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What packagers want in turnkey projects (sidebar)

Outsourcing not always 'in'

Although 75% of the survey respondents say they outsource at least some turnkey projects, the 25% who don't weighed in very vocally with their opinions.

"We don't think it's possible to do a true turnkey," says a senior engineer for a pharmaceutical manufacturer. "No one coming in can really know enough about internal company nuances. They can do a building just fine, but not a sophisticated packaging line. That's why Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch each have their own fully staffed engineering groups. Outsourcing is just not worth it. You end up paying for the engineering twice by the time you explain it all."

A mechanical engineer for a major national drug company agrees. "We've never outsourced a turnkey project. Corporate-wide, we have had modestly disastrous experiences," he reports. "When you say 'turnkey' here, people get hives and break out in a rash. I don't ever expect to do one."

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