their existing ones. We put our heart and soul into every project, designing standout brand experiences that embrace innovation, creativity, and ideation for game-changing packaging design ideas.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of food packaging bag manufacturer. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.