Seven best practices for buying labeling machinery

Determining requirements for machinery isn’t rocket science, but it does take careful planning. During the 35 years I worked at Revlon, I learned to ask some basic questions on any new project to determine the appropriate direction to take. Here are the key areas your questions should address.

 

1. Outsourcing versus in-house. You don’t have to install a production line for every new product, particularly if the longevity of that product is far from clear. Ask whether someone else—a contract packager—can do this project better, or cheaper, than you, saving you the capital investment. Other considerations are whether the launch window is extremely tight, or whether this project makes the best use of existing plant space that might be better used for another project.

2. Flexibility of equipment for other applications. Don’t assume you’re developing requirements just for this particular package. Marketing may come knocking a year later with a request to go to a different package size. All of your assumptions in the beginning are no longer valid and suddenly, your equipment has limited capabilities. You’ll be faulted because you didn’t think about what’s coming next.
 
3. Don’t just replicate what you’ve done before. Doing so may be easier, more comfortable, and less risky, but you won’t be exposing yourself to new technologies and new vendors that may give your package and operation significant cost and time-to-shelf advantages.
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