Joe Jaruszewski describes contract packaging as a “hand-to-mouth” business in which products and materials often arrive at the last possible moment, requiring the packer to turn around completed units at lightning speed on tight deadlines.
At Market Resource Packaging (MRP, www.mrppackaging.com), where Jaruszewski is president, the demands of such quick-turnaround projects are acute, because the co-packer could turn around hundreds of jobs each month. Designs need to be production-line compatible. A packaging job might require custom-tooled machine parts. A point-of-purchase display that was suitable for one retailer might need to be several inches taller to include a different retailer’s logo. Containers need to be oriented correctly inside secondary packages. Display units must be mounted and filled in the correct sequence. Adequate staffing must be planned out daily.
