Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

CP 08 paints paths to innovation

It takes a planned strategy, Quaker Foods VP says. Conference gives direction to assembling the right team, and where and how contract packaging enters the mix.

Pw 6022 Cp08

Product manufacturers often fail in their effort to bring truly new concepts to store shelves—and to optimize their use of contract packagers in getting those products into the marketplace—because of poor planning that sidesteps cross-functional input from each relevant stakeholder. The results are wasted time and money on packaged goods that don’t meet initial business objectives.

Those observations served as a base line for generating discussions on remedies at the CP 08: Succeeding with Contract Packaging Conference Sept. 16-17 near Chicago, IL. The second-annual education and networking forum, presented by Contract Packaging and Packaging World magazines, drew decision-makers from product manufacturers such as the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Kellogg Co., Land O’ Lakes, and a host of contract packagers and companies that sell into the co-packing industry. CP 08 was supported by the Contract Packaging Association (www.contractpackaging.org).

Keynote speaker Jeff George, vice president of research and development for Quaker Foods and Snacks, part of PepsiCo Inc., opened the conference by declaring that a major barrier to innovation is that most product manufacturers don’t think about it enough. Though they’re engaging the services of contract packagers more than ever, they often fail to welcome their external packers into the early stages of package development, where innovation can take root.

“Most companies lack a strategy for packaging innovation,” George said.

Start at the end

He recommended that product manufacturers turn the creative process on its ear by first creating a distinctive package and then leveraging it to drive product innovation. That begins to drive holistic thinking, George noted, because the package is the product. George said the nation’s leading product manufacturers are beginning to adopt this inverted way of thinking rather than use the traditional linear approach, in which the product is created first and then packaging concepts are considered—often in the realm of an add-on.

Contract packaging plays a major role in this new way of thinking in a number of ways, he said. This approach:

• Forces meaningful input from external partners earlier in product and package development.

• Strengthens relationships between packers and their customers.

Videos from Universal Labeling Systems, Inc.
Researched List: Engineering Services Firms
Looking for engineering services? Our curated list features 100+ companies specializing in civil, process, structural, and electrical engineering. Many also offer construction, design, and architecture services. Download to access company names, markets served, key services, contact information, and more!
Download Now
Researched List: Engineering Services Firms
Annual Outlook Report: Automation & Robotics
What's in store for CPGs in 2025 and beyond? <i>Packaging World</i> editors explore the survey responses from 118 brand owners, CPG, and FMCG <i>Packaging World</i> readers for its new Annual Outlook Report.
Download
Annual Outlook Report: Automation & Robotics